How to Properly Floss Your Teeth

Every time you eat, tiny food particles get wedged down in between your teeth. You brush your teeth like you are supposed to daily and a couple days go by when you then remember it is time to floss. Those food particles you thought you got out with your toothbrush have already decayed and are just sitting in between all your teeth, giving you bad breathe and worst of all, killing your pearly whites. This is the very reason most dentists would consider flossing to be the most important step you can take towards maintaining your oral health. If you do not already floss daily, let’s work together and get you on the right track to improving your overall health.

The first step to jump-start your daily flossing routine is to buy your floss. This is a very simple task, but does require some knowledge. You can buy floss from any store or you can also pick up some from your dentist. After talking to your dentist about the type of teeth you have and getting a recommendation, you can then start your floss search. Choosing the right floss is important because this is something you are going to be doing on a daily basis so you want to make sure it works for you.

Now that you have your floss, it is time for the flossing to take place. Before you start brushing, go ahead and measure out an arms length of floss, or close to that, and wrap it a few times around the middle finger of your dominant hand. Then grab the other side firmly with your index- pointer finger and your thumb. Gently slide the floss between each tooth and use an up and down cleaning motion to brush the floss against the sides of your teeth. Be careful not to snap the floss between your teeth to avoid the possibility of causing trauma to the tissue surrounding your teeth. Now you want to angle the floss in a “C” shape against your tooth sliding just below your gum line. Continue with an up and down motion to clean that side of your tooth. When finished, flip it over to the neighboring tooth and begin the same process.

Continue flossing all of your teeth and go in one direction to keep track of the ones you have already done. As you continue to floss, unwrap the floss from your dominant hand and pull away the used floss with your other hand to make sure you are using clean floss all the way around. When you are done, make sure to rinse your mouth out with water or you can use mouthwash.

Now you can do what you already know- brushing your teeth. By flossing, you have loosened up and or removed all the food particles between your teeth and your toothbrush will scruff them all away in the process of surface cleaning.

If you need to take baby steps into making this a routine, then do so. You ideally want to floss two times per day- morning and night, but if you can only do it once per day, make it at night before your final brush cycle. Not only are you going to improve your oral health with this quick and simple step, you are also taking steps towards whitening your teeth on a daily basis. Choosing the right floss for you and incorporating it into your daily routine will save you time, money, and pain in the future for your teeth.