Facts and Myths About Flossing | Elite Dental Care Tracy
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6 February 2019

Facts and Myths About Flossing | Elite Dental Care Tracy

Brushing our teeth is great but it’s not enough. Did you know that the Bacteria which builds up on teeth make gums prone to infection? Over time, it causes inflammation and the chemicals it releases eat away at the gums and bone structure that hold teeth in place.

The result is severe gum disease, known as periodontitis. That’s not it. Bacteria from gum disease relates to heart problems. It has been proven, there is twice as much possibility that arteries can get calcified, get harden and can result in high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.

Can I prevent this from happening? Yes, dental flossing, it is the only way to remove plaque between your teeth and keep tartar out of these hard-to-reach areas. Dental floss is a thin filament used to remove debris caught between teeth and between teeth and gums. These are the same debris later turns into a sticky, gel-like substance called bacteria.

How to use dental floss?

Flossing is the only effective when you use the proper flossing technique.

1. Wrap roughly 18 inches of floss around the two middle fingers; the remaining floss can be secured around the preferred fingers of the other hand. Hold the floss firmly between your thumbs and forefingers – this will help to free up the thumbs and index fingers, as it is these fingers that will manipulate the floss. Splitting the two tasks—holding and working the string—makes flossing easier to accomplish.

2. The floss should be maneuvered between the teeth with a gentle rubbing motion and curved against one tooth until the floss meets the gum line. Slide the floss gently between the gum and the tooth.

3. The floss should be held firmly against the tooth and rub along the surface of the tooth with a gentle up and down movement. This should be continued until the back side of the last tooth is reached. Follow this process for the remaining teeth.

4. A new section of the floss should be used when plaque builds up on it.

Ideally everyone needs to floss for good oral health however flossing can be tiring for some, dental floss picks have proven best for the ones who are lazy. Its is a small plastic tool with a curved end that holds a piece of dental floss. The other end of a floss pick can be used like a wooden toothpick to remove large food particles that can get caught along the gum line or between the teeth.

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Reaching into the back of the mouth also gets easier with a floss pick especially when you have difficulty using your hands or fingers. If your teeth are tighter together, floss picks may not be the ideal choice and can actually be harder to use, in such cases one should go back to good old ways of flossing. Dental floss picks have proven effective at removing food particles and dangerous plaque between teeth. As plaque builds up on the pick, you will need to use a new one.Hence it is recommended that you buy multiple floss picks as you might need more than one for cleaning all your teeth.

Improper flossing or flossing more than once per 24-hour period has no real benefit. If you floss too vigorously or apply too much pressure on the gums, you can experience gum bleeding followed by pain or vice-versa. Eventually, over-flossing can destroy the gum line, which exposes more of the teeth’s root, eventually causing tooth decay and cavities.

Tooth decay and cavities will lead to costly dental repairs that you definitely want to avoid. Flossing properly just once a day is the best way to ensure you’re taking good care of your teeth and gums. Flossing prevents gingivitis and thus protects teeth from falling out. It helps in preventing heart diseases and results in having a better immune system. Its has very high tensile strength so make sure you do not hurt yourself and don’t hesitate from using it for other household work like hanging a frame or sewing clothes. You might find it hard to believe but it does work for such household works.