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To floss or not to floss

Tue, 13th Jun 2017

Here’s something you may not know - nearly half the surface area of your teeth lies between them.

If you’re solely relying on brushing, you’re not cleaning a large portion of your teeth, which in turn can affect how healthy your teeth and gums are. 

You wouldn’t only clean your room and never make your bed? You wouldn’t wash your car and forget the inside?

By removing the plaque from between your teeth, you’re helping to prevent gum disease, tooth decay and halitosis, otherwise known as “bad breath”.

Flossing is an essential part of your oral health, certainly not some pointless extra.

Your dentist is the most qualified person to advise you on proper flossing techniques. However here are some basic tips to follow.

Tip 1: Wind about 45cm of floss around your middle fingers and rest it across your thumbs and index fingers.

Tip 2: Always insert the floss gently using a gentle side-to-side motion to avoid traumatising the gums.

Tip 3: To clean the “neck” of the tooth, which is the point at which it meets the gums, curl the floss and insert it gently under the gum.

If your not too keen on the idea of sticking your fingers in your mouth and pulling a pice of string through your teeth, then consider using either a less invasive floss threader or floss pick to do the job.

Make flossing a routine

Flossing is just as important as brushing and should be an integral part of your dental health routine. You should be flossing once a day, either in the morning or night, or even after lunch, for at least two minutes.

But it’s not just adults who need to floss. Kids should start cleaning between their teeth as soon as they have two teeth in contact. Until the age of 10, it’s best if the parent does the flossing as younger kids don’t have the manual dexterity needed to floss effectively.

So, listen to the boss and make sure you floss!

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