Your oral healthcare routine is an essential part of your life. When you take the time to care for your teeth properly, you will not only notice a significant difference in your appearance but also your overall health and well-being too. Proper dental care can improve your teeth and gums, can help with grinding (which will mean reduced tooth pain), and can eliminate bad breath and cavities. There are many things you can do to improve your dental care, and it all starts with flossing.
Flossing should be considered a vital part of your oral healthcare routine. That said, there’s a big difference between flossing the right way and flossing the wrong way. If you want to achieve the best possible results, here are just five tips to follow.
- Floss Before Brushing
You could floss after you brush or before you brush and still get good results, but it’s generally more beneficial to start with flossing. Why? Because flossing will remove plaque from between the teeth and get rid of any small food particles. When you start brushing your teeth, the foam from your toothpaste will get between your teeth and help protect those areas you just cleared of plaque and food debris. Finish by using mouthwash to wash everything away.
- Wrap Around Your Middle Fingers
Most people wrap their floss around their forefingers. This will let you reach toward the back of the mouth, but it’s actually a better idea to wrap floss around your middle fingers. With floss so positioned, you’ll be able to use your forefingers and thumbs to achieve finer control.
- Adopt a Zig Zag Motion & Use the Right Amount
Another common issue people have is only moving their floss up and down. You should still go up and down, but you also want to pay attention to the gum line – this is where most plaque and tartar will develop. Use a sawing motion towards the bottom of each tooth to remove as much as you can.
Don’t use the same section of floss to clean between different teeth – this will only mean transferring bacteria and food particles from one gap to the next. Let out a little more as you go prevent this from happening.
- Exercise extra caution if you have braces
So, you have visited your family orthodontist san clemente ca, and have gotten new braces to align your crooked teeth. But do you know how to maintain oral hygiene after your orthodontic treatment? Flossing can be a good practice to reduce the risk of gum diseases and improve your overall oral health. However, with brackets and wires in braces, cleaning with regular floss can be challenging. Orthodontic patients often use special tools like floss threaders, interdental brushes, or water flossers to effectively clean between teeth and around the braces.
- Be careful around implants
When flossing your teeth, take care not to be too forceful around dental implants. Gently slide the floss between your teeth and gums, but avoid going too close to the implant site where the implant is connected to the bone. This is because excessive flossing could potentially cause the implant to become loose or damaged, resulting in pain that could necessitate a dental implant restoration treatment.
