101 Flossing tricks : How often should you floss

Flossing is the one term in dental care that everyone has heard of, but almost no-one knows the importance about. As merely brushing your teeth twice in a day doesn’t provide your teeth the care that they deserve, flossing is one way to make them get clean and brighter. Since the plaque formed on your teeth (particularly around the area between two teeth) is sometimes very difficult to remove by brushing, flossing gets an added importance.

It is required to control the plaque growing on your teeth for a great oral care. This plaque gets hard if you leave it alone. You will face issues like bad breath and yellow teeth along with major problems like gum diseases. Brushing alone is not enough to control that plaque formation and that’s where the role of flossing comes in. If you’re also looking forward to improve your oral health by flossing, keep reading the article as we make clear your every doubt relating to flossing.

What is flossing?

In oral hygiene, flossing is a highly recommended habit. As the food you eat gets stuck between the teeth that is difficult to remove with just brushing, flossing helps in easy removal of such food strain. As your teeth gets cleaner, the chances of bacteria and plaque formation reduce incredibly. Even after knowing about it’s such an importance, there is only a small population who have included flossing in their dental care routine.

How to floss?

Out of that small population doing flossing, only a few know how to do it correctly. Flossing is a very tedious and time consuming activity as you have to do it one by one for every teeth. But don’t worry as we discusses how you can floss rightly using right method and right tools : –

Floss using a string

The most traditional method that most people use for flossing is to use a string. For centuries, people have been using a flossing string to clear food strains between their teeth and undeniably this method works great when done correctly. To floss using a string, all you need is to cut an 18 inch long string and wrap around 1 inch of the string on each side around the middle fingers of each hand. Hold this flossing string tight using your thumb and index finger. Glide this string between your teeth. Rub the string against the teeth. Move around and curve around the gum line so that it remove the plaque hidden around.

Repeat the process for each tooth one by one. While flossing using a string, don’t be too harsh as it may cut the gums.

Using floss threader for flossing

A floss threader is a more convenient option for flossing your teeth as it makes it easier to reach those areas that might be difficult to floss otherwise. This tool is the best option for flossing your teeth if you have bridgework, braces, and orthodontic wires.

Floss threader is a flexible yet sturdy flossing tool made of plastic that can be used with the help of a nylon wire. You simply have to insert the wire into the threaders eye for using it. Using the threader that can bent around the curvy mouth edges, it will get simpler to floss behind the archwires, below the bridgework and beneath the retainer bars. After you’ve done flossing, you can simply pull the nylon wire to release out of the threader.

Try air flosser or water flosser

If you’re bored of the traditional flossing method using a wire, you can use air or water flosser. Air or water flosser is the best way to up your game in flossing teeth. These handheld devices work excellently in removing the food strains without much hassle.

An air or water flosser requires electricity to run. This device shoots a stream of air or water directly between your teeth. You are only required to point the nozzle of the flosser at the front of where two teeth meet. This quick shoot of air or water makes the food stuck get away. This method is great for cleaning deeper under the gums. If using a water flosser, you will need to refill the water tank on a regular basis.

Some tips on flossing

After knowing about the methods of flossing, these are a few tips you should keep in mind.

How often should you floss?

Flossing is one such habit that should be adopted on a daily basis for a brilliant oral care. As a thumb rule, try to floss once in a day. Make it a rule and never miss this one time.

If you’re confused about how much should you floss if you have braces, then the answer is same. Don’t skip the rule of flossing once in a day. Having brace is not an excuse. If you’re worried about how you’d be able to floss below the archware of your brace, you can floss using a floss threader using the method described above.

Don’t reuse the same string

Don’t reuse the same floss. Throw away the string right after using it. Using the same floss will give way to the old bacteria and debris to reenter into your mouth that you removed earlier while flossing with that string.

When should you floss?

If you want the best results, it is advised that you should floss at every night before going to bed. By flossing the teeth at night, you will be able to remove food strains and debris that settle on your teeth overnight. However, if you are more comfortable doing it in morning, that’s not an issue.

You may floss your teeth before or after brushing. It doesn’t matter if you floss teeth before or after brushing, the only thing important is to floss. If you floss your teeth before brushing, you will expose off all the food particles and debris lying between the teeth that will be removed completely when you brush. If you floss teeth after brushing them, you will be able to pick up any leftover food strains. However, as per a few observations, brushing your teeth and then flossing is better.

Don’t overdo flossing

One essential tip you should keep in mind while flossing is to never overdo it. Too much of flossing can damage your teeth. You can damage your sensitive gums. The chances of irritating and damaging gum tissues will get higher. Don’t overdo it and keep flossing limited to just once in a day whether in morning or night.

Don’t run the floss like saw

You should avoid a common mistake that almost everyone makes while flossing their teeth. You shouldn’t run the floss back and forth between your teeth like a saw while flossing, rather you shohld rub the floss against your teeth’s surface. This way, you’ll be able to remove more food strains and debris out of the gums. You just need to glide the floss between teeth and wrap it around the teeth base in a C shape.

Flossing is an important factor in giving your teeth the care it needs. By flossing your teeth properly, you will get benefits like a reduction in risk of cavities by controlling any debris and leftover food particles and preventing gingivitis and other gum diseases. A good oral hygiene practice including flossing is also linked with improving heart health. These reasons are enough to make you believe in the importance of flossing in dental hygiene. Here, we have covered all the doubts related to how you floss, the right method and what tips to follow to avoid any gum damage. However, don’t rely solely on flossing. You should still be brushing your teeth twice a teeth. Combine this flossing thing with your brushing routine and you are unlikely to suffer any dental problems.