You’re probably already familiar with the importance of brushing your teeth. But did you know that flossing is just as important? Dental floss helps to remove plaque from areas in between your teeth and below the gum line where a toothbrush can’t reach. It’s also a helpful way to prevent gum disease, which can lead to other serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes.
Slide the floss gently between the gum and the tooth. The floss should be held firmly against the tooth and rub along the surface of the tooth with a gentle up and down movement. This should be continued until the back of the last tooth is reached. Follow this process for the remaining teeth.
This guide will help explain how to use dental floss properly so that you can get the most out of this essential oral hygiene tool.
Read on to learn more about How To Use Dental Floss Properly, how to floss your teeth with pictures and How To Use Dental Floss Threaders
How To Use Dental Floss Properly
HOW TO USE DENTAL FLOSS FOR HEALTHIER TEETH
“How often should you floss your teeth?” is a common question patients ask in the dentist chair. Flossing can be tedious and uncomfortable and many people struggle to floss everyday like their dentist recommends.
“Brushing alone does not remove all plaque. If your teeth are close together, flossing is one of the only ways to get rid of the bacterial plaque that lives between your teeth,” says Deborah Foyle, DDS, MS, MSc, clinical assistant professor and director of pre-doctoral periodontics at the Texas A&M College of Dentistry. “Plaque can cause tooth decay and gum disease if it is not removed.”
How to use dental floss
First, it’s important to know the basics of flossing your teeth. The American Dental Association provides the following tips:
- Break off about 18 inches of floss and wind most of it loosely around one of your middle fingers. Wind the rest around the same finger of the opposite hand. This finger will take up the floss as it is used.
- Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers.
- Guide the floss between your teeth using a gentle sawing motion. Never snap the floss into the gums.
- When the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a C shape against one tooth. Gently slide it into the space between the gum and the tooth.
- Hold the floss tightly against the tooth. Gently rub the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum with up and down motions. Repeat this method on the rest of your teeth.
When should you floss: before or after brushing your teeth?
“You should aim to floss at least once per day,” Foyle said. “Some people floss more often, and some people floss less often. However, if you regularly floss less than once per day then you run the risk of developing periodontal disease—gum disease.”
Gum disease can lead to receding, tender gums and bad breath. Ultimately, these symptoms of gum disease can make it more painful to chew and eventually lead to tooth loss.
Some studies found that flossing before brushing may be the best order for your nightly routine. If you floss before you brush, then you can brush away all the loose plaque.
How To Floss Your Teeth With Pictures
Multifilament floss is the most common type of floss on the market. Typically, multifilament floss is made out of nylon or silk, but most are made from nylon.
Multifilament floss also comes waxed or un-waxed. Wax generally makes gliding the floss between your teeth easier and some say more comfortable.
A downside to multifilament floss is that it may shred or break more easily than monofilament floss. Monofilament floss is newer to the market and made out of plastic or rubber. Since it’s stronger, it doesn’t shred or tear. People generally find monofilament floss easier to use and move between teeth; hence many brands use the word “glide” in the floss name.
Both types come in different thicknesses and flavors, depending upon your needs.
“The type of floss you use is more a matter of preference, but the most important thing is choosing floss you like and using it every day,” Foyle said.
Flossing tools to make it easier
Gripping the floss, while simultaneously attempting to get to those hard-to-reach places, can be difficult for even the most experienced flossers.
Floss holders are small plastic tools that do what the name suggests—hold floss—and they can make your oral routine less of a mouthful. They come in two different shapes: C-shaped and Y-shaped. Besides shape, you also have the choice of floss holders that already have the floss attached. These aids can save you not only time, but also floss.
Other manual options include the classic Stim-U-Dent and soft picks. Stim-U-dents are small pieces of lightweight wood that soften when wet. The soft picks look like tiny Christmas trees. Their shape and bristles are perfect for those with braces or permanent retainers, as they effortlessly go between wire and teeth.
How to floss teeth with braces or with limited motor function
People with braces have to navigate wires making flossing even more difficult. Foyle suggests using interproximal cleaners like Stim-U-Dents, soft picks, floss threaders or water irrigators.
Water irrigators shoot water between teeth and clean out areas where gums pull away from the teeth and form spaces, called pockets or crevices. Plaque often hides in these crevices.
Due to its ease of use, water irrigators are a good option for those who have diminished motor function. That being said, Foyle mentions water irrigators do not remove all plaque and should be used in conjunction with manual flossing.
Plackers orthopick
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SAN DIEGO, CA, May 03, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ — Plackers, makers of the first disposable dental flosser, expands its family-friendly line of oral healthcare products with Plackers OrthoPick, a dental flosser designed to make flossing easier and more convenient for millions with orthodontics such as braces, bridges and other dental appliances that make flossing difficult. To help these individuals more easily maintain their daily dental hygiene routine, Plackers is giving away free OrthoPick flosser samples to the first 10,000 people who sign up on its website at http://www.plackers.com/FreeOrthoPick.
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.
How To Use Dental Floss Threaders
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.