Orthodontists often recommend brushing teeth daily with fluoride toothpaste, especially while wearing braces. Many people heed this advice and brush daily. We also discuss the importance of flossing, but not everyone flosses daily or properly.
Flossing is as important to oral health as brushing and getting professional dental cleanings. Flossing not only helps prevent tooth decay between your teeth and around your braces, but it also helps prevent gum disease. It’s important to floss regularly and properly to remove food particles and prevent cavities and gum disease. Smiles by the Bay Orthodontics has some tips on the best ways to floss — and the important reasons why you should floss every day.
Benefits of Flossing
Flossing has many benefits. It does more than just clean out food from between your teeth. It helps prevent gum disease and tooth loss and reduces tooth decay and bad breath.
Using dental floss removes plaque from up to 35% of your teeth’s surfaces. It also removes plaque along the gum line, where it can harden and become tartar. A professional dentist or orthodontist must remove this substance. Tartar can hold bacteria against your tooth and accelerate tooth decay.
Brushing and flossing reduce bacteria that can give you bad breath. Yes, brushing alone will help, but if you still have bacteria between your teeth, that fresh breath won’t last long.
Flossing does more than just stop tooth decay and gum disease. It also reduces the chances of infection from bacteria or food getting between the teeth and gums. Infection in the gums can spread to the bones and blood, which could lead to more illness and even tooth loss.
Flossing regularly and correctly is essential for your oral and overall health.
How to Floss Properly
Is there a best way to floss? Flossing is about more than rubbing a string between your teeth. You need to learn not only how to floss your teeth but also how to floss correctly.
The best way to floss is to start with dental floss. Use waxed floss so it slides between the teeth more easily. Never use regular thread because it can damage your gums.
Move the dental floss up one side of the first tooth and down the side of the tooth next to it. Reverse this to ensure both teeth are cleaned, then move to the next two teeth.
Use a long enough piece of dental floss to finish the job without fraying. If the floss frays before you are finished, grab another piece. Frayed floss will not have the same amount of scrubbing power as intact floss and may leave pieces of string between your teeth.
Let us know if you have trouble using dental floss between teeth. You may need spacers to move your teeth apart slightly to make cleaning easier. Spacers are elastics we put between your teeth to add space.
We may use spacers on your teeth before braces if getting bands around your back molars is difficult. We will also improve the spacing between your teeth as part of your braces treatment.
Flossing Tools
Several flossing tools are available if you need them. Flavored dental floss may encourage your kids to floss more often. Floss sticks are another common tool.
A floss stick or floss pick is a plastic device with dental floss strung between two tines. Many people use floss sticks because they’re easier to maneuver.
What about a water flosser, such as a WaterPik? Water flossers are good for in-between times with dental floss, but they can’t replace dental floss. WaterPiks don’t have the same scrubbing power as a piece of dental floss, so they won’t clean as well. However, they’re great to use around braces and between your teeth in addition to regular flossing.
Finally, floss threaders can get around wires and brackets to floss with braces. Some floss threaders look like giant plastic needles with loops that allow you to thread the floss through the eye. The floss threader slides between your teeth, taking the floss with it.
Other floss threaders look like long pieces of dental floss with thin plastic on the end that slides between your teeth. Either type is acceptable to floss your teeth more easily with braces.
How Many Times a Day Should You Floss?
How often should you floss your teeth? It’s recommended that you floss at least once a day BEFORE you brush your teeth. Any particles you pull out from between your teeth can be brushed away immediately afterward.
You can brush up to two times a day if you prefer, or you can use dental floss once a day and a water flosser before you brush the second time that day.
Many people prefer to floss at night to eliminate all food particles accumulated during the day, but you can floss first thing in the morning. Just as long as you floss at least once a day — that matters most.
Signs You Aren’t Flossing Enough
How do you know if you aren’t flossing enough? There are several signs. You may see tartar build up between your teeth, around your braces brackets, and the gum line. Your gums may become irritated and may even bleed slightly when you brush.
You may also start to get discoloration between your teeth, such as brown spots or white spots. These are indications of weakened enamel and tooth decay because plaque has built up and eaten away at your enamel.
You may see black triangles between your teeth as your gums recede from gum disease. This is another indication that you aren’t flossing enough.
Can you floss too much? Too often or too hard flossing can irritate your gums. The best sign of this is bleeding gums. Your gums can also become red and swollen from flossing too much or too hard.
So take it easy when you floss, and don’t worry about flossing every time you eat. Once or twice a day is enough.
Teeth Cleaning in Annapolis, MD
Flossing and brushing regularly are vital to excellent oral health. You should brush and floss your teeth daily and visit a dentist at least twice yearly for a professional cleaning and examination. You should floss around your braces to prevent cavities, which can delay your treatment plan.
Smiles by the Bay Orthodontics will help you with flossing issues, from crowded teeth to the best dental floss for you or your child during your orthodontic treatment. Find out how best to keep your teeth clean and your mouth healthy while getting a beautiful smile!
