Flossing is one of the most essential parts of keeping your teeth and gums healthy. So why is it that most people fail to do so? Maybe it’s because they don’t understand the importance or simply don’t know how to floss. For both of those reasons, we decided to break down the process and importance of flossing for everyone!
Why is flossing important?
Flossing is extremely important because it removes debris and plaque that sticks to gums and in between teeth. If left alone, this plaque can feed off of sugars in your food and turn into tartar which will dig away at your gums causing much bigger problems such as periodontal disease.
How often should I floss?
It is recommended you floss at least once a day. Most people choose to floss after brushing at the end of the day. This ensures that you’ve removed any debris and leftover food in your mouth. It’s also recommended that you spend at least 2-3 minutes flossing to ensure the best results!
When should my children start flossing?
As soon as your child has two teeth that are touching, you should be helping them floss. Since flossing takes more manual dexterity than most young children have, they’re usually not able to floss until they’re about 10 years old. You should encourage your child to begin flossing on their own as soon as possible!
How to floss:
1. Loop about 18 inches of floss around each of your middle fingers, leaving about an inch of floss to use.
2. While holding the floss tightly between your thumb and index fingers, gently slide it up and down between your teeth.
3. Softly curve the floss around the bottom of each tooth. Make sure you go beneath the gum line. DO NOT force or snap the floss — this might damage or bruise your gum tissue.
4. Use the clean areas of floss moving from tooth to tooth.
