Flossing with braces is necessary for maintaining oral health during orthodontic treatment. While wires and brackets make the process more challenging, avoiding flossing carries significant risks that can compromise the final results. Incorporating a thorough flossing routine into your daily hygiene is essential to protect your teeth and gums.
Why Flossing is Non-Negotiable with Braces
Braces introduce numerous complex surfaces that trap food particles and oral bacteria, significantly increasing plaque accumulation. This sticky film, known as biofilm, forms quickly around the brackets and under the archwires, making removal difficult for a toothbrush alone. The presence of plaque directly leads to inflammation of the gums, a condition called gingivitis.
If gingivitis is left untreated, it can progress to more serious gum disease and contribute to tooth decay. A specific concern with braces is the formation of white spot lesions, which are areas of demineralization on the tooth enamel. These lesions often appear as permanent white marks around the edges of where the brackets were cemented after removal. Regular flossing helps prevent these aesthetic and structural issues by physically disrupting bacterial colonies between teeth and along the gumline.
Specialized Tools for Cleaning Orthodontic Hardware
The archwire creates a physical barrier, making traditional flossing techniques ineffective and requiring specialized tools to clean the spaces between teeth. One common aid is the floss threader, a small, flexible plastic loop that resembles a sewing needle. You guide regular floss through the threader’s eye, allowing you to pull the floss under the main archwire. This bypasses the wire, positioning the floss between two teeth for cleaning.
Orthodontic floss, such as Superfloss, integrates a stiffened end into the strand. This stiff section is rigid enough to thread directly under the archwire without needing a separate threader. The floss often includes a fluffy, yarn-like section next to the stiff end, which provides an increased surface area for cleaning plaque from the teeth and gumline. Both threaders and specialized floss allow for the mechanical scraping action necessary to remove biofilm.
A third tool is the water flosser, or oral irrigator, which uses a pressurized stream of water to flush out debris and plaque. While water flossers are effective at cleaning around brackets and wires, they are often recommended as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, traditional flossing. Professionals still recommend using string floss at least once daily for the necessary scraping action against the tooth surface.
Step-by-Step Technique for Flossing Success
The goal of flossing with braces is to maneuver the floss under the archwire before moving it into the space between two adjacent teeth. Start by cutting an 18 to 24-inch length of waxed floss, which is less likely to shred or catch on the hardware. If using a floss threader, first pass the floss through the threader’s loop.
Next, carefully insert the tip of the threader, or the stiff end of the orthodontic floss, under the main archwire. Gently pull the floss completely through the space, removing the threader and leaving the floss positioned between the two teeth. Wrap the ends of the floss around your index fingers for a firm, controlled grip.
Slide the floss down until it reaches the gumline and curve it into a “C” shape against the side of one tooth. Gently move the floss up and down the tooth surface several times, sliding slightly beneath the gumline without snapping it against the tissue. Repeat this cleaning motion on the adjacent tooth surface before removing the floss from the space and pulling it out from under the archwire. This process must be repeated for every space between the teeth, ideally once per day, to ensure complete plaque removal.