Flossing Hurts?!
Question: I find that flossing kind of hurts my gums. Anyone else feel it is a pain kind of?
Answers: I find that flossing kind of hurts my gums. Anyone else feel it is a pain kind of?
First you should start fresh with a good cleaning. It hurts when you floss because your gums are unhappy. Most people don't realize there are two parts to flossing. First, you want to break through the contact where the teeth touch each other--this is flossing your teeth. BUT, while you are in that space in between your teeth, you need to take the floss under your gums. Slide it up and down along each tooth in that space. Make sure to come up over your gums to do the adjacent tooth. If you cut across, it will hurt. Go down as far as you can under the gums. If it hurts like a razor--you went to far. It's not uncommon for this technique to be tender the first few times but as your gums heal, they will be less tender, more pink, and not bleed. Bacteria gets under the gums and forms little colonies or cities under there. If they are left undisturbed they grow and become destructive and will eventually produce a toxin or poison that eats the bone away, leading to tooth loss. When you get in there and keep those colonies stirred up every day, they can't organize and become destructive. Flossing is awkward at first but the more you do it, the more familiar you will become with your mouth and what angles to get in the easiest. Soon you won't need a mirror and can do it while watching TV. You can also try a Reach Access Flosser. It's on a handle and you can floss one handed with no spit on your fingers! They are great for new flossers until they get a grip on the concept. Good luck and good for you for wanting to know how to keep your mouth healthy. Doing this as often as you can (ideally once a day) GREATLY improves your chances of keeping your teeth your whole life.
That usually means your gums are unhealthy. Are they bleeding too? Usually the healthier your gums are the less the floss hurts. You may need to see a dentist for cleaning and laser treatment.
That means you have gingivitis. Go get your teeth cleaned.
usually when they bleed that means there unhealthy but keep flossing and rinse with warm salt water afterwords. and it should start to get better.but i would make an appointment with my dentist to have them cleaned.