Brushing your teeth twice a day keeps your teeth clean, healthy and free of plaque. However, brushing alone will not clean your teeth completely. Your Dental Ranch dentist has probably told you many times how important it is to floss daily, but people still do not floss as much as they should. Less than fifty percent of Americans floss daily and more than ten percent do not floss at all. Flossing does not only clean teeth from left over food particles after brushing, but also helps remove dental plaque that builds up on teeth throughout the day, which can cause tooth decay and potentially lead to tooth loss.
Most people floss right before their dental check up. However, your Dental Ranch dentist can quickly detect months of not flossing regularly due to the accumulated damage on your teeth and gums. Lack of regular flossing can possibly lead to tooth loss as well as gum disease (periodontal disease). Treatment and care for such oral problems can be costly, painful and time consuming.
Learning how to properly floss cannot just save you money and embarrassment at your next dental visit, but most importantly help you build lasting habits for good oral habits to keep your teeth strong and healthy. The easiest way to make a habit out of flossing is to make it as convenient as possible for you to be able to floss wherever you are and happen to remember, or set reminders to floss after you brush your teeth at night before you go to bed. Wrap close to 20 inches of floss around your index fingers on both hands and stretch the floss with your thump to gently glide it between your teeth towards your gum line. When you reach your gums, wrap the sides of the floss around one tooth at a time, gently moving it up and down to clean the sides of your teeth not easily reachable with your toothbrush. Repeat on the opposite tooth and move along the rest of your teeth the same way. If regular floss is uncomfortable or inconvenient for you, try Soft Picks, which are pre-strung toothpick like dental floss that you can easily take with you in your pocket or purse when you travel, or store around the house to make it easily accessible throughout the day.
Taking even just a minute of time out of your day to floss regularly will make a huge impact on your oral health. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to ask your Dental Ranch Dentist.