Things to Know About Flossing

We all know how important oral hygiene can be. Even if you are not aware about the specific benefits of oral hygiene, you will still be convinced that it is something which feels good. If we talk about specific benefits, oral hygiene helps in prevention and removal of bad bacteria which can develop plaque and tartar in the mouth. Hence, you will be able to avoid a number of oral health disorders such as gum disease, cavities and other infections. One of the most important things to take into consideration in this regard is to floss your teeth on regular basis. The reason is that flossing can help you clean interdental spaces.

Importance of flossing

While you may consider floss as a good way to get rid of the food particles between the teeth, this practice also helps you to remove the plaque which can be quite disastrous for the teeth and gums in general. As a matter of fact, this practice can help you get rid of the germs which cause development of plaque. If these spaces are not cleaned properly, the plaque buildup can turn into tartar which is much harder to remove.

Here, it would be worth mentioning that cleaning internal spaces between the teeth is very important. Flossing is necessary because you cannot do it by brushing your teeth. By using dental floss, you essentially remove the food remnants and germs from the area. Thus, you will be able to prevent gum disease and cavities in better way.

Using dental floss properly

You can get benefits of dental flossing only when you do it properly. Here is how you can floss your teeth.

  1. There will be a long thread inside the dental floss container. Get the thread of 18 inches in length out of the container and cut it. You need to wrap each end of the thread on your index fingers of both hands. This wrapping will prevent the thread from slipping.
  2. Insert the thread between your teeth. Make sure that you are not applying too much of force.
  3. Move the floss up and down while making sure that floss is formed into ‘C’ shape. Keep the thread moving until it reaches the gum line. Since it is a long thread, use new section of it for every tooth.
  4. Consult your dentist if your gums bleed due to swelling or soreness.
  5. Make sure that you are not reusing the same thread for more than one time. Throw the thread away after use.
  6. If flossing doesn’t work for you, you can use an interdental brush.