The majority of us Americans get lazy when it comes flossing. We tend to postpone it and think that it wouldn’t do much harm to our teeth. Unfortunately, flossing is one of the most important factors in having a good dental hygiene.
Gum disease starts either on the gum line or in between teeth. Flossing is the only thing that can remove plaque from these areas, but most people don’t do it the proper way even if they do decide to do so. In this article, we will talk about the right way to floss and doing all the necessary things to get the most out of your flossing.
According to ADHA (American Dental Hygiene Association), there are different grips to floss the upper and lower teeth.
Best Bellevue Dentist Gives Tips and Techniques for Flossing
Upper teeth: Wind 18” of floss around the middle fingers of each hand so that you can get a good grip with your thumbs, leave one to two inches of space in between thumbs. Then, get to the upper teeth and floss away.
Lower teeth: It is the same process as the upper teeth but instead of using your thumbs as grip use your index fingers.
Now that we know how to have the right grip, we will go into more detail on different flossing techniques.
1. Use a zig-zag motion to gently guide floss between teeth. Meanwhile, gently wrap the floss around the side of the tooth and keep gliding.
2. Continuously slide the floss up and down in between teeth while flossing against the teeth and under the gumline. Make sure to floss each tooth thoroughly, and use a clean section of the floss for each tooth.
Do your best to stay consistent with brushing your teeth and flossing. Visit us online at http://www.smilesofbellevue.com or call 425-455-2424 to schedule an appointment with one of the best Bellevue dentists today.
