Flossing

dental flossingRegular dental flossing can be the best way to keep clean those hard to get at spaces between your teeth. Many people do not realize that dental flossing is as important as brushing. The bristles from the tooth brush simply cannot reach those very small gaps where small food particles tend to accumulate.

But a more important factor about flossing is that flossing is more about removing plaque than it is about removing food particles. There are complex bacterial ecosystems that form on tooth surfaces. Plaque causes inflamed gums (gingivitis), tooth decay, periodontal disease and even the tooth loss. Flossing is the only effective way to remove plaque between teeth.

Oral irrigators have become quite popular in recent years and many general public consumers consider them to be a sufficient replacement for flossing. They are however not as effective as regular flossing, once again due to their ineffectiveness for removing plaque buildup on your teeth.

Effective flossing will take up to 3 minutes of intensive efforts. There are times when you may see a tinge of blood especially if you haven’t flossed for a while. This could be due to your gums being slightly inflamed and may be caused by plaque buildup. This may require you to floss a little more to ensure you completely remove the bacteria.

Traditional dental floss comes in rolls packaged for easy pulling and cutting of strips about 6 inches long. Dental floss is generally nylon string covered in some type of wax coating. There are however new products on the market making flossing easier than ever before. These floss products includes the disposable flossing picks with the precut string length and a handle fashioned like a toothpick for an easy grasping. Always take the time to run the floss between the teeth and over the gums.