The Right Way to Floss

Optimum oral hygiene is crucial to maintain a pleasing smile and a healthy mouth. Oral hygiene mainly constitutes brushing and flossing the teeth, which has to be done at least twice every day. Although most of us brush our teeth twice a day, we may tend to ignore flossing. This is quite an unhealthy practice, as flossing is crucial in removing the adhered microbes and food particles between the teeth.

What is the right way to floss?

Choose the right floss: Choosing the right floss is the first and one of the most important steps, as it influences the safety of your soft gum tissues. You may choose a mono-filament floss or a multifilament floss, depending on the ease of using it. The drawback of using a multifilament floss is that the strands could get cut or shred when you use it, making it slightly challenging to floss.

Grip it properly: It is best to choose an 18-inch floss and wrap the ends around the middle fingers of both hands, leaving about 2 inches to work with. Gripping the floss firmly between the thumb and index finger, work your way around the intersection of each tooth.

Floss the sides thoroughly: Make your way up and down the teeth, scrubbing both sides of the teeth. Ensure the adhered plaque and tartar are removed entirely. When you go closer to the gums, be wary of the soft tissues to avoid cutting them. Curve the floss around the sides of the teeth and floss near the gum line, which is where maximum tartar accumulation occurs. When you move from one tooth to another, rinse the floss under running water to wash away the removed tartar.

Gargle with water: The removed microbes and food residues could be lingering around on the teeth and gums. Gargle with water to remove them.

Reach out to us on-call (949) 209-8889 or by scheduling an online consultation, and we’ll be happy to help you.