Are You Flossing Correctly?

Chances are you’ve found yourself in this situation: Sitting at the dentist’s office, having just been asked if you floss regularly and trying to figure out how to worm your way out of really answering. Flossing is an important part of a healthy dental routine, which is why we always bring it up, and this year we challenge you to not only floss regularly but to floss with proper technique. Hey, if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right, and we believe you can do it! Here are some handy tips to get you started:

The Floss

You may be surprised to know that you should be using about 15 to 18 inches of floss. It sounds like a lot, but it’s because you want to use a clean section of the floss as you move through your mouth, going from tooth to tooth. This helps to prevent the transfer of bacteria. You should also throw away the used floss when you’re done so you don’t bring bad bacteria back into your mouth the next time.

The Position

Wind the excess amount of floss around your middle fingers and leave about an inch or two to work with at a time. You can hold this section tightly with your thumbs and forefingers.

The Movement

Slide the floss between your teeth (working from the bottom to the top), and then curve the floss around the sides and bottom of each tooth so you can go beneath the gumline. Think of it as following the natural curve of the tooth or making a C-shape around your tooth with the floss. Remember to be gentle! You don’t want to irritate or damage your gums. You just want to make sure that area is free of debris too

The Time

When you’re flossing properly, it should take you about a minute or so to get through all of your teeth. That may seem longer than you’ve spent on flossing before, but in the grand scheme of things it’s easy to devote an extra minute a day to keeping your smile health.

Looking for more tips for at-home oral care? We’ve got you covered! Contact Oakboro Family Dentistry, and one of our team members will be happy to give you some more advice.

Categorised in: Oral Health, Oral Hygiene, Preventive Dentistry