Get into the Groove: How to Floss Your Teeth

If you haven’t mastered the art of daily flossing yet, you’re not alone. Many of our patients have questions about how to preserve or improve their oral health. Flossing your teeth is essential to avoiding plaque build up between your teeth, which causes cavities and gum disease.

Read on to learn how to properly floss your teeth, step by step. Get to know the latest tools and techniques and you’ll be on your way to a gleaming smile in no time.

Harness the power of habit

It almost sounds too simple, but at the end of the day, it helps to remember that regular flossing is just a good habit. It’s no secret that healthy habits such as flossing teeth are formed through repetition. Researchers suggest it takes 1 to 2 months for a new habit to become second nature. So, try setting a reminder in your phone that prompts you to floss daily. Stick with it and before you know it, you’ll automatically reenact the behaviour, just like brushing your teeth.

Find the right floss for you  

They say success is all about having the right tools on hand. To make daily flossing as simple as possible, it’s important to explore your options and find what works for you. Customizing your flossing technique greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll stick with it.

There’s much to explore in today’s floss world. From waxed and unwaxed to minty fresh flavours, the mouth health aisle in your local grocery market or drugstore holds many effective products to research. We recommend waxed dental floss to our patients, as it easily slides between teeth.

In recent years, consumer flossing options have grown to include more gadgets such as air flossers, water flossers and more. As with any popular technology, these tools can be a great way to streamline the flossing process and support overall oral health.  Today’s gold standard in flossing comes from using a water flosser with dental floss coming close behind.

Learn how to use a water flosser

The best way to floss your teeth

We believe the best way to floss your teeth is whatever way works for you. However, as professionals who get up close and personal with the results of varying methods, we consider the C-shaped method using string floss to be optimal. Therefore, this is the method we’ll explain in the following step by step guide to flossing teeth.

Step 1: Take approx. 18 inches of string floss and wrap it around each middle finger for good grip

Step 2: Insert the floss between your teeth by carefully rocking it back and forth

Step 3: Once inserted, pull the floss laterally around the tooth, creating a ‘C’

Step 4: Gently floss up and down, allowing the floss to make maximum contact with the tooth

Step 5: Ensure the floss is reaching the gum line around each tooth

Step 6: Repeat throughout your entire mouth, adjusting the floss to get a fresh piece for each tooth to avoid spreading plaque

Flawless flossing: Tips and takeaways

• Floss daily to remove plaque and prevent cavities and gum disease
• Make flossing a habit with calendar reminders and repetition
• Find the right flossing method for you and stick with it
• The C-shaped flossing method using string floss maximizes contact and cleanliness

Looking for a family dentist, orthodontics or teeth cleaning and more in West Edmonton? Contact us or book online today.

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