How much do you know about how you should be flossing? Have you been flossing the same way for most of your life, so you don’t give it too much thought? If you have experienced any hygiene-relates issues, such as tooth decay or gingivitis, it might be time to give your flossing method a quick once over. We will provide you with helpful and simple-to-follow details regarding the best practices for this part of your preventive care at home.
You Should Use Lots of Floss
No joke, we suggest you begin with a nice long piece of dental floss. Aim for a piece that measures approximate 1 ½ feet to 2 feet in length. Why? Well, you don’t want to use the same little segment of floss throughout your smile because with a single pass, it will be covered in plaque. Rather than spread plaque or food debris from place to place, we suggest you remove it by using a fresh segment of floss each time to move onto the next tooth for effective preventive care.
You Should Re-Consider Navigation
If you have been wrapping the floss around your index fingers, think again. This can cause the floss to tighten, resulting in purple-ish, tingling fingertips. Instead, save yourself the discomfort by gently wrapping the floss around your middle fingers instead. Then, you may use your index fingers as well as your thumbs to manipulate the direction of the floss.
Curve the Floss
Ignore the desire to hold the floss taut like you might see in an advertisement. For effective preventive care, you need the floss to come into contact with tooth edges – as a result, you need to curve the floss to one side against the tooth as you drag it along its border. Then, repeat this with the rest of the tooth borders in your mouth.