While your orthodontist manages your braces, you still need to see your dentist regularly. Your dentist needs to keep a general eye on your teeth and oral health.

If you're wearing metal braces, then your dentist will want to check that you are cleaning around the posts as well as you can. These posts are permanently fixed to the front of your teeth, which can cause some problems.

If you don't keep your teeth clean around the posts, then you could end up with calcification spots. Plaque and bacteria could leave you with white marks on your teeth. While brushing around the posts helps clean these areas, you may also need to floss around them.

Rather than using regular floss, your dentist might recommend that you switch to using a water flosser while your braces are in place. How do these flossers work and why do they work so well when you're wearing braces?

What Is a Water Flosser?

Water flossers look a bit like toothbrushes. They have a handle that leads to a tip. You run these tools around your mouth like a toothbrush; however, you don't scrub at the teeth or apply any pressure. Machine flossers spray a jet of water into your mouth.

The water runs across the surface of the teeth; it also jets between them. As you use the flosser, the water washes off anything that is stuck around your teeth and gums. So, for example, it moves off plaque deposits, food debris and anything that has lodged between teeth.

Why Use a Water Flosser With Braces?

It's not always easy to use standard floss when you wear braces. You might find it hard to get floss between every tooth because the brace wires get in the way.

You may also find it hard to clean around the edge of every post even if you use a floss threader. You may end up leaving stuff on and between your teeth that could ultimately cause some damage.

You may also be a bit wary of flossing at this stage. While brace posts and wires are strong, they can get damaged. So, you may worry about moving tension wires out of place when you try to get the floss in and out of your mouth.

If you use a water flosser, then you don't have to touch your braces at all. You can floss without putting any pressure on them. If you buy a flosser with a specialised orthodontic tip, then you also get a tool that is designed to clean around posts.  

So, you'll get a quicker and more effective floss which should help you keep your teeth in good nick. For more information on water flossers and advice on which one to use, talk to your dentist.