A healthy smile begins with the basics. A healthy foundation born of daily oral hygiene habits include brushing at least twice each day and flossing at least once daily to help you create the healthy smile you deserve. These are essential if you want to avoid cavities and gum disease.
You can floss your teeth before or after you brush, whenever you choose to do it, be sure to rinse thoroughly to remove all loosened oral debris. Many patients choose to floss at the end of the day before bedtime no more eating will be done for the day. You want to remove the food particles and bacterial plaque from between the teeth where a toothbrush cannot reach. Let’s take a look at some of the flossing basics for your smile:
- First, if you are using dental wax or floss to floss your pearly whites, take out an 18″ strip from your floss dispenser.
- Next, wind this section of floss around the middle fingers of both of your hands, leaving a 1-inch piece open to floss with.
- Start by flossing your top teeth. Push the floss string gently between the teeth using your index fingers.
- Slide the floss string up and down, holding it against the tooth. Move the floss up and around your gum line, creating a C-shape around each tooth with the floss.
- Don’t forget to floss behind the back of the teeth and in between each tooth.
- You want to use a clean section of the floss for each tooth–winding the used floss around your fingers until all of your teeth are clean.
After you have cleaned your teeth, you may rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash to kill any harmful bacteria lingering in the mouth which could cause plaque and gum disease. We recommend using a fluoride rinse if you are cavity prone.
Along with your daily oral hygiene practice, see your dentist every six months for checkups and cleanings to keep your smile in tip top condition. To schedule your next visit, please give our Creekside Dental Ellensburg team a call at 509-933-4800. Dr. Forrest Packard and our team in Ellensburg, Washington, are here to help you maintain your healthy smile!