Flossing 101- PART I

A lot of people hate flossing- it is time consuming, tedious and if you don’t know the right way to do it- it can be uncomfortable and frustrating! No wonder that many people do not floss as often as they should. Our specialists at Summit Dental Clinic can show you certain tips and tricks to make flossing easier. 

Why should you floss?

No matter how well you brush or often you brush with the fanciest toothbrush- you cannot clean the plaque and deposits between your teeth. When these food particles are left behind, they can turn into cavities and cause gum disease. The bacteria thrive on this nutrition and cause decay in not one-but both the teeth it is wedged between. Also these particles sit on your gums and cause inflammation, infection, bone loss , swelling and pain. Sometimes you will not have any indication of such a dangerous process taking place between teeth and this can cause advanced bone loss where you are not left with a solid good foundation for your teeth. This can cause mobility in your teeth and there may be no way to restore your bone which can ultimately result in tooth loss. The only way to prevent such an unfortunate result is to floss, floss and floss!

When to Floss?

Flossing ideally should be done after every meal! Since that may not be practical we advise that you floss every time you brush- so floss twice a day. If you don’t have time to floss during the day then just floss once at the end of your day so that all the plaque and deposits that have accumulated the entire day can be removed. Flossing can be done before or after you brush- thats your preferance - you can also floss before you brush to loosen the debris and then go back again after brushing to make sure that everything is clean. 

Now that you have understood the importance of flossing- in the next blog post we will talk about the different types of floss and which one you should be using to suit your needs!