10% of people have stated that they don’t floss their teeth. While this might not seem like a huge issue, flossing your teeth is an essential part of keeping your gums and teeth healthy.
If you’re trying to get better at your oral hygiene, you’re not going to want to miss any of the flossing tips we have to offer below. Take control of your dental health and start practicing proper flossing habits with this flossing guide.
What’s the Importance of Flossing?
Why floss? Some people are under the impression that flossing doesn’t make a difference in their oral hygiene. This isn’t true; in fact, not flossing regularly can be quite detrimental to the health of both your teeth and gums.
When you don’t floss over time, you could develop what’s known as gingivitis or inflamed gums. If left untreated, gingivitis can cause tooth decay, which leads to the loss of a tooth.
Another side effect of not flossing your teeth regularly is the development of halitosis. In other words, because of the leftover food in your mouth, you develop a terrible case of bad breath.
No matter how many times you brush, it always seems to linger. Lastly, when you don’t floss, it allows food to sit on the teeth, and over time this can cause cavities.
Cavities are unpleasant to deal with and can cause further tooth and gum issues and trust us a root canal can not reverse a cavity. Now that you know some issues that can be caused by not brushing your teeth, here are some effective flossing tips that you need to begin using today.
1. Choose the Right Floss
You might be reading this and realize that you never knew there was a ‘right choice’ when it came to the floss that you used for your teeth. Floss comes in varying thicknesses that make it easier to get the food stuck between your teeth out.
If your teeth have tight spaces, floss that is waxed is the best way to go. The reason for this is you won’t have to struggle to get the floss into the tight spaces the way you would with unwaxed floss.
If the spacing between your teeth isn’t as tight, you’ll want floss that is yarn-like in texture. This texture makes it easy for you to grasp and reach the stuck particles you need to reach.
2. Floss Multiple Times a Day
Usually, you’re told to floss once a day. But, since you eat more than once a day, that means there’s at least a handful of other instances in which food has the chance to get stuck in your teeth.
It’s best if you floss regularly throughout the day because left behind food can cause tooth decay if it’s not removed. Ensure that you take your time when you floss because rushing through the process isn’t going to benefit you in the long run.
3. Be Gentle
Sometimes, there is something that we feel in our mouths, causing irritation, and we immediately grab the floss to get it out. We sit and pull the floss through until it’s out of our teeth, no matter the cost.
Being rough while flossing can cause further gum irritation, and it can cause your gums to bleed, adding to the discomfort you already feel. Take your time and be gentle.
If you do notice that an area of your mouth is beginning to bleed, you will still need to finish flossing this area, but do so carefully. We also recommend that you don’t pull the floss back and forth between your teeth as this can also cause bleeding.
Instead, carefully work the floss down and up between teeth. This is much gentler and reduces the likelihood that you’ll bleed.
4. Floss Before Brushing
This might sound counterproductive, but doing it the other way around is not the way to go. When you floss before brushing your teeth, you loosen any particles that are lodged in your teeth.
Once loosened, your toothbrush can then come in and work its magic by brushing away these particles and other plaque residues that are present.
5. Use Threaders
This tip is specifically for people that might have braces or wear dentures. When you have any of these, flossing can be impossible to accomplish, but threaders make it easy.
All you’ve got to do is take the needle and insert it over the top of the dentures or braces through to the other side. After you’ve done this, you can comfortably floss your teeth without any issues.
6. Practice, Practice, Practice
Once you’ve got the technique of flossing down, all that’s left to do is practice. We don’t mean that the technique of flossing is hard to accomplish. We simply are saying that the more you floss, the more routine it will become.
It can take between 18-254 days to form a habit; you should get a jump on that sooner rather than later.
Flossing Tips 101
There are tons of flossing tips that you need to know and should’ve learned from reading our guide. Some of these tips include choosing the right floss type for your teeth or remembering to floss before you brush your teeth.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to your oral hygiene is to visit your dentist regularly. If you’ve not found a dentist in your area, contact Katy Gentle Dentists.
These are people that you can trust with your teeth no matter what. What are you waiting for?
Their team is ready to put a smile back on your face.