Floss Your Teeth Like a Dental Hygienist

October is National Dental Hygiene Month! Keep your smile healthy and bright by following a proper dental hygiene routine at home. Be sure to include flossing in your daily dental care along brushing at least twice daily. South Tampa Smiles would like to share our expert flossing advice and techniques so our patients have the skills to floss like a pro!

First, make sure you are flossing at least once a day. Another tip is to floss before you brush so the particles and bacteria will be dislodged then brushed away. Either way is acceptable as long as you do a thorough job. Use a longer strand of floss— about 18 inches. Wrap the floss around your two middle fingers, with one of the two fingers having the majority of the floss. Using your two middle fingers will free up your index fingers to use as a guide to floss. Start with the very back tooth and gently slide the floss down to the gum line until you meet some resistance. Move to the opposite side of that tooth and gently slide the floss down in between two teeth and work it up and down several times. As you slide the floss up and down against each tooth, let out a little floss and wrap it around the finger picking up the slack. This way you are using a clean area of floss and don’t transfer the bacteria from tooth to tooth. Repeat until you have reached all areas between your teeth on the top and bottom of your mouth.

Congratulations! You have just gone through all the steps to floss your teeth like a dental hygienist! South Tampa Smiles encourages all of our patients to be knowledgeable about oral health and proper dental care techniques. Contact us at (813) 289 – 0560 to schedule your next dental checkup and cleaning. Our friendly staff is ready to assist you.

Further Reading: Why is Flossing so Important?

Source: ADA.org