Dr. Nick Cobb, Dr. Ron Evans and Dr. Julie Foster at Heart of Texas Smiles in Waco, TX, understand how busy you are in the evening. You come home after a full day on the job or taking care of your family and your home and, well, you’re beat. We know—we’re right there with you. Nevertheless, we want to encourage you to take the time for your at-home oral hygiene every night, and that includes flossing. You may think to yourself, “I’m tired, I brushed my teeth, and that’s good enough.”
Trust us, it’s not.
Flossing does more than remove food particles that get stuck between teeth. More importantly, when you floss you remove plaque from the narrow surfaces between each tooth. Plaque is that sticky biofilm that accumulates in your mouth all day every day. If not removed, then this bacteria can adhere to the plaque and eventually cause gum disease. Thus, the importance of flossing cannot be underestimated. So here are some pointers to help you floss correctly.
Floss Well for Your Oral and General Health
The American Dental Hygienists’ Association says proper flossing can be easily remembered with four words: wind, guide, glide and slide.
Wind. Tear off about 18 inches of floss. Then, wind most of the floss around the middle fingers on both hands. Leave about two inches unwound and taut between those fingers. As you progress from one pair of teeth to the next, advance the floss so you’re always flossing with a clean section.
Guide. Grasp those remaining two inches of floss with your forefingers and thumbs and gently guide the floss between your teeth.
Glide. Once you’ve guided the floss into place, gently glide the floss up and down between each pair of teeth. Zigzag the floss back and forth as you move up and down. Press the floss against one tooth and then the other.
Slide. As you lower the floss toward your gum line, slide the floss under the gum line. Be careful not to snap the floss against delicate gum tissue.
Continue to guide, glide and slide until you have flossing between all of your teeth. Don’t forget to floss between your molars, too, where plaque can more easily buildup and decay happens more often.
Call Our Office Today
In addition to your at-home oral hygiene, the dentists at Heart of Texas Smiles in Waco, TX, want to see you and your family members every six months for dental checkups. At these appointments, we’ll be glad to show you exactly how to floss and brush and your teeth for the best results. We also serve patients from the surrounding communities of Hillsboro, West, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson and beyond.