Did you know that the American Dental Association advises you to floss daily in addition to brushing twice a day? This is because brushing your teeth only removes plaque from 60% of your tooth’s surface, while flossing ensures the other 40% gets cleaned as well. In fact, daily flossing ensures that plaque gets removed from hard to reach spots like in between your teeth and along the gum line. In order to floss effectively, be sure to avoid making these common mistakes:
Not Flossing
When it comes to flossing, the biggest mistake people often make is simply not flossing at all or not flossing regularly. With many people living busy lives, it is easy to validate not flossing due to a lack of time. But the truth is that flossing does not take that much time and it can actually save you time spent in the dentist’s chair. By simply flossing once a day you can decrease the risk of requiring restorative dental care in the future.
Flossing Too Much
Although the mistake of flossing too much is not nearly as common as not flossing at all, it can still negatively affect the health of your gums. In fact, flossing too much can actually cause the gums to be inflamed. For this reason, it is not recommended to floss more than once a day.
Missing Spots
In order to get the most out of your flossing routine, you will want to be sure that you are flossing all the areas that need to be flossed. There are some common places that often get missed, such as the sides of the teeth and behind the last molars. Paying special attention to make sure these areas don’t get missed is important to prevent excess plaque from accumulating and hardening into tartar.
Irritating the Gums
Another common mistake people make while flossing is that they end up irritating their gums by accidentally snapping the dental floss into the gums. Unfortunately, this can cause the gums to recede, or pull away from the teeth and can increase the risk of developing gum disease. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to start with the floss by the gums and move in the opposite direction.
Flossing at the Wrong Time
Not only is it important to floss once a day, but it is also important to floss at the right time to get the most benefits. In fact, the best time to floss is actually at night just before you go to bed. This is because saliva production slows down while you are sleeping, meaning that decay causing bacteria can do more damage to your teeth during this time. Therefore, flossing before bed removes excess plaque and bacteria in order to decrease the amount of damage done.
Using the Wrong Type of Floss
Many people don’t know that there are different types of dental floss. Not only are there different types of dental floss, but there are certain types of floss that can work better than others for some people. Therefore, it is important to do some research on what type of floss will work best on your particular smile.
Dr. Chris Vinson and Dr. Kristie Vinson attended the College of Dentistry at The University of Oklahoma. Dr. Chris Vinson has earned a fellowship from the Misch International Implant Institute and a fellowship in International Congress of Oral Implantology. He is also certified to administer Oral and IV sedation to his patients through The Montefiore College of Medicine in New York and is Teeth-Express and Invisalign certified. Dr. Kristie Vinson is trained in sedation dentistry, Botox, and dermal fillers. She received a Fellowship from the Misch International Implant Institute and the Fellowship in International Congress of Oral Implantology. She is also Teeth-Express and Invisalign Certified.
