Last updated: April 2026
Nobody loves flossing. But with braces on, skipping it isn’t really an option, and most patients walk out of their first appointment with no clear idea of how to actually do it.
The wire running across your teeth blocks normal flossing completely. You can’t just run floss down between your teeth the way you would without braces. There’s a workaround, and once you know it, it takes about 3 minutes. Here’s exactly what we show patients at RuCo Orthodontics in Smyrna on day one.
Why Flossing With Braces Actually Matters
Braces create more surface area for food and plaque to collect: around brackets, under wires, along the gumline. Without regular flossing, that buildup leads to two specific problems that we see in patients who skip it.
The first is decalcification: white spots that appear on teeth after braces come off, caused by mineral loss from plaque sitting against the enamel. They’re permanent. No amount of whitening removes them. The second is gum inflammation: gums that are chronically irritated, swollen, and sometimes infected from plaque at the gumline.
Both are preventable. Both are directly tied to flossing consistency.
The good news is that flossing with braces is a skill. It takes about a week to get the hang of it, and then it’s just part of the routine.
How to Floss With Braces Using a Floss Threader
A floss threader is a small plastic loop that lets you thread regular floss under the wire. It’s the standard method, it works, and it costs about $3 at any drugstore. Here’s the step-by-step.
What you need: Regular dental floss (waxed floss slides more easily) and a pack of floss threaders.
Step 1. Cut about 18 inches of floss. Thread one end through the loop of the floss threader.
Step 2. Use the stiff end of the threader to push the floss under the main wire of your braces, between two teeth. Once the floss is under the wire, pull the threader out. The floss stays.
Step 3. Hold one end of the floss in each hand and guide it up and down between the two teeth, going slightly under the gumline on each tooth. You’re cleaning the sides of each tooth and the gumline, same as regular flossing, just with the extra step of getting under the wire first.
Step 4. Pull the floss out, move to the next gap, and repeat with a fresh section of floss.
The whole mouth takes about 10 to 15 minutes when you’re new to it. Most people get it down to 5 to 7 minutes within a couple of weeks.
Quick tip: do it at night, not the morning. You have more time, and plaque that’s been sitting all day is what you really want to clear before sleep.
The Water Flosser: The Easiest Option for Most Teens
If floss threaders feel too tedious, which they do for a lot of teens, a water flosser is the most realistic path to actually getting it done.
A water flosser (Waterpik is the most common brand) shoots a pressurized stream of water that cleans between teeth and along the gumline. It doesn’t replace traditional flossing perfectly, but it’s significantly more effective than not flossing at all, and most teens are far more likely to use it consistently.
From what we see at RuCo: patients who use a water flosser daily have noticeably better gum health than patients who floss sporadically with a threader. The best method is the one that actually gets used.
For braces patients, use the water flosser at a medium pressure setting, aim the tip at the gumline at a 90-degree angle, and work around each tooth. It takes about 2 minutes for the whole mouth.
One thing to know: a water flosser doesn’t remove all plaque from between tooth surfaces the way physical floss does. The ideal combo is water flosser daily plus traditional floss two to three times a week. But if your teen will only do one consistently, the water flosser is the better choice over sporadic threading.
Other Tools That Help
A few other tools make braces hygiene easier and are worth knowing about.
Interdental brushes (proxy brushes). These are tiny cylindrical brushes that slide under the wire and between brackets. They’re good for cleaning around individual brackets where food gets stuck, and faster than a threader for spot cleaning after meals. Brands like GUM and Oral-B make them.
Floss picks with threader tips. Some floss picks are designed specifically for braces with a built-in threader tip. They’re a bit faster than threading loose floss each time and easier to handle for younger patients.
Fluoride rinse. Not a flossing tool, but worth including here: a fluoride rinse used after brushing and flossing provides an extra layer of protection against decalcification. A 60-second rinse before bed is a simple habit that makes a real difference over a 20-month treatment.
How Often Should You Floss With Braces?
Once a day, every day. That’s the standard recommendation and it’s what we tell every patient at RuCo.
Plaque builds up within 24 hours. Skipping a day here and there is different from skipping regularly. Occasional misses won’t cause permanent damage. But patients who floss three or four days a week consistently have noticeably worse gum health and are at higher risk for white spots than patients who floss daily.
The easiest way to make it happen: build it into the nighttime routine immediately after getting braces. The first two weeks are the hardest. After that, it’s just part of brushing your teeth.
For more on caring for your braces day-to-day, see our braces treatment page. And if your teen is still deciding between braces and clear aligners, the clear aligners page covers how hygiene compares between the two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use regular floss with braces?
Yes, but you need a floss threader to get it under the wire first. Regular waxed floss works well once it’s threaded. The threader is just the tool that gets it into position. Floss threaders are inexpensive and available at any drugstore.
Is a Waterpik good enough for braces?
A water flosser is a strong option for braces patients and produces good results when used consistently. It doesn’t replicate traditional flossing perfectly, but daily water flosser use is more effective than sporadic traditional flossing. Ideally, use both. But if your teen will only use one consistently, the water flosser is the better choice.
What happens if you don’t floss with braces?
Skipping flossing during braces treatment increases the risk of two problems: white spot lesions (permanent mineral loss marks on the enamel) and gum inflammation. Both are preventable with consistent flossing. The white spots in particular are permanent and don’t go away after braces come off.
The flossing routine takes a week to feel normal and a month to feel automatic. Start the habit the day you get braces on and you’ll thank yourself when they come off.
Questions about your braces care routine? Reach out to our Smyrna office, or book a free consultation if you’re still in the considering-braces stage.
