Floss Your Way to Healthy Teeth

15 Feb Floss Your Way to Healthy Teeth

Flossing is so important for the health of the mouth, as well as our overall health. Yet somehow – it’s just not done enough. For so many people teeth flossing is at the bottom of their to-do list and one of the many boring tasks they need to add to their daily routine. Some avoid teeth flossing because they find it boring, while others just don’t know how to do it, so they don’t even bother. The importance of flossing can’t be stressed enough because it could even prevent gingivitis. So here’s how to floss properly and preserve the health of the mouth and teeth.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FLOSS

There are different kinds of flosses out there – waxed or unwaxed, thicker or thinner. Find the one that works for you and can fit in between your teeth. For some people – their teeth are so close together that they can’t even floss. That can be solved with a right choice of floss.

REALLY GET IN THERE

Try to use 18 inches of floss wrapped around the middle fingers of each hand and hold the string tightly between your thumb and index finger. Really get in there with a rubbing motion, when you hit the gums just follow the shape of the tooth. Hold the string tightly and rub against the tooth up and down and just keep repeating it. Try using clean sections of the string as you go on. If you have a really small mouth, use a floss holder to reach your back teeth. It is a small plastic item that you can use with one hand.

YOU ARE GOING TO BLEED

Yes, you are going to bleed. That doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong. If you haven’t flossed in a while and haven’t perfected the technique yet, you might dig into your gums and make them bleed a little. Also, if your gums are inflamed from all the bacteria that you need to clean out, they will bleed as you’re cleaning them. The bacteria will fight you, but don’t give up. If your gums continue to bleed after a week or two, please do talk to your dentist about what to do.