Dental floss tape is a thin strip of dental floss, connected with a thin plastic layer. It has been used for cleaning between the teeth for over 50 years. Dental floss tape is great for people with tight spaces between their teeth, but can be harmful if used incorrectly.
Dental floss tape is a type of threader (also known as floss aid) that is used to take an impression of the interdental space. The floss tape is tied into a loop and passed between teeth separated by the occlusal contact point to form a pocket.
Read on to learn more about How To Use Dental Floss Tape, Plackers Orthopick
How To Use Dental Floss Tape
Author:Posted: October 22nd, 2021Category:
- Dental Hygiene
- General & Preventive Dentistry
- General Dentistry
- Oklahoma
When it comes to flossing, you have options. Dental floss and dental tape are effective tools for cleaning between your teeth — as long as you know how to use them correctly.
You’ve probably been hearing that you should floss each day since you were a child. From your parents to your dentists, everyone seems to be emphasizing the importance of flossing — and they’re not wrong! Flossing can remove plaque from your teeth and prevent plaque accumulation, tartar, cavities, and gum disease. But in all that time, has anyone ever brought up what to floss with?
By default, most people use dental floss, but there are other options available, such as dental tape. Both products will help you clean your teeth, but they differ from each other slightly. By understanding the difference between dental tape and dental floss, you’ll be able to choose the most effective product for you to remove plaque and food particles from between your teeth.
Dental Tape vs. Dental Floss
While brushing can help remove plaque from the front and back surfaces of your teeth, you’ll have to use dental tape, dental floss, or a water flosser to effectively clean beneath your gum line and between your teeth.
Dental floss consists of twisted nylon filaments or plastic monofilaments and comes in waxed and unwaxed varieties. Unwaxed floss is easier to grip than waxed floss, but it’s also more prone to breakage, fraying, and snapping during use. If you’re trying to make your oral care routine more eco-friendly, you can purchase biodegradable floss made from silk!
Compared to dental floss, dental tape — also known as ribbon tape — is flatter, broader, and a little more stretchy. Dental tape is often made of waxed nylon or polythene fiber, and it’s generally around one millimeter wider than dental floss. Thanks to its flat surface, dental tape can slide between your teeth more easily. It’s also less likely to snap against your gums than dental floss.
If you have larger fingers or find it difficult to hold thin strands of dental floss, you might be better off using dental tape. However, if your teeth are very close together, waxed floss might be best, as its coating allows the floss to easily slip between teeth. Plus, waxed floss is sturdier than its unwaxed counterpart, so you won’t have to worry about it fraying or breaking as you’re flossing.
Flossing The Right Way
To start, break off an 18-inch piece of floss or tape. Then, wind the ends around your middle fingers. Use your pointer finger and thumb to pinch the string and gain control. After inserting the floss or tape into the gap between your teeth, wrap it around your tooth’s edge to form a c-shape. Begin gently moving the floss or tape back and forth, working your way up the gap. Then, shift the floss, giving you a clean section of tape or floss, and reverse the c-shape to clean the other tooth. Do this for all the gaps between your teeth.
Plackers Orthopick
Plackers OrthoPick is designed specifically to meet the needs of those with orthodontics such as braces, bridges, permanent retainers and other dental appliances. The unique flosser design has a patented, thin flosser arm that fits easily between teeth and brace wire, offering an easier and more convenient alternative than floss threaders and other similar products that may be more time consuming. In addition, Plackers OrthoPick features an adjustable floss head to help users easily reach back teeth, a soft flexible pick to remove trapped food debris and a comfort grip that is easy to hold.
“Flossing regularly is one of the best ways to prevent chronic diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease – particularly while you’re investing in orthodontic treatments, ” said dentist and Associate Director, External Relations for Oral Health America (OHA) Anthony Stefanou, DMD. “Products like Plackers OrthoPick make it easier for those with braces, bridges and dental appliances to maintain regular flossing routines and help ensure a healthy mouth”
Plackers OrthoPick is the latest addition to the company’s complete flosser line that meets a variety of dental hygiene needs for the whole family.
“Maintaining one’s daily dental hygiene routine can be challenging for individuals with braces,” said Plackers’ Director of Marketing Tom Barman. “Plackers OrthoPick is designed to make flossing with braces and other dental appliances much easier, allowing individuals to help keep their teeth and gums healthy while undergoing orthodontic treatment.”
Those interested can sign up to receive one of the 10,000 free samples on Plackers’ website at http://www.plackers.com/FreeOrthoPick.
Plackers OrthoPick flossers are currently available at select retailers nationwide, or online at www.plackers.com.
About Plackers
Plackers, a leading brand of consumer oral care products, is a pioneer in dental flossers and other consumer oral care products. Having patented the first disposable dental flosser, Plackers is committed to developing high quality, affordable oral care products with innovative features that include a comprehensive line of dental flossers, dental accessories, and dental night guards including the Grind No More Dental Night Protector. Plackers holds over 20 patents and is sold in major retailers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.plackers.com.
Best floss for braces
Flossing is an essential step in oral hygiene that most people overlook. In addition, it is crucial to maintain excellent oral hygiene while wearing braces to avoid developing white spots, cavities, and gum disease. It can be detrimental to your treatment if you do not adhere to proper oral hygiene, and in severe cases, your braces may need to be taken off sooner than you expected.
WHY IS FLOSSING IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE BRACES?
Braces create many hard-to-reach areas that are difficult to clean with dental floss alone. Food can get trapped between your teeth and under your braces, leading to plaque buildup and tooth decay. Another important reason for flossing is to remove food particles that become stuck in the brackets of your braces. This helps prevent cavities and dental diseases such as gingivitis. Gingivitis causes inflammation of the gums and leads to redness, swelling, bleeding during brushing or flossing, bad breath (halitosis), pain when chewing certain foods, discomfort when wearing dental appliances like orthodontic bands or bridges, etc.
RECOMMENDED TYPES OF DENTAL FLOSS FOR BRACES
#1: WAXED FLOSS
Waxed floss is made of thin filaments of plastic or Teflon coated in wax. The wax makes it easy to slip the floss between your teeth and glide against the surfaces you’re trying to clean. Waxed dental floss is recommended for those with braces, as it tends to slide better between closely-spaced teeth. Like dental super floss, you can use it around dental appliances for added cleaning ability.
#2: SUPER FLOSS
Super floss is a dental tape pre-threaded on a plastic, disposable wand with a dental tape-like tip on one end. It can be threaded along the inside of your teeth and around metal appliances such as braces or permanent retainers to aid in cleaning hard-to-reach places.
#3: FLOSS THREADER
A floss threader is made of two small loops attached to either end of a thin wire with a handle at the end. They allow you to floss between very tightly spaced teeth by threading dental floss through them.
#4: ORTHODONTIC FLOSSER
An orthodontic flosser looks like dental super floss with a handle. The handle allows you to place the dental floss against the wire of your dental appliance so that it won’t slip off while you are trying to clean your teeth.
#5: WATERPIK
A Waterpik is a dental appliance that shoots a pressurized jet of water between your teeth and under dental appliances. This helps remove food particles and dental plaque buildup, thus reducing the risk of dental disease such as gingivitis. In addition, some Waterpiks have attachments that move side to side or up and down along the wire of dental appliances for a more thorough dental cleaning.
To determine the best dental floss for braces, you need to consider how much space there is between your teeth and whether or not you wear dental appliances like orthodontic bands or retainers.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLOSSING WITH BRACES
With braces, flossing can be a little tricky and time-consuming at first, but the more you do it, the more efficient you will become!
Step One: Wrap dental floss around your middle fingers, leaving two inches between them. Use your thumbs and forefingers to guide the dental floss between your teeth.
Step Two: Gently slide dental floss up and down against one side of each tooth in a sawing motion until you reach the gum line. Do not snap the dental floss into place or force it in a back-and-forth motion along the teeth’ surfaces because this could damage the surface of your dental enamel.
Step Three: Repeat steps 1 & 2 on all sides of every tooth until you have flossed every space in your mouth that is visible with braces or dental appliances. If an area is difficult to reach with dental floss, you can opt for dental super floss or dental floss threaders.
Step Four: When finished with your dental flossing session, rinse the excess dental floss out in warm water and dispose of it properly in a waste receptacle.
Along with flossing, we recommend using an electronic toothbrush and visiting your dentist at least every six months for a checkup and cleaning.