Taking proper care of your teeth is essential to protecting your oral health but one part of the regimen is often overlooked: flossing.
Brushing twice daily, using mouthwash, flossing, and routine dental checkups together create a barrier against tooth decay and bacteria. Take control of your dental health and schedule an appointment with our dental team.
Flossing Promotes Oral Health
This dental hygiene practice cleans the gaps between teeth and removes food debris and bacteria. It cleans the gumline, gently getting rid of plaque and reducing the chance of tooth decay, bad breath, and gum disease.
What Makes Flossing Important?
This step of dental hygiene is important for gum health and dental health. Brushing is effective but it cannot clean all of the hard-to-reach places. Flossing gets to problem areas easier, and it reduces the risk of gum disease and cavities.
Flossing is one of the only ways to treat your gums at home and protect your smile against gum disease. Gum disease can lead to tooth loss and other health issues such as stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. Flossing is an easy step to protect your mouth against serious problems like gum disease.
Schedule a routine appointment with our dental office to check on your oral health and protect your smile from gum disease.
Advantages of Flossing
Maintaining optimal oral hygiene is crucial for overall health, and dental flossing should not be overlooked. By incorporating this simple yet vital step into your daily routine, you can enjoy a plethora of advantages that contribute to a healthier smile and a happier you.
Protects Against Gum Disease
As bacteria and plaque build up, they create gum disease. Flossing is a great way to remove the build-up before gum disease appears. It can also reduce gum inflammation and stop periodontitis from occurring.
Prevents Tooth Decay
Flossing cleans plaque, food debris, and bacteria off of your gums and teeth and it reduces the risk of cavities, tooth decay, and infection. This could end up saving your tooth and yourself from unnecessary pain.
Improves Bad Breath
No one wants bad breath, but sometimes all brushing, mouthwash, and mints in the world won’t prevent chronic bad breath. This can result from gum disease or from improper dental hygiene. Flossing helps to freshen your breath by removing forgotten food debris that often causes bad breath.
Reduces Pain
Some people might complain that flossing hurts — that means you are either flossing too hard, or you don’t floss often enough. If you use gentle movements and floss regularly, you should not experience any pain. In fact, flossing can prevent a lot of dental issues that will protect you from any unnecessary pain.
How to Floss Properly:
To ensure correct protocol, effective cleaning, and reduced pain, practice proper flossing technique. This simple process can be extremely effective at home if you follow these steps:
- Measure Your Floss: A good amount of floss for an adult is 18 inches. This will allow you to wind most of the floss around your two middle fingers and provide tension to the string.
- Place Floss Between Teeth: With the floss held tightly between your index finger and thumb, gently slide the floss in between your teeth.
- Start Flossing: Then, once the floss is in between your teeth, you need to curve the floss into a C shape and slide it between the teeth down to the gums. Then slide it against the tooth away from the gums.
- Continue to All of Your Teeth: To finish, repeat on the other side of the space between the teeth. After you finish with one gap, rewind the floss to a clean section and start on the next tooth. Continue the process until all teeth have been cleaned.
Schedule Today for a Professional Flossing!
Our office can provide you with professional flossing and teach you how to properly care for your dental health. Call us today to learn more about flossing.