Q & A About Flossing Your Teeth

Good oral hygiene is crucial to a bright, healthy smile. Most of us know how important it is to brush, but we often forget about flossing. Using floss should be a daily habit. It will keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy. Here’s what you need to know about flossing.

Why Flossing Is Important

Flossing is a key part of keeping your teeth and gums healthy.

Removes plaque: Plaque is the ugly film that builds upon the surface of your teeth. If you don’t remove plaque, it turns into tartar. Tartar is a thick film that is almost impossible to remove yourself. If you have tartar on your teeth, you must get a professional cleaning from your dentist’s office. If it’s left alone, tartar leads rapidly to weak, decaying teeth.

Cleans where brushes can’t reach: Your toothbrush can’t reach between your teeth to clean out debris, food, and bacteria. If your gums and teeth feel sensitive, that can often be an early warning sign of tooth decay caused by bacteria buildup. Flossing removes this bacteria from hard-to-reach places in your mouth.

Keep teeth clean: Keep your teeth clean by flossing away stains that can discolor them. Brushing your teeth is a good start, but it can leave sticky stains between your teeth if you don’t floss. Flossing gets rid of those stains to keep your teeth bright and sparkling.

Keeps gums healthy: Your gums need stimulation to stay healthy. Flossing helps keep blood flowing to your gums to keep them strong.

Prevent cavities and gum disease: The main reason to floss is to prevent gum disease. If you don’t care of your teeth, you will end up with advanced dental problems like root canals and tooth loss.

How To Floss Properly

Are you flossing properly? Here’s how to do it. If you’re having difficulty, ask your dental hygienist to give you a flossing tutorial.

Break off about two feet of floss from the package.
Wind it around your middle fingers. Leave a space of about one inch for flossing.
Hold the inch of floss taut between your thumbs and index fingers.
Slide it firmly down the side of the tooth. As the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a slight C shape to clean under the tooth.
Repeat for each tooth with a fresh inch of floss.

How Often Should You Floss?

You should floss at least once a day and brush your teeth twice a day. Some people who are prone to tooth decay choose to floss twice a day.

Although many people floss after brushing, it’s better for your teeth if you floss first. Flossing loosens dirt and food, and brushing sweeps it away.

What Type of Floss Should You Use?

Do you get confused when you go to the dental hygiene aisle at the drugstore? There are many different types of floss available. Should you choose waxed floss, dental tape, uncoated floss, no-shred floss, mint-flavored floss, or super floss? There are even electric flossers available. Which one is right for you?

The good news is they all work. Research studies in dental journals have found all the major floss types work equally well. Electric flossers don’t work any better than old-fashioned, uncoated floss.

Choose the floss you’re comfortable using. You can even switch around your floss types. The most important thing is to use it.

Floss To Your Health

At Malan Family Dentistry, we want everyone to enjoy bright, healthy smiles. If you’re flossing every day, you’re taking the first steps to good oral hygiene. Keep your teeth healthy with regular dental checkups. Call us today to get started.