How to Floss Teeth Properly with a Flossing Wand

How to Floss Teeth Properly with a Flossing Wand-Bliss Oral Care

Let’s talk about flossing. It is a vital step in establishing good oral hygiene, but is often overlooked and taken lightly. People do not put enough consideration into flossing properly. Only 5%¹ of Australians actually floss daily². Correct flossing takes very little effort, but can go a long way to improving and maintaining strong, white, healthy teeth.

Flossing is Important

Flossing is arguably just as important as brushing teeth. The reason flossing and brushing are mentioned jointly as essential steps to keeping healthier teeth, is because they are considered the frontline in the fight for good oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing are simple yet effective daily practices that will dictate the overall health and whiteness of the teeth.

Flossing is Important

Why is flossing so important? Effective tooth brushing removes plaque, bacteria, and food particles from the exposed surfaces of the teeth. Flossing does the same job, but does so in the tight confines between our teeth. The bristles on the toothbrush head cannot squeeze in enough to clean in between the teeth. Not brushing or flossing teeth leave them open to tooth rot, cavities, and tooth discolouration.

History of Dental Floss

Believe it or not, flossing goes way back to the early 1800’s³. A dentist in New Orleans started advising his patients to “floss” in between their teeth using a thin silk thread. Evidence shows though that for thousands of years, ancient people had been using sharp sticks and implements to try and clear away the food from in between the teeth. Dental floss, as we know it today, started in 1882 in Massachusetts, USA, with well known Johnson & Johnson introducing their staple dental floss in 1886.

How Often Should We Floss?

Hopefully this reminder about flossing cements the fact of just how vital this step is to good dental hygiene. Good oral hygiene leads to whiter teeth. Following is an excerpt of just how often a dentist says we should floss.

Ask a dentist: How often should you floss?

The American Dental Association recommends flossing once a day to clean between teeth. Whether you floss in the morning, evening or midday is a matter of personal preference. Flossing before bedtime ensures the mouth is clean while sleeping. But, the goal is a daily flossing to ensure all sides of your tooth are cleaned. Toothbrushing can’t reach in between teeth and up into the gumline like flossing can. Plaque bacteria, if not removed, can cause inflammation of your gum tissue, gingivitis, or gum disease. Irritated tissue is characterised by red, swollen, and bleeding gums. It doesn’t take long to floss, but that little act can result in big benefits for oral health.

Dr. Travis R. Willey, Family and Cosmetic Dentistry of the Rockies

A simple rule of thumb to follow is to brush and floss your teeth immediately after each meal. Caution: make sure to not brush or floss too vigorously. Teeth and gums are sensitive, so regular brushing and flossing trumps doing so too roughly and sporadically. Avoid irritated gums, bleeding, and tooth sensitivity by flossing multiple times daily on a regular schedule.

Proper Flossing Technique

How to Floss Your Teeth

  • Choose a dental floss that suits you - waxed or unwaxed; flavoured or unflavored; single or multi-strand
  • Break off about 20cm
  • Wind some around your index or middle finger on each hand, leaving about 3cm exposed
Proper Flossing Technique
  • Pull it tight and use your thumbs to guide it into place between your teeth
  • Be careful not to force it or snap it onto your gums
  • Curve the floss around one tooth and gently push it as far as it will go, past the gum line
  • Move it up and down along the side of the tooth 8-10 times (not side to side)
  • Repeat for the tooth on the other side
  • Gently remove the string from that space and unwind a clean piece to use on the next gap
  • Don't forget to clean the back of your four rear teeth as these can be difficult to reach with a toothbrush
  • Rinse with water or mouthwash (but don't use mouthwash right after brushing)

Dental Floss - The Magical Flossing Wand

The Magical Flossing Wand

Having something stuck in between the teeth is a common enough annoyance.  We’ve all experienced grabbing anything we can find, thin and sharp, in order to push out that offending lump of food. Unfortunately, dental floss is not always something that is carried around and on-hand.

Dental wands, or sticks, are a great  hack for this problem. Wands are easily portable and super convenient. They can reach the awkward hard to floss teeth that are usually the ones annoyingly located in the back of the mouth and hard to reach.  It’s not too fun trying to fit both hands into the mouth trying to floss the back teeth.  

Flossing wands will work magic. Pun intended. They conveniently reach the teeth at the back of the mouth and are great for clearing out plaque, food particles, and bacteria from in between the back molars - the tough to reach spots.

Conclusion 

Flossing and brushing jointly combat tooth decay, bad mouth odours, and tooth discoloration. A good toothbrush and dental floss are a must. Go the extra step and use a flossing wand to target those hard-to-reach teeth. Good oral hygiene is directly tied to how often we brush and floss, as well as how effectively it is done.  It is also the foundation needed to build upon when striving for whiter teeth.

Do not be fooled into thinking that there is a quick fix for having good oral hygiene and whiter teeth. A combination of quality dental hygiene products, reputable teeth whitening kits, as well as daily brushing and flossing, will lead to a whiter and healthier smile.

 

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¹https://www.sunstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sunstar-Global-Healthy-Thinking-Report-2021.pdf
²https://jannalidentalcare.com.au/how-often-do-you-floss/
³https://oralb.com/en-us/oral-health/dental-floss-history/