Why is flossing important?

Most cavities and periodontal disease begin between the teeth. While brushing is important, the bristles of yur toothbrush simply don’t remove plaque and bacteria from between the teeth. That’s why we recommend that you floss every day.

How to floss

Don’t worry about the type of floss; they all work pretty much the same. Choose the type of floss you like.

Wind 18 inches of floss around the middle fingers of each hand, leaving about five inches between your hands. Pinch the floss between your thumbs and index fingers, and leave about one inch between to work with.

Gently guide the floss down between the teeth using a side-to-side motion. If your teeth are toot tight to floss, or if it catches or tears, let your dentist know about it. These are problems that need to be fixed.

Pull the floss tightly in a c-shaped around the side of the tooth and slide it under the gumline. Clean the surface of the tooth by moving the floss up and down several times to remove all the food and bacteria. Then pull the floss around the next tooth and repeat the process. Wind the floss to a fresh section and gradually work your way around your mouth, cleaning both sides of every tooth. If you have problems reaching some areas, you may want to use a floss fork.

If your gums are infected, they’ll bleed when you floss. That’s to be expected if you are just beginning to floss. After a week or so of regular flossing, the bleeding should go away, and you’ll be well on your way to healthier teeth and gums.

Superfloss and Floss Threaders

When you have any kind of dental fixure, including braces and bridges, it’s important to be especially vigilant about removing plaque. Bridges and braces can trap large amounts of plaque and food particles that are difficult to remove with regular dental floss and toothbrush. Superfloss and floss threaders are a good way to remove plaque from these hard-to-reach places.

Superfloss

Superfloss is a special kind of dental floss that comes in pre-cu segments. The ends are stiff and thing, which helps you to thread it through tight areas. It also has a fuzzy tufted segment that removes plaque as you floss.

Just insert the superfloss under your bridge or between your braces and floss each area like you would normally.

Floss threaders

A floss threader helps you insert floss into tight spots between your teeth. You thread the floss through the loop of the threader, and then insert the stiff and between your teeth. Pull until the floss is between your teeth, remove the floss threader from your mouth, and then use the dental floss as you normally would.

Both superfloss and floss threaders are very effective tools to help you keep your mouth healthy.