Brushing your teeth on a consistent twice daily basis is extremely important in providing much needed fluoride to the teeth and removing plaque bacteria sitting on the tooth surface.
Each tooth has 5 surfaces, brushing alone cleans 3 of those surfaces, leaving the areas which touch together full of plaque bacteria and food. Bacteria in the mouth are sticky and generate acid which forms cavities and gum disease.
Making flossing part of your daily oral hygiene regime can be difficult, try to incorporate flossing into the morning and night brushing occasion, but it is not uncommon for people to floss after every meal.
How to floss:
The photo below shows how to floss in 4 simple steps:
1. Cut a 30cm strip on floss and wind around your fingers, securing the string.
2. Hold the floss in order to gently and correctly guide the floss in between the teeth.
3. Guide the floss in between the teeth, taking care not to damage of cut the gums with abrupt movement. Use a slide motion to ensure both side of the teeth are cleaning equally.
4. To clean the ‘neck’ of the tooth, (where the tooth meets the gums), curl the floss into a ‘C’ shape around the tooth.
If you are finding it difficult to fit your fingers in your mouth or manoeuvre the floss around your teeth correctly, there are additional flossing aids such as interdental cleaners, irrigators, interdental tips and flossetts which can additionally be used as a replacement for floss.
If you have braces it is even more important to floss regularly due to the appliances in the mouth collecting and harbouring plaque!
For further information about flossing techniques or teeth cleaning, contact our friendly staff at Concord Dental Practice.
https://www.ada.org.au/Dental-Health-Week/Resources