We all know we are supposed to floss every day but do we actually do it? Our Lincoln Park dentists recommend flossing daily because brushing alone is not enough to keep your teeth clean. Let’s make flossing easier by adjusting your technique, making the process become a part of your dental routine and not a hassle.
Choose The Right Floss
You can use thick floss for larger gaps to help ensure that you are actually flossing all the surfaces of your teeth. Pick a thinner floss for the smaller spaces if your teeth are more tightly pushed together. Other floss options include:
- Waxed or Unwaged: The waxed floss can make it easier to floss your teeth that are close together and the unwaged floss benefit is that it makes a squeaking noise against clean teeth to let you know you‘ve removed the plaque.
- Single Filament or Multifilament: Single filament floss is made of rubber or plastic while multifilament is made of nylon. Multifilament floss is more common as it‘s used in generic flosses, and single filament floss is a bit more expensive.
Use Enough Floss
Flossing means thoroughly cleaning the surface of your tooth and using enough of the floss to easily reach your teeth. You should be using a fresh piece of floss on each tooth, which means using around 18 inches of floss. Wrap the ends around your middle finger and use your thumbs and index fingers to help guide the floss in between your teeth. Wind up the used floss and unwind the clean floss as you go through each tooth to ensure you are actually cleaning your teeth rather than moving around the bacteria.
Floss Daily
If you need to, set a daily reminder to floss! The more you practice, the better your technique will become and soon you’ll be flossing quickly and effectively. Your gums will thank you as they adapt to the flossing and stop bleeding. If you floss for two weeks straight, it will turn into part of your dental routine and you’ll no longer dread it!
Reach Out
Contact your Lincoln Park dentists today if you need help getting started with your flossing routine. We can walk you through the benefits, when best to do it, and what types of techniques you should be using.
