A Look At Flossing

Along with brushing your teeth, you should also be flossing on a daily basis.

Flossing will remove plaque and debris in areas that your toothbrush isn’t able to reach.

In fact, approximately 40% of your tooth surfaces are interproximal, or between your teeth.

This means that brushing only is able to reach about 60%, or just over half of your tooth surfaces.

Imagine only cleaning 60% of your house, or linen, or dishes, or clothes.

You get the picture.

That other 40% would start to get funky pretty quickly, wouldn’t it?

You’d probably lose friends…

The same is happening inside your mouth if you don’t floss.

A buildup of plaque can lead to gum disease or tooth decay, which is why flossing is very important.

If you floss immediately after brushing, you’ll notice that your gums and teeth will be much healthier.

When you look at dental floss, you’ll notice there are two types – nylon and single filament.

You can get nylon either waxed or un-waxed, in several different flavors.

Nylon floss is made up of several strands of nylon material, meaning that it can shred, tear, or snag between the teeth if it gets caught on sharp teeth.

Even though the single filament floss is more expensive than nylon, it will slide easily between teeth, even tight areas and spaces.

Unlike nylon, single filament is impossible to shred or tear.

No matter which type of floss you choose, as long you floss regularly, it will remove debris from your teeth and gums.

If you’ve never tried flossing before, you will probably be amazed at just how much debris and food particles it can remove.

The grinding forces of chewing can really imbed food deep between the teeth as well as under the gums.

Which is why flossing is recommended by dentists everywhere – it can reach places that even the smallest of toothbrushes can’t.

The main problem many people have against flossing is the fact that it can result in bleeding of the gums.

Any time you floss and get between your teeth and around your gums, the floss will rub against your gums.  This sometimes results in bleeding.

Many people take this the wrong way, and immediately stop flossing, usually for good.

However, bleeding is very common when you first start flossing, but should quickly drop off to zero as you continue to floss and your gums get healthy.

There are a lot of modern devices that can help you to floss.  But really, none can compare to using your fingers.

If you have the dexterity, use your index and second fingers, as well as the thumb on each hand.

You’ll get a feel for it soon enough and will really be able to clean between each tooth with complete confidence.

If you’ve been afraid to try flossing due to the bleeding, you should really get over that fear and floss after you brush.

It’s a scientific fact, to keep your teeth and gums healthy, you’ll have to brush AND floss them.

Regular checkups with your dentist will help as well, although it is up to you to continue your regular maintenance at home with flossing and brushing.

If you floss on a daily basis – you’ll quickly realize just how clean and healthy your teeth and gums can be.

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