Brushing your teeth well is important for good oral health, but flossing is also very helpful. Flossing can remove food and plaque from between the teeth and under the gums that the toothbrush cannot reach. If left untreated, plaque can cause tooth decay or periodontal disease.
American science webzine ‘SciTechDaily’ introduced how to use dental floss for oral health.
Flossing, recommended once a day
The American Dental Association and most dentists recommend flossing once a day. Dental health experts say you should brush your teeth at least twice a day. As mentioned earlier, flossing helps get rid of food debris and plaque that gets stuck between teeth that a toothbrush can’t reach.
How regarding flossing a few times a day? If used correctly, there is little risk of flossing more than once a day. If you don’t know how to do it right, frequent flossing can irritate your gums and cause discomfort.
How to use dental floss correctly?
△ It is more important whether the dental floss is comfortable to use rather than waxed or unwaxed floss. If you’re wearing braces, a wax-coated floss is better because it’s less likely to get caught in the wires.
△ Wrap a suitable length of floss around both middle fingers, or use a floss holder if it is difficult to hold the floss.
Hold both ends of the floss between your thumb and index finger. Gently floss the floss with your fingers in a ‘C’ shape so that the length of the floss is regarding 10cm on both sides of the tooth to be flossed.
△ Between each tooth, move the floss up and down to below the gum line, and gently back and forth.
△ Be careful not to injure the gums by pulling the floss suddenly.
If you feel pain or discomfort while using dental floss, stop immediately.
When to floss? Before or following brushing?
There is no set rule as to whether to floss before or following brushing. However, some studies have shown that there are benefits to flossing before brushing. This is because flossing removes plaque and food debris between the teeth so that they can be removed with a toothbrush. However, it is safe to floss following brushing your teeth.
