Brushing your teeth twice a day is crucial to keeping your teeth and gums healthy, but you should ensure you floss regularly too. Plaque accrues between your teeth where your toothbrush cannot reach, so dentists recommend that you floss your tooth every day.
To effectively remove plaque build-up and prevent dental problems, you should floss with the appropriate technique. Dr. Robert Gauthier, a dentist in Northborough, MA, provides tips to ensure you achieve the most thorough teeth cleaning while you floss.
Hold Floss Correctly
For the most accurate teeth cleaning, you should hold your floss so that you can maneuver the string between your teeth with ease. You should use about 18 inches of floss during your oral hygiene routine.
When flossing, wrap each end of the floss around the middle finger of each hand to establish a solid foundation. Then, you can grip the floss between your index finger and thumb on both hands so that there is approximately one inch of floss to be used to clean your teeth.
As you progress through your mouth, you can pull the string wrapped around your middle fingers to reveal a clean section of floss once the previous bit is used.
Pay Attention to Positioning
Once you have a secure hold on your floss, you can gently insert the floss between your teeth. For the most thorough cleaning, you should press the floss tightly against the tooth and rub the floss up and down to remove trapped plaque and unwanted residue.
This process should be completed for all of your teeth on both the top and bottom arches. Use careful movements while flossing to avoid irritating your gums. Chronic bleeding gums might be a symptom of gum disease, so visit your dentist regularly to evaluate your periodontal health.
Explore Other Flossing Tools
Dentists confirm that this traditional flossing method is effective for cleaning your teeth and keeping your mouth healthy. However, patients with specific dental concerns or oral devices may find string floss to be difficult to use.
For instance, patients with braces or other orthodontic appliances might benefit from the flexibility of floss picks, in which a string of floss is stretched across a plastic handle. A water pick uses an irrigator to create a stream of water that sprays and cleans hard-to-reach spots of your mouth. This device can help patients with dental implants or other apparatuses.
Schedule Regular Dentist Appointments in Northborough, MA
Apex Dental offers expert preventative dental care and other general dentist treatments to patients in Northborough, MA. Dr. Gauthier also specializes in cosmetic and restorative dentistry for patients of all ages. To schedule a dentist appointment with us, contact our office online or reach us by phone at 508.506.1691.