Okay, so I've had braces for about 3 months now, and honestly, cleaning them is way more annoying than I expected. I've tried the little interdental brushes, floss threaders (ugh), and even a water flosser thingy my mom bought me. The water flosser is kinda fun but messy as heck, lol. Curious what everyone else prefers—quick poll:
What's your go-to braces cleaning method?
- Regular floss + threader
- Interdental brushes
- Water flosser
- Just toothbrush and hope for the best (no judgment, haha)
Feel free to share any weird or helpful tips you've picked up, too...I'm all ears.
I've gotta say, water flossers were a game changer for me. Yeah, they're messy at first, but once you get the hang of angling your head just right (leaning over the sink helps), it's honestly not that bad. Regular floss threaders drove me nuts too—felt like threading a needle 30 times every night. Stick with the water flosser; it gets easier...promise. You're doing great, btw; the first months are always the trickiest.
"Regular floss threaders drove me nuts too—felt like threading a needle 30 times every night."
Haha, this made me laugh because it brought back memories of when my daughter first got her braces. I swear, those floss threaders were the bane of our existence for weeks. Every night felt like a mini sewing project, and neither of us had the patience for it after a long day. She'd get frustrated, I'd get frustrated...it wasn't pretty.
We eventually switched to a water flosser too, and honestly, it was such a relief. But man, that first week was chaos! Water spraying everywhere—mirror, sink, even the walls got splashed at one point. My husband joked we needed raincoats just to brush teeth. But you're right; once you figure out the angle and lean forward enough (we learned that lesson quickly), it's smooth sailing.
One thing we found helpful was starting on the lowest pressure setting and gradually working up as she got used to it. Less messy that way, and less intimidating for her gums too. Now it's second nature—she barely thinks about it anymore.
Hang in there; you're definitely not alone in this struggle. The early days are always tricky with braces maintenance, but trust me, it'll become routine before you know it.
Haha, totally relate to the water flosser chaos—my bathroom looked like a splash zone at SeaWorld the first few days. Curious though, did anyone stick with threaders long-term and actually get used to them? Seems impossible to me...
I definitely get what you mean about the floss threaders being tricky at first. Took me a good couple of weeks before I felt comfortable using them regularly. What helped me was doing it in front of a mirror at first, step-by-step, and going super slow until I got the hang of it. Now it's second nature, though I still use my water flosser when I'm feeling lazy or rushed...messy but effective, haha.
