When you wear traditional orthodontic braces to align your teeth or correct some other dental problem you may have, you will experience certain changes in your life. Certain foods that you love to eat such as beef jerky and other tough and stringy food items will have to disappear from your diet since consuming them will just be a big problem for you. You will also have to visit your dentist more often than you normally should since the braces will have to be adjusted from time to time.
Your regular oral hygiene routine will also change. You will have to learn to brush more properly and thoroughly to get around the wires and brackets. If you found flossing an easy and simple task to do before, once you have braces, you will have to thread around this task more carefully.
So how do you floss properly and thoroughly when you are wearing traditional braces? Below are some useful tips you can follow:
Use waxed floss. Generally, unwaxed floss is made up of strands that catch easily on braces and get left behind in your mouth. As such, it is better to use waxed floss, since this glides easily between teeth and doesn't tear so you won't have to worry about floss residue.
Invest in some easy-to-use dental tools. When flossing, you can use a floss threader. This is a small, plastic needle that will help you floss between the wires and your teeth. You simply thread a 12-to-18-inch piece of floss onto the needle and use the needle to get the floss effortlessly behind the wires. Ask your dentist if he or she carries this dental tool. If not, you can always check the various medical, health, or dental supplies brick-and-mortar stores and online ones.
Learn how to manipulate your hands to floss under the wires. When you have the floss behind the wires, use your hands to manipulate the floss. Carefully move it up and down along the wires to remove food particles from the wires and your teeth.
Don't forget to floss between your teeth. Floss between your teeth as you normally would, before you got your braces. Gently move the floss up and down between your teeth, using a clean, unused section of floss for each tooth.
Rinse after you floss. Finally, gargle with water after you have finished flossing your teeth. This will help remove the small food particles that were removed when you flossed but are still hovering on your mouth, tongue, gums, or teeth.
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