My 9-year-old just got braces a couple weeks ago and, wow, I was not prepared for how much extra work it is. She’s already complaining about food getting stuck and honestly, brushing around all that hardware is way trickier than I thought it’d be. I tried to show her how to use those little brushes the orthodontist gave us (interdental brushes? I think that’s what they’re called), but she gets bored halfway through and just wants to be done. Flossing is a whole other battle—she says it “takes forever” and I can’t really blame her.
Are there any hacks or products out there that make this easier for kids? Like, is a water flosser actually worth it or just another gadget that’ll end up collecting dust? I’m also curious if anyone has tips for snacks that don’t turn into a sticky mess in their braces. We’ve already had a few close calls with popcorn and caramel (oops).
I know this is probably just a phase, but I’d love to hear what’s worked (or totally didn’t) for other parents or even folks who had braces as kids. Did you have any tricks to keep things clean without constant nagging? And do kids ever actually get used to the routine, or am I in for years of “do I have to?” every night?
My kid got braces last year and wow, I was not ready for the snack drama or the cleaning routine either. We tried a water flosser because everyone raves about them, but honestly, it just turned into another thing cluttering up the bathroom counter. My daughter used it twice, then went back to complaining about flossing the old-fashioned way. Maybe some kids love gadgets, but mine just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.
The only thing that helped was making a “braces kit” she could keep in her backpack—tiny toothbrush, those little brushes, and some pre-threaded flossers (way easier than regular floss). She still grumbled, but at least she stopped acting like I was asking her to climb Everest every night.
Snack-wise, we basically banned anything sticky or crunchy after a rogue Skittle almost took out a bracket. Yogurt, cheese sticks, and soft fruit became our go-tos. Not the most exciting menu, but hey, less drama at least. And yeah, the “do I have to?” never really stops... but eventually it’s just background noise.
We skipped the water flosser too—just seemed like an extra expense, and I wasn’t convinced it’d get used. The little pre-threaded flossers are a lifesaver though, especially on busy mornings. Did you find a certain brand of those worked better? Some of the ones we tried kept snapping in the brackets, which drove my son nuts. Just curious if anyone’s found a sturdy, budget-friendly option that actually holds up.
We tried a few different brands of pre-threaded flossers when my daughter had braces, and yeah, the snapping issue drove her up the wall. The ones with thinner floss seemed to break almost instantly, especially around those back molar brackets. What ended up working best for us were the Platypus Orthodontic Flossers. They’re specifically designed for braces, so the arm is thin enough to slide under the wire without too much bending or pressure—less chance of snapping.
They’re not the cheapest option out there, but we found that she could actually get through her whole mouth without breaking one every other tooth. I did notice some off-brand versions online that looked similar but honestly didn’t hold up as well—false economy in our case. If you’re looking to save a bit, buying in bulk helped bring down the cost per flosser.
One thing I wish we’d tried sooner was using waxed floss with a reusable threader. It’s a bit more fiddly, but less waste and sturdier overall. Still, on school mornings, nothing beat grabbing a pre-threaded one and being done in two minutes flat.
Platypus flossers were a game changer for my nephew too—he actually stopped fighting us over flossing once we switched. I get what you mean about the cost, though. We tried a water flosser at one point (just a basic one, nothing fancy), and while it was kind of fun at first, it turned into more of a mess than anything. Water everywhere, and he’d just blast around for 30 seconds and call it “good enough.” Not sure it really did the trick, but maybe older kids would be more careful.
On snacks, we had to ban chewy granola bars after one got completely welded into his brackets. Apple slices and cheese sticks became our go-tos, even if he got bored of them pretty fast. I do wonder if the routine ever gets less annoying for kids—my nephew still groans about it, but at least he’s not actively hiding in the bathroom anymore.