Home Hygiene Routine: How to Floss Like a Boss
Flossing or interdental is one of the easiest, but least consistently completed oral hygiene tasks we see patients completing. Dental floss, interproximal brushes (Piksters); super floss and flossettes are all used to remove dental plaque from between the teeth. Toothbrushes can not reach between the teeth. Without flossing you miss nearly 40% of the tooth surfaces from being cleaned.
Removal of dental plaque (soft debris on teeth) and food in between teeth reduces the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Dental plaque contains bacteria which cause an inflammatory process causing bone loss around teeth causing gum disease, or mineral loss in between the teeth causing tooth decay. Therefore, regular removal of dental plaque reduces a patient's risk of these two dental diseases. If you have bad breath, this is a sign that bacteria are breeding in your mouth and causing problems. If your gums bleed when you floss this is a sign of inflammation and shows you need to keep flossing. Healthy gums do not bleed.
The Australian Dental Association recommends flossing daily. If you are having trouble remembering to do this, improve your routine by at least getting started.
Here is a summary of the most common interproximal cleaning aids:
Dental floss is pulled gently between the teeth to remove plaque and trapped food. It is best where the contacts between teeth are tighter. Wind approximately 45 cm of floss around your middle fingers and grip it tightly between your thumbs and index fingers. Gently guide the floss between the teeth using a gentle side-to-side motion and take care not to cut or damage your gums with abrupt movement.
Flossettes or “floss on a stick” (eg. SupaGrip) have little handles with floss on them which reduces the need for technique with conventional dental floss. Some patients such as children have more luck if using this product.
Interdental brushes (eg Piksters) work like a “bottle brush”. They are gently inserted in between the teeth and with the bristles they clean the dental plaque from the sides of the teeth and at the same time push out any food debris which may be caught. When patients have gum recession, slightly larger spaces and/or gum disease present interproximal brushes are the best option. Interdental brushes come in a range of sizes and our oral health therapists will advise the best size for you.
WaterPik is a jet stream of water that is sprayed in between the teeth to remove food and “dental plaque”. This tool can be helpful for larger bits of food debris, however it has trouble removing stickier dental plaque so should be used in association with floss or interdental brushes for maximum success.
We stock a range of oral hygiene products at Kingston Beach Dental for purchase. Ask us to show you any of the above techniques at your next preventative dental care visit! We love flossing and love to show you how to care for your teeth.
Remember you only have to floss and clean the teeth that you want to keep!