Do you floss?

[violet3]

I try! but i have really soft teeth, and have had MANY cavities in between my teeth, so flossing is the only thing that prevents this. They do say that you MUST floss fairly regularly to prevent the receeding gums. I know it''s annoying, but it will keep your teeth in tact later in life

 

[radiantquest]

I have a routine that I do every night. I brush, floss, rinse with peroxide, brush again and then listerine. I usually dont get much when I floss, but if for some reason I have missed a day it is amazing what comes out and that is something that keeps me going. Also DH got one of those dentist type tools. It has a stick that is threaded and it came with two ends that screw on. The one is a metal pointy thing in the shape of like a sickle. That is awesome at getting the stuff that likes to hang out right the gumline, but is too far to get with floss.

 

[PinkTower]

I love Reach Total Care. It is sort of like thin rubber band, and my teeth feel very clean after using it.

 

[Arcadian]

floss always breaks around my teeth and ends up getting stuck. I waterpik daily instead. I''ll always have ishtty teeth because they''re soft and I''ve learned to live with the fact I''ll get cavities, but they''re very clean and plaque free. My cleanings take about 5 mins at the dentist.

-A

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 6/7/2010 5:50:29 PM
Author: Arcadian
floss always breaks around my teeth and ends up getting stuck. I waterpik daily instead. I''ll always have ishtty teeth because they''re soft and I''ve learned to live with the fact I''ll get cavities, but they''re very clean and plaque free. My cleanings take about 5 mins at the dentist.

-A

Is the waterpik like a thin jet of water that blasts betwee your teeth? That sounds so refreshing!

My favorite floss was that foam-like Oral B stuff but I think they discontinued it. Now I use the Reach sensitive teeth "woven" stuff. Its similar to the Oral B foam stuff. I like it because you can pull it taught to get in there and then release the pressure when youre removed it so it sort of widens a bit and grabs more stuff from the edges on the way out. The traditional waxed floss makes my gums hurt after using the foam-like stuff for such a long time.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 6/7/2010 12:38:08 PM
Author: TooPatient
Never used to. Hated it. (still not my favorite, but my mouth is feeling better and very rarely bleeds anymore).



I don''t have dental insurance so hadn''t seen a dentist in 6-7 years. I used a Sonicare at least twice daily and flossed if I really had to.

Well...

After my mouth hurt so bad I couldn''t eat anything I decided to go to the dentist. Turned out I had an infection in the gums around one of my teeth (stupid wisdom teeth

). An antibiotic cleared that up for now (still have to get it removed) but I''ve got more fun to look forward to.


I have to go in for a ''deep cleaning'' this summer/fall (after my wisdom teeth get removed and heal a bit). This cleaning takes about 4 hours. They literally stick something between your gums and teeth and sand down the roots of your teeth -- all while you are awake (numbed and maybe the gas). All of this without insurance. The ''deep cleaning'' alone is almost $900.


I''ll have insurance in just another 15 months but the dentist says it can''t wait that long. It is already affecting the bones and if it isn''t taken care of I will have ''permanent bone loss''...



Needless to say, I am being extra careful to clean REALLY well every day.


My morning routine:

brush with Sonicare

follow with non-alcohol mouth rinse to reduce sensitivity & help with healthy gums


As needed through day:

brush

floss


Before bed:

brush with Sonicare

floss

WaterPic

quick brush with Sonicare

non-alcohol mouth rinse

TP, do you use Aspen Dental? They claimed DH needed a similar "deep cleaning" and it was all total BS. They tried to sell him so many things he didn''t need - procedures and tools. I would get a second opinion before dropping $900 on something like that.

 

[elrohwen]

To answer the question, no, I don''t floss. I''m bad! However, I have scarily good teeth and gums - I always get glowing comments from dentists, so I don''t bother. Brushing seems to work just fine.

More helpful than brushing would be wearing my mouth guard every night or I''m going to grind my teeth until I have none left

 

[junebug17]

I didn''t until about 2 years ago, and usually do it once a day (I admit I miss a day here and there). I also rinse twice a day with Listerine advanced mouthwash. My cleanings at the dentist go a lot smoother now, they used to be painful and take a long time. I notice that now the hygenist (sp?) doesn''t have to spend nearly as much time on me, and I don''t get lectured about the state of my teeth and gums.

 

[Haven]

I floss only at night. I have sensitive gums and I don''t like for them to hurt during the day.

In the mornings I use a tongue scraper, brush, and rinse with Listerine.
In the evenings I floss, use a tongue scraper, brush, and rinse with Listerine.

I paid a lot of money to have beautiful teeth so I''m determined to keep them strong and healthy.

 

[TooPatient]

Elro --

I went to Monroe Family Dentistry. The other prices they gave me (X-rays, exam, wisdom teeth removal, regular cleaning) all seemed very reasonable and actually lower than I was expecting. One of my wisdom teeth HAS to come out since it has grown under the bone partway and is causing infections. As long as they are at it, they can take the other wisdom tooth from that side (extra $150). After that, I''m not sure what I''ll do. I saw the X-Rays and could see exactly what he was talking about so I fear he may be correct. My hope is that when they remove the teeth there will have been improvement (or at least not more problems) and I''ll be okay to wait until I''m covered on insurance.


Clairitek --

The WaterPik is a great way to get teeth & gums cleaner. Ours has something like 10 settings so you can select the pressure of the water coming out. link to waterpik They aren''t very expensive and last for a long time (last one was used for about 5 years). There are all sorts of heads for it so you can reach all sorts of places.
I wouldn''t use it instead of flossing (just my preference) but it certainly helps my mouth feel wonderful and clean.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 6/8/2010 12:26:26 PM
Author: TooPatient
Elro --


I went to Monroe Family Dentistry. The other prices they gave me (X-rays, exam, wisdom teeth removal, regular cleaning) all seemed very reasonable and actually lower than I was expecting. One of my wisdom teeth HAS to come out since it has grown under the bone partway and is causing infections. As long as they are at it, they can take the other wisdom tooth from that side (extra $150). After that, I''m not sure what I''ll do. I saw the X-Rays and could see exactly what he was talking about so I fear he may be correct. My hope is that when they remove the teeth there will have been improvement (or at least not more problems) and I''ll be okay to wait until I''m covered on insurance.



Clairitek --


The WaterPik is a great way to get teeth & gums cleaner. Ours has something like 10 settings so you can select the pressure of the water coming out. link to waterpik They aren''t very expensive and last for a long time (last one was used for about 5 years). There are all sorts of heads for it so you can reach all sorts of places.

I wouldn''t use it instead of flossing (just my preference) but it certainly helps my mouth feel wonderful and clean.

Yeah, taking the wisdom teeth out is important! They can cause all sorts of bad problems. My mom''s dentist (this was 30 years ago) told her that she only had 3 wisdom teeth and not to worry about it. Now she''s having headaches and they did an xray to find that the fourth tooth is now up in her cheek!

I just got worried about the deep cleaning thing because of DH''s experience with Aspen, and I know they''re a national chain. They refused to take out two of his wisdom teeth (said it wasn''t necessary) which worries me, and tried to sell him all sorts of things that he didn''t need. I''m glad you''ve found a dentist you trust!

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 6/8/2010 12:31:22 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 6/8/2010 12:26:26 PM
Author: TooPatient
Elro --


I went to Monroe Family Dentistry. The other prices they gave me (X-rays, exam, wisdom teeth removal, regular cleaning) all seemed very reasonable and actually lower than I was expecting. One of my wisdom teeth HAS to come out since it has grown under the bone partway and is causing infections. As long as they are at it, they can take the other wisdom tooth from that side (extra $150). After that, I''m not sure what I''ll do. I saw the X-Rays and could see exactly what he was talking about so I fear he may be correct. My hope is that when they remove the teeth there will have been improvement (or at least not more problems) and I''ll be okay to wait until I''m covered on insurance.



Clairitek --


The WaterPik is a great way to get teeth & gums cleaner. Ours has something like 10 settings so you can select the pressure of the water coming out. link to waterpik They aren''t very expensive and last for a long time (last one was used for about 5 years). There are all sorts of heads for it so you can reach all sorts of places.

I wouldn''t use it instead of flossing (just my preference) but it certainly helps my mouth feel wonderful and clean.

Yeah, taking the wisdom teeth out is important! They can cause all sorts of bad problems. My mom''s dentist (this was 30 years ago) told her that she only had 3 wisdom teeth and not to worry about it. Now she''s having headaches and they did an xray to find that the fourth tooth is now up in her cheek!

I just got worried about the deep cleaning thing because of DH''s experience with Aspen, and I know they''re a national chain. They refused to take out two of his wisdom teeth (said it wasn''t necessary) which worries me, and tried to sell him all sorts of things that he didn''t need. I''m glad you''ve found a dentist you trust!

Thanks for the warning about them.

I''ve only been to this dentist once but he sees several other of my family members and they say he is good (and his office in general). It is 45 minutes away from us, but he seemed to do okay the one time I saw him.

 

[Arcadian]

Date: 6/8/2010 11:09:51 AM
Author: Clairitek

Date: 6/7/2010 5:50:29 PM

Author: Arcadian

floss always breaks around my teeth and ends up getting stuck. I waterpik daily instead. I''ll always have ishtty teeth because they''re soft and I''ve learned to live with the fact I''ll get cavities, but they''re very clean and plaque free. My cleanings take about 5 mins at the dentist.


-A

Is the waterpik like a thin jet of water that blasts betwee your teeth? That sounds so refreshing!


My favorite floss was that foam-like Oral B stuff but I think they discontinued it. Now I use the Reach sensitive teeth ''woven'' stuff. Its similar to the Oral B foam stuff. I like it because you can pull it taught to get in there and then release the pressure when youre removed it so it sort of widens a bit and grabs more stuff from the edges on the way out. The traditional waxed floss makes my gums hurt after using the foam-like stuff for such a long time.

Yeah, I add peroxide and listerine to the water when I use it. and it certainly makes my whole mouth feel much cleaner than flossing because it blasts all the junk from between teeth and around the gumline. I have an attachment for my tounge as well.

I also got one for when I travel (its not as strong but does an ok job)

I remember trying that floss you were talking about but it was also one of the most hard to find ones. That one never broke on me though it was still a battle for me to use.


-A

 

[kenny]

Pet Peeve Alert.

Unwaxed floss is getting harder to find.

I used unwaxed floss, and floss my teeth up and down a few times till I hear a squeak.
Unwaxed floss seems to just glide over the plaque instead of remove it.
And with no feedback squeak I don't know when I'm done with a tooth.

Many stores now carry only waxed floss.

(I know, I know - get a life Kenny.)

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 6/8/2010 5:39:08 PM
Author: kenny
Pet Peeve Alert.

Unwaxed floss is getting harder to find.

I used unwaxed floss, and floss my teeth up and down a few times till I hear a squeak.
Unwaxed floss seems to just glide over the plaque instead of remove it.
And with no feedback squeak I don''t know when I''m done with a tooth.

Many stores now carry only waxed floss.

(I know, I know - get a life Kenny.)

I understand. I had to buy more floss last night and out of the whole section, they only had one that was unwaxed. I just hate the "mint" they use to flavor wax, so I go for unwaxed when I can

 

[artdecogirl]

I floss multi times a day, my family is grossed out cause I keep floss everywhere, car, computer, coffee table. I agree about the floss, it seems the more expensive waxed kind does not get the junk off. I never had dental care as a kid and have paid for it as a adult so i take very good care now.