Gums are preventing me to Floss!! Help!?
Question:
Not long ago i decided to floss but it would NOT let me floss certain teeth which are in the back because of my gum are overlapping my teeth. which was caused by not flossing in the first place.
Help! How can i try to reduce the gum overlapping my teeth so i can floss??
Answers:
Gums overlapping teeth are a common side effect of having braces. It is because the gums are overstimulated by all the movement your teeth are making. Unfortunately, there is not too much you can do right now, this problem usually goes away after your braces are removed. All you can really do is try your best to floss the area.
You may also want to try using an end tuft brush or sulca brush (you can find either of these at a drugstore) and use it to trace along your gum line. I would recommend this because you probably do have a bit of inflammation from not flossing as well. This might bring some inflammation down.
BTW... don't bother with a proxy brush, it is only used when you have a gap between your teeth and gums
There is a special little brush (I think it's called a proxy-brush) you can use for places you can't reach with floss. There's also a little thingy called a floss threader that will pull the end of the floss through the space. Look in the toothpaste section of stores like CVS. Not expensive. Or maybe your orthodontist can give you these.
See your dentist, he'll definitely know what to do, dont ever try buying a product your not sure of and using it yourself, trust me, the consequences can be really severe, just see your dentist, it is definitely the safest way
Best way is to get a waterpik. Use it on low and do not point it down into the gums, point it directly at the tooth where it meets the gums line. The water moving across/over the gum line creates a vacuum that sucks all food, bacteria, etc out. This will allow you to get the benefits of flossing until your gums heal enough to floss. You can also swish w/ hydrogen peroxide 1 time a day. Spit and do not rinse. This will bubble down into areas under your inflammed gums where the bacteria is hiding.
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