A Guide On How To Floss Properly
Published
9 June 2023 | 4 min read
Published
9 June 2023 | 4 min readArticle Summary
Even though people should start flossing from around the age of 12, many people don’t know how to floss properly. Many people use interdental brushes, however, a lot of people don’t have big enough spaces in between their teeth to use interdental brushes, meaning that they’re not getting the full benefits which it can bring. Flossing is a fundamental part of dental care, and helps remove plaque from in between your teeth. Knowing how to floss properly is a vital part of dental hygiene.
Here at Beyond Dental, we are committed to educating our patients and how to clean their teeth, and how to floss properly. Here is a complete guide and everything you need to know about good dental hygiene from home, how to clean your teeth, and how to floss properly.
What happens if you don’t floss?
Many people neglect their flossing regime, or don’t know how to floss properly. If you don’t floss, you won’t be able to remove bacteria between your teeth and gums. This bacteria can cause gingivitis or bacteria will thrive in your mouth. This can lead to other complications, such as tooth decay and damage. Knowing how to floss properly and keeping up with your flossing regime is crucial to have good dental hygiene.
Do I floss before or after brushing?
There is a lot of conflicting information on how to floss properly. However, studies have shown that flossing before brushing your teeth is the best way to remove interdental plaque and improve your dental hygiene. This is because flossing dislodges plaque and bacteria between your teeth. If you brush and rinse your teeth after flossing, more bacteria can be removed from hard to reach places.
How long should flossing take?
When you start flossing properly, it should take about 2 minutes, the same as brushing your teeth. It can take longer if you’re flossing for the first time, or you have braces. Once you know how to floss properly, your dental hygiene should start to improve, and flossing will get easier.
What happens when you first start flossing?
If you don’t know how to floss properly, you may experience slight bleeding of the gums when you start to floss. Carry on flossing your teeth and discuss it with your dental team if you’re concerned, and they can give you flossing advice. However, once you know how to floss properly, your gums should stop bleeding.
How to floss properly?
Knowing how to floss properly is crucial when it comes to improving your dental hygiene and health. Here are some of Beyond Dental’s best tips on how to floss properly:
-Break off around 45 cm of floss, and use around 2.5 cm of floss at a time. Hold the floss between your thumb and forefingers. Leave no slack and avoid using the same part of the floss for different areas.
-Use a gentle rocking motion to feed the floss between your teeth – don’t be too harsh on your teeth. When the floss reaches your gum line, curve the floss into a ‘c shape.’
-Gently scrape the side of your tooth, moving the floss away from your gum.
-Keep a regular pattern when it comes to flossing, to ensure you don’t miss any teeth.
If you want more information about how to floss properly, make sure that you ask your dentist. Here at Beyond Dental, we are passionate about helping our patients improve their dental hygiene, and have a healthy smile. If you want to ask anything about how to floss properly or dental hygiene, please ask one of our dentists during your consultation, and we will be happy to help!
Is it ever too late to start flossing?
It is never too late to learn how to floss properly, and start incorporating it into your daily hygiene routine! Knowing the best ways to clean your teeth and how to floss properly can prevent you from developing severe dental problems and issues later on in life. If you’re looking for advice and knowledge on how to floss properly, ask one of our expert dental practitioners. At Beyond Dental, we care deeply about our patient’s dental hygiene and preventative dentistry.
We are happy to provide any of our patients with extensive advice and knowledge about teeth cleaning and how to floss properly. If you want to learn more, contact us today.