Human teeth are naturally quite robust, but without due care our modern diets will break them down. They are essentially attacked every day with sugars, acids, and abrasives, and while we have to eat and drink to survive, we also have a duty to limit the damage to our teeth as much as possible. Fortunately, there are lots of actions we can take and products we can use to do this.
Visiting the dentist at least once per year minimum and brushing twice a day both help to preserve our teeth, and daily flossing is also essential as it removes things from the spots that our brush cannot reach. That said, flossing can actually be harmful to our teeth and gums if it is not done properly. It is important to avoid mistakes when we do it.
This article explores some common flossing mistakes and discusses how to avoid them.
1. Flossing too hard
Some people have a particular feeling in their mouth that they associate with successful flossing, and they won’t stop until they’ve achieved it. This can end up being harmful, as they try to use the floss to roughly scrub between their teeth until they feel satisfyingly clean. This is often how it feels when the dentist flosses your teeth after you’ve had work done.
However, when dentists do it they are often using a special type of floss, such as Gorilla Floss. This is thicker than the stuff you buy in the shops, and they use it because they need to check that there is the right amount of space between your teeth. This type of floss is not to be used frequently. The important thing about flossing is to do it daily, not to make your mouth feel a certain way. Be gentle, and never let your gums bleed.
2. Flossing too fast
Few people enjoy flossing. Although preferable to gum disease, it is boring and can seem to take forever. However, you should avoid the temptation to rush it. Whizzing the string back and forth between your teeth could result in accidental gum damage.
For the best results, you need to spend a few seconds on each side of your teeth. The total time it takes should be around two minutes.
3. Not flossing every tooth
Left to right, top to bottom – there are many different orders in which you can floss your teeth. However, it doesn’t matter which one you use so long as you floss all of them.
You might wonder why the back ones need flossing since they don’t have another tooth next to them. The answer is that they can be tricky to reach with a brush, so flossing them makes sure that all the harmful bacteria has been removed.
4. Flossing too often
Our gums are not designed to frequently come into contact with objects. Flossing or brushing too often can irritate or damage them. More is not necessarily better and flossing once per day as recommended is fine.
Conclusion
Flossing is essential to preserving our teeth and making them last a lifetime, but if we’re not careful it can do more harm than good. Avoid these common mistakes to ensure you are caring for your teeth well.
