Flossing is an integral part of any oral hygiene routine, yet often gets overlooked. How many of you have skipped the flossing from time to time? 

There can be an art to flossing in order to ensure it’s as effective as intended. So today, we’ll be going through everything you need to know about flossing your teeth and how to do so effectively. 

Why do you have to floss your teeth? 

Flossing comes with a myriad of benefits for your overall dental health, here are just a few reasons why you should floss: 

• Those bits between your teeth count for 40% of the surface area of your teeth. So, if you’re not flossing you’re missing out on all those areas which makes you a prime candidate for gum disease
• It helps to prevent gum disease 
• It can improve your overall dental health 
• It’s been known to benefit your overall health. Studies have shown that those that have better oral health are less likely to develop other illnesses such as heart disease 

How often should you floss your teeth?

You should be flossing at least once per day and flossing should be an essential part of your three-step daily dental care routine; brush, floss, rinse. We recommend flossing at night as it’ll help you to get rid of any minute pieces of food that may still be in there after a day of eating. 

Should you floss or brush your teeth first?

This question can leave a lot of people divided. Many people opt for flossing after they’ve brushed their teeth while others prefer to floss first to loosen any food particles and then brush afterwards. However, this begs the question… what if you brush after flossing and the food particles end up being trapped in between your teeth again. 

The truth is, there’s no recommended order to do it and it’s entirely up to you. As long as you are flossing then that should suffice enough for your dental health. 

How to floss your teeth properly? 

Now to get to the nitty-gritty of things. Flossing can be somewhat of an art, especially if you’re not familiar with it and it’s been something you’ve been neglecting as part of your dental routine. 

The NHS recommends using interdental brushes daily, but they acknowledge that these don’t work for some people and as such, flossing is a great alternative. When flossing, you should tear off a long piece of floss (around 45cm) to work with and for each tooth move slightly further down the piece of floss. 

To floss, hold a section taught between your thumbs and fingers and leave around an inch of floss to clean your teeth with. 

Gently use a rocking motion to slide the floss between the teeth and remove any bits of excess food. As you reach the gum line, you should begin to curve the floss around the tooth snugly so that there’s some resistance and then scrape the floss upwards, away from the gumline to adequately clean your tooth. 

How to floss your back teeth?

Getting to the back of your teeth can be a little difficult, especially if your jaw is misaligned. However, it’s not impossible. All you need to do is ensure you have extra floss (so more than the 2.5cm we mentioned earlier) and curve it around your back teeth before scraping upwards. 

You might also want to consider using different flossing tools. You can buy the small plastic flossers which are already nice and taught for you meaning you don’t have to deal with that step and you can easily access your back molars. You can also invest in an electric flosser that has a long nozzle that allows you to access the back of your mouth with ease. 

What if you can’t floss between two teeth?

Generally speaking, your dental floss should easily fit between the small gaps in your teeth. If you have teeth that are really close together or that are overlapping slightly, you could try flossing tape as it’s much thinner than traditional dental floss; Oral B Satin Tape is a great option. 

Sometimes, your teeth might just be a little too close together. Don’t force the floss but apply added pressure in a downwards rocking motion until the floss works through. 

Do you need to floss all your teeth?

In short, the answer to this is yes. You wouldn’t just brush some of your teeth, would you? And things like tooth decay can spread, so by neglecting just one of two of your teeth you could potentially be causing a lot of dental harm to your mouth in the long run. 

Does flossing create gaps in the teeth?

No, but if you don’t floss correctly it might seem like there are gaps if you cut your gums, for example. If you cut your gums they may eventually begin to recede which creates the appearance of gaps. So, you must follow the steps we outline above for flossing correctly to prevent any damage to your gums. 

Can you get food out of your teeth without floss?

Sometimes you might be able to, but it depends how stuck in there the food is. If you’ve ever indulged in corn on the cob you likely know the feeling of having something too large stuck between your teeth. However, some food particles aren’t so noticeable so you might think you can get away without flossing. This is a mistake though and the only way to ensure all traces of food are removed from your mouth is to ensure you floss (and rinse afterwards, too). 

When do you start flossing a child’s teeth?

Although you may consider not encouraging your child to floss early as they ultimately lose their milk teeth, a child should start flossing as soon as any two of their teeth are touching. Remember that not flossing can lead to decay and gum disease or inflamed gums so it’s important to start early. The NHS recommends flossing from age 12. However, we encourage starting earlier as it gets them into a solid oral hygiene routine.  

Why might your teeth smell bad when you floss?

If you’ve never flossed, or floss rarely, you may have noticed a putrid smell after flossing the first time and be wondering what that is. It’s actually food beginning to rot and bacteria growth. And if that’s not a good enough excuse to make you want to floss more frequently, we don’t know what is. 

Can you over floss your teeth?

Just like you can overbrush, you can over floss too and cause significant irritation or damage to your gums. We don’t mean you can floss too frequently, but you can floss incorrectly which causes damage. If your gums bleed when flossing, it’s not usually from overflossing, it’s usually because they’ve become inflamed or it could be the early signs of gum disease. As you continue to floss over time, this issue will subside. 

Hopefully, you’ll now be fully equipped with everything you need to know about flossing and how you can do it effectively and simply. Remember flossing is an integral part of your dental care routine and contributes to stronger and healthier teeth.