Dental Care

A Few Lines About Flossing

Flossing removes plaque and food particles from between teeth and under the gumline - where your toothbrush can't reach. It's a skill that needs to be learned, but it gets easier with practice. These suggestions may help.

• Use about 18 inches of floss, and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the remaining floss around the middle finger of the other hand.
• Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers, with about an inch of floss between them, leaving no slack.
• Use a gentle sawing motion to guide the floss between your teeth. Avoid jerking or snapping the floss in your gums.
• Wrap the floss around your tooth. Once at the gumline, gently scrape the side of the tooth, using an up and down motion.
• Don't forget the back side of your last tooth!