"honestly, I considered handing out ponchos before bedtime."
Haha, totally relate to the poncho idea—been there myself. Took us a good week to tame the splash zone chaos. Now it's second nature, and honestly, fewer cavities at checkups make the initial mess worth it.
We tried the water flosser thing too, but honestly, it stressed me out more than anything. My kids turned the bathroom into a water park every night, and I spent more time mopping floors than supervising their brushing. Maybe we just didn't stick with it long enough, but I ended up going back to those little interdental brushes—less anxiety-inducing for me, at least. Dentist hasn't complained yet, so fingers crossed...
We went through something similar at our house. The water flosser seemed like a brilliant idea at first, but after a week of nightly bathroom floods, I was ready to toss it out the window. Eventually, though, we found a compromise—my kids use it only in the shower now. It contains the chaos and cuts way down on the cleanup. Have you tried that approach?
I get why interdental brushes might feel easier, though...my youngest still prefers them because she finds the water pressure uncomfortable around her braces. Honestly, both methods seem effective enough as long as they're consistent. Our orthodontist actually mentioned that technique matters more than the tool itself, so if your dentist hasn't raised any issues yet, you're probably doing fine.
"Eventually, though, we found a compromise—my kids use it only in the shower now. It contains the chaos and cuts way down on the cleanup."
That's actually a really smart idea...wish I'd thought of that when my grandkids first got their braces. We had similar struggles with the water flosser—water everywhere, mirrors splattered, and towels constantly soaked. It was a mess, and I felt bad because they were genuinely trying to keep their braces clean.
In the end, we switched mostly to interdental brushes too, because they found them easier to handle and less intimidating. But I agree completely about consistency being key. Our dentist said pretty much the same thing: as long as they're thorough and regular about it, either method works fine. And honestly, braces are uncomfortable enough without adding extra stress from cleaning routines. Whatever makes it easier for them (and us!) is probably the best choice.
That's interesting, but do you find interdental brushes really do as thorough a job around brackets and wires? I mean, I get the water flosser mess—been there, done that—but when I had braces, I felt like nothing else got into those tiny spaces quite as effectively. Maybe it's just personal preference or technique, though...who knows. Glad you found something that works better for your family.
