What is good about flossing and why dentist ask us to floss?!


Question: What is good about flossing and why dentist ask us to floss?
Before this i never floss never even know whats that. (that was few months ago)
i been to dentist and she said i need to floss at my wisdom tooth that area.
and she said coz there is going to be a hole or something.

and next week. im going for braces and i wanna clean all my teeth for this week before going there.
im pretty scared because i heard they will pull wisdom tooth :(

what is the purpose of flossing anyway? i bought the floss but i never use it coz i dont know how. xD

Answers:

Hello
my dentist always says to me only floss the teeth you want to keep. When you brush your teeth you can only clean the surfaces that are exposed. The toothbrush cannot clean the gaps in between the teeth as they are normally too tight to get the bristles into them. Flossing is like string and can go between the teeth and clean food out and bacteria and stop tooth decay . I have to floss my teeth as I always have food stuck in them. The food would rot and cause gum infections and tooth decay if I did not floss.Flossing keeps your teeth and gums healthy. If you do not floss plaque builds up and then turns into hard tartar which cause gum disease and tooth decay. I now use Crest Glide floss as it does not break or shred like normal floss. I used to use normal floss until it broke and got stuck in my teeth. Had to get it removed at the dentists and it took half an hour. My dentist highly recommends Crest Glide Floss.

My husband does not floss and his teeth are fine. But I floss about 5 times a week as I have gappy and wonky teeth where food always gets trapped. Flossing my teeth makes my mouth feel cleaner and healthier too.

How to floss guide below

People employ a variety of techniques for flossing their teeth but the following steps will guarantee maximum flossing effectiveness:

* Choose your preferred dental floss.
* Unwind about 16 inches (or 40 cm) of dental floss.
* Take hold of one end of the floss and wind it around the middle finger of your left hand and the other end around the middle finger on your right hand. If you prefer, wrap the floss around the index fingers on each hand.
* Take hold of the dental floss between thumb and finger and ensure that you have a taut one inch length of floss between both of your hands.
* Slide the dental floss in between your teeth. If you prefer to use an aid, e.g. flossing holder then insert this instead.
* Hold the floss firmly against a tooth and rub it against the tooth in a series of up and down movements. Be careful not to rub too forcefully as this may snap the floss or injure your gums.
* Make sure that you include the gum line as well.
* Repeat this process for all of your teeth and include the backside of your teeth as well. Use a new part of the floss for every tooth.
* Try and get into a rhythm with this: start with the top part of your mouth and work from left to right. Then repeat this for the bottom part of your mouth.
* Rinse out your mouth with water or a mouthwash to remove dislodged food debris.
* If you notice any problem with this, for example the floss becomes lodged between your teeth but it shouldn’t then visit your dentist.


Hope that helps and good luck with getting your braces fitted

myself as I floss all the time



Basically food and the like can get stuck in between your teeth, where a toothbrush cant get at it (too tight).
Floss acts as a tiny string which you can wedge between your teeth to force waste out (which easily cause tooth-decay otherwise).

If you rarely, or never floss, it's common for your gums to be weak and bleed easily.



if you have a good toothbrush at a high quality (Oral-b pro-health cross action) toothbrush

there is no need for flossing, unless you want too



We all know that we should floss our teeth at least once a day, but how many of us really understand the range of flossing benefits? Using dental floss not only prevents tooth decay between our teeth, but it also plays a role in preventing gum disease, guarding against bad breath, and keeping our teeth clean and healthy looking. It is an integral part of good oral hygiene that many of us don't pay enough attention to.

One of the most obvious benefits of flossing is that it enables us to remove large particles of food from between the teeth. Have you ever gotten a bit of popcorn or a stringy piece of orange caught between your teeth? It can be stuck fast and seem impossible to remove. If you worry at it with the tip of your tongue, you can make you tongue quite sore - or you can get a piece of dental floss and easily remove it, proving one of the great flossing benefits - comfort.

Those same chunks of food caught between the teeth (and many are not as obvious as things like popcorn - they can go unnoticed) can foster tooth decay. When food is left in contact with the tooth surface, cavities can begin to form. It's a good idea to prevent this by using dental floss daily to remove the undetected trapped food. Flossing benefits the gums similarly, by removing trapped food that might contribute to gum disease.

The key factor in bad breath is bacteria - bacteria that can live in the spaces between the teeth and use trapped food particles as a food supply themselves. Flossing benefits your breath by limiting the food supply of these organisms and dislodging many of those that do get established. These bacteria can also play a role in inflammation of the gums, and eventual gum disease. Then gums begin to recede and pull away from the teeth, bacteria get into the little pockets that are formed and proliferate, making the situation worse. When you consider this unpleasant scenario, the benefits of flossing clearly outweigh any inconvenience.

And don't forget, we all get food lodged in visible places from time to time. No one likes to discover that there is a chunk of spinach stuck between two front teeth where everyone can see it every time you smile. One of the nice things about dental floss is that it comes in very small portable packages, so you can cash in on the benefits of flossing any time, anywhere, and always have a perfect smile.

R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. She is a contributing editor to Flossing Benefits, a blog dedicated to the treatment of bad breath.




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