Flossing is an integral part and vital step of any oral health regimen. It removes plaque from between your teeth, which helps reduce decay in those areas. Doing it correctly, however, is imperative to keeping your smile bright.
There are several mistakes people commonly make when flossing. To help, we’ve put together these five tips for improving your flossing technique.
1. Floss at Night Before Bed
The truth is that you should floss once a day. Find whenever it’s convenient for you so that you will keep up with a flossing schedule. But it’s really best to floss before bed since you’ll have enough time to do it correctly and prevent food particles from sitting next to your tooth overnight.
2. Break Off a Sufficient Length of Floss for Flossing
You want to break off a piece of floss that is about 18 inches in length. As you floss, you’ll move the floss along between your fingers so that you’re always using a clean piece of floss. If you make it too short, you won’t have enough clean floss for all your teeth.
3. Wrap the Floss Around Your Middle Fingers
Wrap dental floss around your middle fingers so you can use your forefinger and thumb to control it close to the tooth. This makes it easier for you to maneuver the floss as you pull it against the sides of your teeth. This will also make it more comfortable and much easier to pull a clean portion of floss into place as you move along.
4. Floss Every Side of Each Tooth
You want to be sure that when flossing, you rub the floss along each side of each tooth. For example, you want to pull the floss up and down along the side and back of one tooth and then move it along the side and back of the other adjacent tooth.
5. When Flossing, Floss Slightly Below the Gum line
As you’re flossing, be sure to pull the floss slightly below the gum line. People often miss those areas or choose to avoid them, and it is a common source of tooth decay. Take your time and hug each tooth surface to slide below the visible gum line for the best results.
Call Us with Questions Today!
At the office of Dr. Barry Buchanan in the Dallas area, we’re passionate about helping you take the best care of your smile. Call our team for an appointment today. We’re happy to answer all your oral hygiene questions and help you keep that smile bright!
