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Don’t Take Flossing for Granted

Many people think that just because they are flossing, that they are taking proper care of their teeth. While making the effort to floss is important, it’s equally important to take a few minutes to learn how to floss the right way. Yes, there is a right and a wrong way! The right way will help remove plaque that can cause gum problems like periodontal disease – the wrong way will leave you susceptible to these problems even if you are making the effort. Let’s take a bit of time to learn the proper way to floss your teeth. If you would like to schedule your annual cleaning with Belmont Dental Group, give us a call today!

When and How Often Should You Floss?

You should be flossing your teeth at least once a day. This will help minimize the sticky film known as plaque that can cause serious issues for your teeth and gums. When you floss is just as important as how often you floss. You should be flossing before you brush your teeth. While flossing helps dislodge food debris and plaque from in between your teeth, such matter may still stick to the surface. Brushing after you floss will clear away everything that you dislodged and provide a more thorough clean.

Proper Flossing Form

The first thing you should do is break off a length of floss between 18 and 24 inches. Then, wrap the length of floss on both ends around the middle fingers of your left and right hands. Leave about 2 inches between your fingers to floss with. Next you should:

Gently move the floss up and down between your teeth. Try to hold the floss to one side and then the other to scrape the lateral surfaces in between your teeth.
Be careful not to run the floss into your gums. Instead, when you reach the gumline, wrap the floss around one tooth to form a C shape with the floss and then move the floss back and forth. Repeat for the tooth on the other side.
Repeat the above two steps for all of your teeth. As you move from tooth to tooth, be sure to give yourself a clean, dry length of floss.

The right amount of floss will vary depending on your specific needs. However, it’s very important that you give yourself enough to floss all of your teeth with a dry, unused length of floss. As the floss gets wet between your teeth, it becomes less effective for scraping plaque and food debris.

Dental Service You Can Trust

At Belmont Dental Group, we have more than 25 years of experience. Our dentists and dental services team will make you feel at ease and walk you through your dental procedure with care and attention, whether it be a routine cleaning or oral surgery. Schedule your next dental exam with us!