Brushing your teeth twice daily is essential for a healthy smile ; however, you also must be flossing daily in order to clean all the surfaces between your teeth. Flossing daily is as important and necessary for you to use as a toothbrush. By cleaning in between your teeth, dental floss can protect you from forming cavities in between your teeth and from getting too much plaque build-up. Flossing is easy to do, but it is absolutely necessary to do it correctly and thoroughly.
We always tell our patients to get about 18 inches of dental floss every time. Eighteen inches will give you enough freedom to get in between all of your teeth and move around your mouth without having to use both hands at the same time.
Use Waxed Floss
Another thing that you may want to look for is waxed dental floss. The wax on top of the floss will help it slide easier in between your teeth, which will feel more comfortable. The wax will also help to keep the dental floss intact so that it doesn’t separate when you are pushing it in between your teeth. Both waxed and unwaxed dental floss are fine; what’s most important is that you must floss EVERY SINGLE day.
Go All the Way Down
One thing that many patients don’t understand about flossing is that you have to bring it down to your gums. People tend to insert the dental floss and not bring it down to the bottom, which means that you won’t get everything out of your teeth. Germs, food, and bacteria tend to reside near your gum line, so the closer you get to it, the better.
Learning how to floss better is one of the best things that you can do for your oral health overall. To learn more flossing tips, visit our website.
Ready to schedule your next dental cleaning? Contact our downtown Montreal office at 514-875-7971 or email us at reception@smilesbydrslepchik.com