Dentist Baulkham Hills
Flossing is part of the trifecta of cleaning our mouth. We should brush, floss and use mouthwash daily if we are to keep our teeth and gums healthy.
About 30% of our tooth surface is between the teeth. Flossing is the most common way to clean these areas between the teeth. It is really effective for reaching these nooks and crannies. But there are a few alternative cleaning methods for these spaces, including water flossing and toothpicks.
While we should brush two or three times per day we need only floss once per day.
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Many people neglect flossing. They rush the process or leave it out altogether. we should take 5 minutes to floss correctly. The benefits to our mouth, teeth and gums are worth the effort.
Technique:
- Use about 50 cm of floss
- Wrap either end of the floss around the index fingers of each hand and secure this with the thumbs. Leave about 20 cm of floss between the hands.
- Rub the floss up and down between two teeth, making sure to rub against both adjacent surfaces.
- Use a clean section of floss for the next two teeth. Do not reuse the same section of floss as you will simply spread the plaque and bacteria from the previous teeth.
- Make sure to clean the spaces between all the teeth.
Dental Baulkham Hills
An alternative to traditional flossing is water flossing. This uses high pressure water from a special electrical device to clean between teeth. There are a few commercial devices made for this purpose. Waterpik is a common brand. regular use of these devices can be more effective than flossing, though the devices are expensive.
It is also possible to clean teeth with a floss stick. This has a small length of floss in a Y shaped holder. Some people find this holder makes flossing easier, but you need to constantly rinse the floss between each use (each tooth!!) or you will be cleaning with a dirty tool. A few dentist advise against these floss sticks.
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Flossing goes a long way to reducing gum disease, and this has been shown to greatly reduce the long term risk of serious health problems like heart disease and dementia.
Flossing makes all the difference to our dental hygiene. Floss once per day.
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