Many people know what dental floss is but often they ignore its importance in oral hygiene.
Dental floss might be the most important tool for dental hygiene. It can be used to remove the food debris in between the teeth. When we eat and chew food with our teeth, the food debris would accumulate around the teeth and the gum area. A piece of meat might get stuck in between two teeth, and sometimes it might be stuck in the gum pocket. Toothbrush can brush the surface of the teeth but often toothbrush cannot clean the area in between the two teeth and also it cannot clean out the food debris in the gum pocket. That’s why we need to use the dental floss. Dental floss can be inserted in between the gap between the two teeth and clean out the food debris in there.
If the food debris is not removed in time, it will get pushed into the gum pocket and make the gum pocket becoming enlarged. The enlarged gum pocket will in turn make the food debris more easily accumulate in it. This becomes a vicious cycle. Over time, the bacteria in the food debris will cause infection and tooth cavity.
Dental floss can be easy to use. However, at the beginning, a person needs to learn to use it properly and it might take some time to floss all teeth. With some repetitions and practice, it might take only 2-3 minutes to floss every teeth.
Remember, when flossing, it is necessary to insert the dental floss into the gum pocket and gently insert it into the deepest location of the gum pocket in the between the teeth. Sometimes, there is some ginigval bleeding when flossing, and this might indicate the presence of inflammation in the gum. With routine flossing and proper oral hygiene techniques, the gum will become stronger and the gum bleeding will become less and less or no more bleeding.
Dentist recommends flossing every day.
Written by Daniel Tee, DDS, MS
Practicing Dentist Serving Tempe, Chandler, Phoenix, Mesa, and Gilbert Arizona
