How to Floss Properly

Flossing is an extremely important part of a dental hygiene routine, but a lot of people don’t do it. In fact, only about half of Americans floss on a regular basis, and nearly 1/5th don’t floss at all!

Flossing is important because it clears out the grooves between your teeth, and it stimulates the body’s immune response.

Here are some other reasons why flossing is very important for healthy teeth:

– Flossing removes a large portion of plaque and bacteria from your teeth. Most of the time, your toothbrush can’t reach these surfaces.
– Regular flossing is a major factor in preventing gingivitis and other gum diseases.
– Regular flossing keeps your teeth white and shiny, especially around the edges and grooves.
– Flossing is good for the rest of your body too. Several harmful conditions are linked to poor gum and mouth health.
– Flossing prevents cavity formation and bone loss in the jaw.

As you can see, flossing is extremely beneficial and should be part of your daily routine.

How Should You Floss?

It does not matter what time of the day you floss, as long as you floss at least once a day. Generally, you should try to floss after eating so you can get all those food particles out of your teeth. Here are a few tips on how to floss properly:

– Use about 12-18 inches of floss. Wind the floss around your fingers to get a good grip.
– Slide the floss between your teeth
– Press the floss around the side of the tooth, making a ‘c’ shape.
– Scrape the floss up and down the side of the tooth. Make sure to get under the gums
– Repeat this process with the other tooth
– Move down your teeth one-by-one, repeating this pattern for each
– Make sure to floss behind your molars and any other teeth that do not have a neighbor

Many people experience bleeding gums when they floss. This means that you do not floss enough or that you are flossing way too hard. The more you floss, the less likely your gums will bleed.