Had my first cleaning since braces today...

[yj207]

The hygienist said I have gingivitis the dentist said the gums are "ok" it makes me not want to eat right now so I won't have to thoroughly clean it later. What a pain! It's nice to have clean teeth I think I will carry floss with me 24/7.

[macgirl4ever]

Have you been flossing or did this happen even after flossing?

[yj207]

Yes I've been flossing about 3-5 days a week. I think she's a little rough to be honest but she's the first hygienist I ever had so I don't know if they are all like that. The dentist thinks my gums are doing fine though but whenever she touches my teeth or gums I can feel a sharp pain from the sharp object she uses. Still I'll try to floss as much as I possibly can to make sure nothing happens.

[TumbleDryLow]

At my last cleaning the hygienist said that even with hard core dedication to flossing and brushing, some people still have inflamed gums from braces. I expressed surprise because I was under the impression that any gum inflammation was bad--a sign that you were not keeping things clean enough. She said that braces are a foreign object in your mouth--the reaction is inflammation.

[fdd1212]

I have the ability to brush my teeth after each meal. While I'm at work, I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in my drawer and just use the bathroom sink. It helps keep them top notch.

[bbsadmin]

Flossing 3 to 5 times per week really isn't enough. You should floss every single night. A flouride rinse, such as ACT also helps to keep things healthy.

[macgirl4ever]

I concur with Lynn. I floss AND use a waterpik every night. Sometimes, after adjustments, I physically can not floss because the contacts are too tight or my gums hurt too much, so I put the waterpik on the lowest setting for the first night. I know flossing is a pain, but I have a goal beyond just having nice teeth- it's to keep them and NEVER have dentures. Between genetics and flossing, I think I might have a chance! Good luck!

[yj207]

thanks for the comments. I am thinking about going to costco and buy a box of floss cuz I go through a lot of them when I do floss. I just bought ACT complete mouthwash so hopefully that will help. It says only to use once a day though but maybe I will use twice a day.

[bbsadmin]

When you floss, make sure that you get underneath the gumline with the floss. Go up and down with the floss a few times underneath the gumline if you can. This helps to disturb the bacteria. Then rinse with water. Then use the ACT rinse (or a similar fluoride rinse). Once a day for the fluoride rinse is usually enough for most people. Remember, there's fluoride in the toothpaste, too!

[newsboysgrl777]

At my last cleaning the hygienist said that even with hard core dedication to flossing and brushing, some people still have inflamed gums from braces. I expressed surprise because I was under the impression that any gum inflammation was bad--a sign that you were not keeping things clean enough. She said that braces are a foreign object in your mouth--the reaction is inflammation.

I'm the exact same, Tumble...I have inflammation between my bottom 2 center teeth and I asked the hygienist and dentist about it because I was concerned I'd have gum loss. After looking at it, both agreed that it was inflammation caused by braces and not caused by bacteria or anything, and they said they see this frequently in braced patients. They told me to floss extra in that area and to brush my gum area (under the bracket) a little extra also. So far, no change, but at least I know it's nothing "SERIOUS."

[anaxthema]

haha, I fantasize about my first good deep cleaning after braces. mmmmm

I'm pretty sure they'll be telling me the same thing. When I had the top brackets and wire off for a while, I noticed that my gums hurt a bit, and brushing them (the inbetween spots are nearly impossible to reach with a wire) was strange, but after three days or so they went back to normal. I'm hoping this is how the rest will do when I'm finished with treatment. I'm kind of worried now.

So did she say everything would "normal" out, or are you stuck with it?

[CassieB]

I just had my first cleaning Thursday and my gums have changed drastically since getting braces. She found ALOT of buildup under the gums behind the teeth that have done the most moving (also the gums that were looking swollen) so I started using Peroxyl and the results were almost immediate!

[kilikena311]

My gums on my uppers between canines and premolars on the right side have been swollen since I got braces. Ortho says I need to brush there better, and I always brush there really well, and floss and use ACT, swelling is still there. When I went for my cleaning my hygienist said that it's probably just inflammation from the braces themselves and not to worry. Hopefully that's what it is.

[yj207]

Well my gums are doing better, I've been flossing everyday. The hygienist never mentioned anything staying permanent just told me to floss more. It hurts around areas that have very little gum area. The sharp teeth whatever they're called have always been that way and seem to stay that way when they are moving. I've been using Glyoxide, think it's the same thing as peroxl. Glyoxide is very expensive and it only comes in a small thing so I may try the peroxl when I run out. I also got a waterpik, waiting for it to come in the mail by the end of the week!