Dental Floss – A Must for Daily Oral Hygiene?

Brushing our teeth allows us to remove about 60-70% of plaque from the surface of our teeth. Using dental floss enables us to clean nearly 100% of the teeth. But how do you do it correctly? Here are some practical tips.

Dental Floss: Step-by-Step Guide

• First, wash your hands thoroughly.

• Make flossing your teeth a routine, a good habit. I recommend using dental floss every evening, just before going to bed.

• You’ll need about 30-40 cm of dental floss.

• Wrap the ends of the floss around your middle fingers. On one hand (in my case, the left), wrap just a little so the floss doesn’t slip, and on the other finger, wrap the larger portion.

• With your index fingers and thumbs, you have full control over the floss. You only need 3-4 cm of floss to place between your teeth.

• Insert the floss between your teeth with light pressure until you meet resistance. It’s important to overcome this resistance and gently slide the floss between the teeth without damaging the gums.

• Then, wrap the floss around the first tooth and move it up and down so that the floss reaches under the gum into the space between the tooth and gum. Then pull the floss out of the interdental space.

• Wind 2-3 cm of fresh floss onto your left middle finger, insert it back into the same space to wrap around the next tooth, and pull it up and out again.

• Repeat this process for each interdental space.

• Don’t forget the molars at the back. Slightly closing your mouth relaxes the cheeks and gives you a bit more space for your fingers.

What Not to Do:

Don’t use sawing motions or injure the gums!
 

If you need help learning the proper technique or aren’t sure which floss to choose, visit us at our Famidental dental practice in Biel. During an examination or cleaning, we’ll be happy to assist you and answer all your questions.

Wishing you good health for your smile!