Do you use dental floss?
Using dental floss in our daily oral cleaning routine is essential for keeping teeth and gums healthy. Using floss properly lets us remove plaque and food debris from places the brush cannot reach: below the gum and between the teeth.
It is important to use dental floss at least once a day. Choose whichever time of day suits you best, although it is usually recommended to do it before going to bed. There are various theories about whether it is better to floss before or after brushing, but more than the moment, what really matters is using it .
In favour of flossing before brushing , it isusually said that this allows the toothpaste to reach every area during brushing, even those we would not otherwise reach, and that by loosening plaque and bacteria beforehand, the brush will then remove them.
On the other hand, in favour of flossing after brushing , the argumentis that it complements the toothbrush in our daily routine, so using it afterwards reinforces the cleaning by removing the plaque the brush could not shift.
How to use it
Whether before or after the toothbrush, the right thing is to use dental floss every time we clean our teeth. If that is not possible, it is generally recommended to do it at least once a day (preferably before going to bed).
To use it correctly, the steps are as follows:
- Cut about 40 to 50 cm of dentalfloss and wind most of it around your ring fingers, leaving about 4 or 5 centimetres free.
- Hold the floss between your thumbs and index fingers and, keeping it taut, slide it gently up and down between your teeth.
- Curve the floss very gently around the base of each tooth, going below the gum (never forcing the floss , so as notto damage the gum).
- Remove the floss gently, with back-and-forth movements, to clean the teeth properly.
- Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
It is important that when we use dental floss we do so correctly and gently. Using it incorrectly can mean plaque is not properly removed and can even injure our gums.
Our recommendation is that you choose the floss that best suits your needs and make this task part of your daily routine… your smile will thank you for it!
