Most people find flossing to be a tedious and annoying component of their dental routine. However, the benefits of flossing outweigh the inconvenience.
Flossing helps keep food and plaque accumulation at bay, leaving you with a healthy beautiful smile!
Being regular with flossing is key to maintaining its full benefits. In addition to brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing should be done in the evening, once a day.
The Importance of Flossing
Brushing our teeth plays a key role in our dental hygiene, but it’s not enough to maintain healthy gums and teeth, as the bristles of your toothbrush can’t reach between these crevices. Flossing helps to bridge this gap.
Flossing is more than removing a piece of food debris stuck between your teeth after a meal. When done correctly, flossing plays a crucial role in maintaining overall oral hygiene.
Dental floss can enter tight spaces, helping to remove plaque and food particles that brushing alone can’t reach. This helps prevent concerns like bad breath, gum disease, and cavities, leaving you with a healthy smile.
When plaque builds up on your teeth, it hardens into tartar, which only a dental professional can remove. By brushing and flossing regularly, you prevent tartar formation and reduce the risk of developing gum diseases which can result in tooth loss if left unmanaged.
The benefits of flossing aren’t limited to oral health. Some studies suggest a link between gum disease and general health concerns, like heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory illnesses. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy through routine flossing can reduce your risk of developing these conditions.
How Often Should I Floss?
According to the Canadian Dental Association, individuals are encouraged to brush their teeth twice a day and floss once a day before bed.
This daily habit will confirm that food debris and plaque accumulation throughout the day are removed.
Consistency is key to flossing.
If you’re new to flossing, you may experience some light bleeding between your teeth and gums. This is nothing to worry about. Light bleeding is normal and occurs because the bacteria, plaque, and food debris that builds up around the gumline can irritate and inflame your gums.
The bleeding should stop after a few weeks of consistent brushing and flossing, but if it persists, it may indicate an underlying dental health concern. In this case, it’s advised to schedule a visit.
Routine dental cleanings and exams are recommended every 6 months. These visits allow your dental team to assess your oral health. We encourage these visits even for those who aren’t experiencing any dental concerns. Along with taking care of your oral health at home, these regular exams and cleanings are a great method of preventative care.
How to Floss Properly
Flossing may appear straightforward, but doing it correctly is vital to reap its full benefits. Being rough in your approach to brushing or flossing can further irritate your gums and cause light bleeding.
Remember to be gentle! Following proper flossing techniques can help avoid irritation and bleeding.
- Cut A Piece of Floss: Start with a piece of floss about 18 inches long. Use the length of your arm as a guide. Wrap most of the floss around the middle fingers of both hands. This should give you about 1-2 inches of floss to work with
- Hold the Floss Tight: Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers, and gently guide it down between your teeth using a back-and-forth motion.
- Curve the Floss: When the floss reaches your gumline, curve it into a C-shape against the base of one tooth. Slide the floss into the space between the gum and the tooth. Then, gently rub the side of the tooth in an up-and-down motion.
- Repeat: Repeat this motion on the other side of the tooth using a clean section of floss for each one. Don’t forget the back side of your last tooth.
As you become more consistent, flossing will become relatively quick and shouldn’t take you longer than a few minutes to finish!
Alternatives to Floss
Some individuals may find using traditional dental floss to be tricky, Arthritis, dexterity issues, braces, crowded teeth, or other dental concerns can make it difficult to use regular dental floss.
Others may find flossing unpleasant and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are alternative tools that can provide the same benefits.
- Dental Floss Picks: These are small plastic tools with a piece of floss strung between two prongs. The other end holds a plastic pick to remove buildup and plaque. Individuals who struggle with traditional floss may find these easier to hold and maneuver.
- Floss Threaders: These are flexible tools that help thread floss through tight spaces, around braces, and under bridges. They make it easier to reach areas that traditional floss might miss.
- Interdental Brushes: This tool resembles a tiny toothbrush. It’s designed to clean between your teeth. They come in various sizes and are a great option for those with larger spaces between their teeth.
- Water Flossers: These devices use a stream of water to remove plaque and food particles between your teeth, making them helpful for people with sensitive gums, braces, or dental work that makes traditional flossing challenging.
When used correctly, these alternatives to traditional dental floss can reduce food debris and plaque buildup, thereby reducing the risk of developing tartar buildup and gum diseases.
Finding a flossing method that’s most compatible with you is key to flossing consistently!
Schedule a Visit
Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day is a great way to maintain a healthy, beautiful smile at home! While good oral health can be practiced at home, visiting your dental team for routine exams and cleanings still plays an important role.
Removing tough debris, like tartar, can only be removed by a dental professional. Visiting your dentist every 6 months for routine cleanings and exams provides preventative care for your teeth.Connect with our team at West 85th Dental to schedule your routine exam and cleaning.
