When it comes to your teeth, brushing is only part of a complete dental care routine - Flossing is absolute key! Flossing your teeth removes food debris and helps prevent plaque from building up in areas between your teeth and around the gum line, where toothbrush bristles just can't reach.

How many times should I floss?

Ideally you should be flossing once a day, every day. If you find that time is your biggest barrier to flossing, instead of flossing in the morning when most of us are at our busiest - try flossing at night before you go to bed. This way you're more likely to take your time and do a better job.

Is it better to floss before or after brushing?

The sequence really makes no difference, as long as you do a thorough job. As long as you are making the effort to floss, it's entirely up to you.

Finding the right technique or tool that suits you:

If you struggle with conventional flossing, there are now many different products available to help you, such as: Interdental brushes, Piksters, Airflosser's, Water flosser's e.t.c.

If in doubt, we can help point you in the right direction on an alternative to suit your needs and budget - Give us a call Today, or we can discuss at your next dental check up.

Conventional flossing in 3 steps:

1. Pull about 30cm of dental floss from the dispenser

2. Wrap the ends of the floss around your index and middle fingers, allowing a short amount of floss between your fingers

3. With the help of your thumbs, hold the floss tightly and using your tooth as a guide, move it back and forth in a push-pull motion, curving the floss around each tooth in a "C" shape up towards and along the gum line of each tooth

You can use a new section of the floss for each tooth and be careful not to apply too much pressure, or use excessive force to "snap" the floss against your gums.

Brushing and flossing combined are an important part of your daily oral healthcare routine. It can take a bit of time to begin with to perfect your flossing technique - but practice makes perfect! 

Don't forget to visit us for your regular check up's and professional cleans. Online bookings available! click here

Happy Flossing! From The Dental4U Team