How to Floss

How to floss! We all have heard it, from our parents probably and from our dentist for sure. Floss!

You need to floss every day. Although, as a dentist, when we ask our patients if they floss, the most common answer usually is “Not as much as I should”. It will surprise us if a patient says, “yes, I floss every day.”

Quick question: what do you think of when you hear the word “floss”?

After flossing, you wrap your teeth with a bit of a piece of floss and then proceed to wipe your mouth to remove any sticky food residue. This is pretty simple, but is it the best way to floss?

How to floss! While there are many ways to floss your teeth, which method works best? Most experts agree that the simple and inexpensive method is best, which consists of soft-tipped floss.

Then, you can use other flossing methods, such as using a dental pick to scrape off the food particles stuck in between the teeth and gums. The advantage of this flossing method is that it does not involve water and does not need to be kept in place.

We have talked about the importance of flossing but how to do it right? is even more of a question, do you floss correctly? Because if not, you are leaving 80% of bacteria behind.

How to floss! Let me first assure you that you do have to floss every single day; better to do it twice a day but even if you are flossing only once, do it right before bed. When we sleep, saliva decreases in our mouth - you probably have noticed that most of us wake up thirsty. Saliva is the first line of defence in our mouths, so less saliva at night equals more cavity formation during the night.

Now that we all agree that you have to floss every day let’s make sure you are doing it right.

When it comes to oral care, it is very important to floss. It is the only effective way to remove food debris and bacteria that can cause gum disease and tooth decay. However, flossing is not always easy for everyone. This is especially true for people who wear braces. You know that flossing every day will be difficult, but you can't avoid it. What you can do is find a way to floss your teeth without moving your mouth too much.

It's never a good idea to neglect your mouth's most important function. But flossing can be a challenge for people with dentures or braces. These dental appliances make it impossible to use standard dental floss. Many patients think they can cut the strings holding their appliance in place and use that as floss.
The problem is that the floss will get caught in between the teeth and possibly cause pain and complications. But don't worry there is an alternative way to clean your teeth.

Wrap the string around the tooth in a C shape way , make sure it hugs the tooth and just get it under the gum by 1 mm. You do not need to push or press and hurt your self.

Remember at the beginning you might have some gum bleeding but if the bleeding persists more than a week go see your dentist as that might be a sign of more advanced gingivitis.

under the gum is where toothbrush cannot clean and leaving the bacteria there can cause all sort of systemic diseases.

People often say I do not floss because when I do it bleeds. That my friends is only because you have just started and your gum is inflamed. A healthy gum does no bleed regularly and you need to give it time.
To have a healthy gum you have to floss and then brush every night, see your dentist for a check-up ,regular cleaning and scaling every six months and make sure any small issue is under control before it causes permanent damage to your health.

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Author: Dr Minoo Ghamari

Gorgeous Smiles Dental Principal Dentist

**The content on this blog is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified dentist in Melbourne with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. For News and update, please follow us on FaceBook.