Sometimes you just gotta pay for convenience and sanity... my wallet might grumble, but my gums are happier.
I hear you on the wallet complaints, but honestly, my sanity is worth every penny at this point. I was a die-hard string floss person until my ortho glued that wire in. Step 1: Try to thread floss. Step 2: Lose patience. Step 3: Give up and hope for the best. Water flosser saved my routine (and probably my gums). It’s not perfect, but way less frustrating. Anyone else ever feel like they’re wrestling a tiny octopus with regular floss?
- String floss with a permanent retainer is a nightmare, I get it. But honestly, I went back to using those little floss threaders—yeah, they’re fiddly, but I feel like they get in there better than my water flosser ever did.
- Water flossers are great for convenience, but my hygienist pointed out they can sometimes miss sticky plaque between tight teeth. I guess it’s a trade-off: less hassle vs. maybe a bit more thorough?
- For me, it’s a mix—I use the water flosser most days, and then do a “deep clean” with threaders once or twice a week. Not perfect, but my gums seem happier now.
- Anyone else notice their teeth feel different after switching routines? Sometimes I wonder if the effort’s worth it, but then I remember what skipping flossing altogether did to my last cleaning bill...
Yeah, permanent retainers are a pain for flossing—been there. I used to just give up some nights, honestly, because those threaders drove me nuts. But skipping it for a while? My gums got super puffy and my hygienist gave me that look... you know the one. Ended up with a way bigger cleaning bill than usual.
I tried a water flosser too, but I’m with you—it’s quick, but it never really gets the gunk out from behind the wire for me. Now I just suck it up and use the threaders every other night. Not perfect, but my teeth do feel cleaner, and my dentist stopped nagging me about “problem areas.”
Funny thing, after switching back to string floss, my teeth felt kinda sore for a week or so? Guess they weren’t used to getting actually cleaned. But yeah, it’s wild how much they can shift even years after braces. I swear mine still move if I skip my retainer for more than a night or two...
Funny thing, after switching back to string floss, my teeth felt kinda sore for a week or so?
Totally normal—my gums felt like they'd run a marathon the first week I got serious about flossing again. It’s wild how fast things get cranky if you slack off, but honestly, it’s worth powering through. And yeah, the retainer guilt is real... I swear mine has a sixth sense for when I skip a night.
Yeah, I noticed the same thing when I went back to regular floss after using those little plastic picks for a while. My gums were so sensitive at first, but it settled down after a week or so. I read somewhere that it’s basically your gums adjusting to the extra cleaning—guess they get lazy fast. Also, I swear my retainer can sense when I skip a night too... the next morning my bite feels off. Teeth really do keep moving, even when you think you’re done with braces.