Maintaining good oral hygiene involves brushing and flossing. Dentists argue that brushing alone is insufficient to remove dirt, debris, and food particles that promote the growth of harmful bacteria. Some foods can get stuck between teeth and need to be removed with floss. This way, cavity-causing bacteria that also results in gum disease will not have anything left in your mouth to feed on.
While brushing is an easy skill to master, since it starts from childhood, flossing can be tricky. You can learn a few flossing techniques from your dentist to ensure you remove everything stuck between the teeth without harming your sensitive gums. A skilled dentist can also recommend the right type of dental floss to help keep your teeth and gums clean.
Reasons Why Dental Flossing is Important
When you eat and drink, some of the food and beverages remain stuck in your mouth. If they are left there for a long time, they encourage the growth of harmful oral bacteria, which cause cavities and gum disease. Saliva does a very good job of flushing out some of the food particles. Most of the stuck foods are also removed by brushing, which should be done twice daily. However, some foods remain stuck between teeth, which are difficult to flush out with saliva and difficult to remove by brushing. Dental flosses are designed for this purpose.
The bacteria in the mouth are very useful, especially for food digestion. However, it can become dangerous if it grows larger and causes havoc in the mouth. The bacteria feed on food and beverages that become stuck in the mouth. If more of these remain every time you eat and drink, the environment inside your mouth becomes more conducive to the thriving of harmful bacteria. The bacteria combine with stuck foods to produce a strong acidic reaction that builds up on your teeth and gums. If this continues for a while, the strong acid, which eventually weakens the enamel, can inflame your gums and cause cavities.
Since brushing alone is insufficient to remove all stuck food particles from the mouth, dentists recommend flossing daily to help prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria. When all parts of your mouth are clean, the bacteria will have nothing to feed on, so they will remain few in number and less harmful to your teeth and gums.
The Benefits of Pairing Brushing with Dental Flossing
The good oral hygiene habits recommended by dentists include brushing and flossing daily. Specifically, dentists recommend brushing twice and flossing daily to keep your mouth clean and free of cavity-causing bacteria. Combining brushing and flossing gives you excellent results for healthy, strong teeth and gums. This means that brushing alone and flossing alone are insufficient for excellent oral hygiene.
Brushing and flossing remove plaque from your teeth and gums to protect you from cavities and gum disease. Plaque is the sticky, acidic substance that attaches to your teeth and gums when harmful bacteria combine with stuck foods in the mouth. If left on the gums and teeth for a while, it hardens into tartar, which can be difficult to remove with regular brushing and flossing. Dentists recommend removing plaque immediately after it forms to protect your teeth from cavities and gum disease. However, brushing alone removes approximately 60% of the plaque from tooth surfaces. Flossing removes plaque from other surfaces, especially between the teeth, where a regular toothbrush cannot reach.
Remember that plaque starts forming immediately after foods in the mouth combine with oral bacteria. Brushing twice daily can remove most plaque, helping protect you from cavities, inflammation, and gingivitis. However, you risk leaving plaque between the teeth if you do not floss daily as recommended. This increases your risk of cavities and gum disease, especially if the plaque between the teeth eventually hardens into difficult-to-remove tartar.
Additionally, brushing alone is insufficient to keep your breath fresh. Remember that a regular brush can only clean the surfaces of your teeth, not the spaces between them, where most food and drink get stuck. The trapped foods and debris can still cause bad breath.
Thus, brushing and flossing are both essential for excellent oral health.
How To Floss Effectively
Dental flossing can be easy or difficult, depending on how you do it. Many people believe they floss effectively until they realize they don't. Dentists provide brushing and dental flossing tips during regular dental checkups to reduce your risk of cavities and gum disease.
Dental flossing goes beyond snapping dental floss between the teeth and hoping it will remove any stuck food. You must master the right flossing technique to get it right every time you use dental floss. Dentists recommend certain critical movements that can protect your teeth and gums from bacteria and effectively clean difficult-to-reach areas of your mouth.
First, you need a good dental floss, which should be about 18 inches. This is the size you can divide into bits for every section of your teeth. This way, you will not transfer plaque from one section to the other when flossing. Technically, this means having a few pieces of dental floss with you for various sections. Remember that while brushing cleans the easy-to-access surfaces, flossing reaches the crannies and crevices of the teeth, where harmful bacteria thrive.
Also, flossing should be the last process when deep cleaning your teeth. It comes after brushing your teeth and flushing out debris from your mouth.
In addition to selecting several pieces of clean dental floss for the job, you need to ensure a good grip and motion when flossing. If using an 18-inch dental floss, wind most of it around the middle fingers, leaving the thumbs and index fingers free to direct the floss into various sections of your teeth. The rip on the floss should be tight. Work carefully from one section to another. As you hold the floss tightly, gently slide it between the teeth and move it back and forth. If you snap the floss, you could irritate your gums and cause a bruise or bleeding.
Shaping the floss into a C shape makes it easier to slide between the teeth. You can move it just beneath your gumline to ensure you remove all the plaque that brushing could not reach. You should repeat these techniques on the two sides of all your teeth, ensuring you use a clean section of floss each time.
Remember that improper flossing technique can bruise your gums, leading to irritation or bleeding. That is why dentists discourage using a sawing motion once you slide the dental floss in between the teeth. Sawing back and forth can seem ideal for removing stuck food and plaque, but it can irritate your gums. Also, the sawing technique is not effective in removing plaque just below the gumline, which is the most dangerous one in causing cavities and gum disease.
Instead of sawing, dentists recommend curving the floss into a C shape to effectively scrape off any buildup that may have formed on and beneath the gum line.
Mistakes to Avoid During Dental Flossing
If you have not mastered the right dental flossing techniques, it is possible to make mistakes that could leave you with bruised and painful gums, which could eventually put you at risk of oral infections. It helps to know some of the mistakes to avoid when flossing, to protect your gums as you get rid of as much plaque as possible, especially the plaque stuck between the teeth.
The most common mistake people make when flossing is being too rough. Remember how soft and sensitive the tissues inside your mouth are, especially your gums. Snapping the dental floss down the gums and sawing it aggressively can cause significant damage to your gums. This will irritate the soft gum tissue, leading to bleeding or recession. Remember that when flossing, always aim to clean out plaque and stuck food, not to scrub your gums. The recommended C-shape motion when flossing is enough to remove plaque from beneath your gums without irritating them.
Another common mistake when flossing is using one piece of dental floss for the entire mouth. This transfers harmful bacteria from one part of the mouth to another rather than removing them altogether. Dentists recommend using 18-inch dental floss, or a few pieces, daily to thoroughly clean difficult-to-reach areas. Flossing every tooth with a clean dental floss will leave your teeth clean and fresh every day.
Dealing with Bleeding Gums
Some people experience bleeding, especially the first time they floss. Their immediate reaction is usually to stop flossing for a few days and then resume. While this may seem logical, it is not the right response when your gums bleed after flossing. In most cases, bleeding happens due to mild inflammation caused by plaque buildup. When bacteria build up on your sensitive gums, they irritate them, causing them to bleed easily, even with a gentle touch. This could be the reason why your gums bleed every time you floss. When you stop and resume flossing, your gums will bleed again. This may continue until you finally give up flossing altogether.
Dentists do not want you to stop flossing when your gums bleed. They want you to continue flossing until you remove all the plaque that is irritating your gums. If you consistently floss and brush your teeth, you discourage the buildup of more plaque as you remove the plaque that has already settled between the teeth. Eventually, you will stop the gingivitis that was making your gums sensitive, and the bleeding will eventually stop.
If you have not been flossing regularly, start right away and be consistent to protect your teeth from cavity-causing bacteria. If your gums bleed, they may stop within a week as they become healthy and strong. If the bleeding does not stop after two weeks, you should visit your dentist’s office. Professional dental cleaning could help remove stubborn buildup and tartar that could be irritating your teeth.
Other Common Issues to Watch Out for Once You Start Flossing
If you are just starting dental flossing, you may encounter some issues. Some of these issues are mild and common, and others are serious and require immediate medical attention. Here are some common mild issues and how you can effectively solve them:
Sore Gums After Flossing
If your gums are not used to flossing, they may feel sore after the first or second time you floss. This could be because you are likely using more force than necessary. Try to use the recommended C-shape motion gently, without forcing it.
Stuck Floss Shreds
If your teeth are tight or have tartar buildup, some strands of your dental floss may get stuck between them. You could try a different dental floss, such as waxed tape or monofilament. If the problem persists, have your dentist check your teeth for a more effective recommendation.
Difficulty Reaching Back Teeth
Some parts of your teeth, especially the back teeth, are usually difficult to reach when brushing and flossing. Sadly, these are the perfect breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. If you neglect them, your risk of cavities and gum disease remains high, no matter how much effort you put into cleaning the rest of your mouth. For difficult-to-reach areas, you can use a floss pick, a water flosser, or a floss holder.
Note: If any of these issues persist, visit your dentist’s office for a checkup.
Find an Experienced Dentist Near Me
Dental flossing is highly recommended for excellent oral hygiene. If used well, together with brushing, you can effectively protect yourself from cavities and gum disease. However, flossing is not as easy as it sounds. You need the help of a skilled dentist to master the right flossing techniques that will remove stuck food and plaque from between the teeth.
At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, we have all the information you need to floss more effectively for better oral health. We can also recommend the best dental floss for easy, effective oral hygiene. Call us at 818-751-5100 to learn from our dental flossing experts in Encino.
