How Often Should You Floss?

Many people do not floss regularly, which can lead to cavities and gum disease. Flossing is an important part of proper dental hygiene because it removes plaque from your teeth that brushing does not get. It also helps reduce the risk of bad breath caused by bacteria below the gum line. If you are wondering how often you should floss, the https://www.yelp.ca/biz/braces-haven-ottawa will give you a detailed checklist that tells you exactly when to floss!

The first thing you should do is check your toothbrush. If it seems to be getting a little worn down, you’ll need to replace it soon because an old brush won’t clean as well and will wear out faster!

Once you have a new brush head, make sure that you are brushing twice a day—in the morning after breakfast and at night before bed. You should also use fluoride toothpaste to help protect against cavities by strengthening teeth enamel with calcium phosphate salts found in the product.

In order for flossing to work properly, there needs to be enough space between each of your teeth for dental tape or unwaxed string-style floss (waxed floss can cause pieces of plaque stuck on teeth to become dislodged and get caught in the wax).

Once you have determined that there is enough space, continue to brush your teeth normally. Then, take a piece of floss or dental tape about 18 inches long and wrap it around both of your index fingers (the pointer finger on each hand) so that there are two loops between them. The string should be tight enough so that when you pull outwards with one loop while holding onto the other side, no slack can form in the string. This will ensure cleanliness because if there’s too much slack, plaque could slip off and back into your mouth! Chew up some food before starting this step: whether by chewing gum or eating celery—something sticky works best for getting rid of excess saliva in your mouth.

Push the string between two teeth and slide it into place so that both sides of floss are touching each tooth, near where they come together at the gum line. Next, move one side up and down while you move the other side back and forth to clear out plaque from below the gumline (you may need to also use your toothbrush to scrub the area).

Repeat steps two and four until you have flossed all of your teeth, including those in back. Be sure not to push too hard between tightly-packed teeth as it can injure gums!