Using dental floss properly is essential to your oral health because it eliminates plaque and gets rid of food bits in hard to reach places that a toothbrush can’t locate. These areas are in between the teeth and underneath the gum-line. Here are some great oral health tips on clean teeth and dental floss from the dental team at Willoughby Dental Centre in Langley.
“Why is dental plaque so bad for me?”
When dental plaque builds up, it can cause tooth decay and gum disease, which is why the dental team at Willoughby Dental in Langley recommends that you use dental floss regularly, every day.
“How do I floss properly?”
Here are some strategies on using dental floss most effectively:
– Give yourself about 18 inches of floss and wrap it around both of your middle fingers. Leave an inch or so of dental floss that you can maneuver.
– Hold the dental floss in a flexible way and keep it between your thumbs and index fingers. Be gentle when sliding it up and down between your teeth.
– Take the dental floss and put it around the base of each tooth so you get into the gumline. Do not be forceful with the floss because it can harm gum tissue.
– When you move between teeth, be sure to use the clean section of the floss.
-Removing the floss from your mouth is easy: use a similar back-and-forth motion so you can move the floss up and away from your teeth.
The two kinds of floss you can use are nylon floss or PTFE. With nylon floss, you can choose between waxed and unwaxed, and there are many different flavors. The problem with nylon floss is that it can sometimes tear easily, but this won’t happen with PTFE floss. PTFE floss is more expensive but worth it because it maneuvers easily between teeth and won’t shred. However, both kinds of floss are efficient in eliminating plaque.
For any questions about dental floss and clean teeth, contact us at Willoughby Dental in Langley and we can give you all the information you need.
So, do you have the answer to “How do I floss properly” yet? If not, check out this informative video from Colgate:
