Today we will talk about the ways to use the floss, super floss, interdental brush, dental picks and even the water flosser to help you to clean your teeth and gums better.
Floss
Here are seven secret tips for you to master the floss.
- 1. Remember the floss order? If you fail to plan then you’re planning to fail.
- 2. Think of a sequence you like before you start and take an armโs length of the floss. Or if you want to be exact, it’s 18 inches or 45cm.
- 3. Tie around your forefinger to make sure the remaining floss is taut and narrow.
- 4. Knowing that you’re flossing the teeth not the gums.
- 5. Use your thumb or the middle finger to wiggle finger into the gaps between the teeth.
- 6. Hug the side of the tooth to clean.
- 7. Take the floss out from one side of the tooth and move on to the next tooth.
Gentle reminder to clean all the surfaces of the teeth. If you have 32 teeth then you have 64 sides of teeth to clean. It may seem hard at first but practice makes perfect.
Superfloss
Superfloss functions almost similar to the normal one. The only difference is that it has a stiffer end. Insert stiff and into the gaps which you have especially when you’re having braces on, hugging the c-shape of the tooth up and down giving the tooth a massage but with controlled up and down motion. Take the floss out from one side of the tooth and move on flossing the next tooth.
Dental Picks
Itโs convenient to clean the front teeth even with braces. But it’s a bit hard to clean the back teeth. Slowly wiggle with the floss deep into the gaps and clean the c-shape of the tooth surfaces like using the floss, using up and down motion repeatedly around 10 seconds. After that you move on the next surface of the tooth.
Interdental Brush
Personally I find this useful to clean my teeth braces on as a brush can help me remove any food particles that stuck in between the wires and teeth especially in those small places where the toothbrush and the normal floss canโt get in. So for braces patient during the treatment process the teeth might go from one area to the other area creating gaps in between the teeth. There are different sizes of gaps then you need to choose the correct size of the brush to go into the gaps to clean.
For using the interdental brush I recommend you to reserve two brush to clean. First is straight and second is angled. You reserve straight into the brush for the front. Insert slowly into the gap then apply in-out motion to clean the gaps. Whereas when it comes to back tooth, you use the angled brush like bending around 90 degrees. This will be easier to allow you to go into the back tooth to clean the gaps. If you feel the brush has sprayed then it’s time to change new brush. If you have brackets, the brush will be helpful to clean around the brackets too.
Water Flosser
Water flosser is an alternative when you find normal floss difficult to use. The challenge you might face when using a water flosser could be to position the tip because you need to aim the tip of the water flosser at the gap in between the teeth to clean.
Here are some frequently asked questions.
- When is the best time to floss? The ADA recommends brushing twice a day and floss or using interdental cleaners at least once a day. If you are really busy, try to floss at least once before brushing at night.
- Should I brush or floss first? Either way it’s acceptable as long as you are doing a thorough job! Personally I recommend to floss before brushing to remove any food stuck in between your teeth then you brush the last time to sweep away any remaining food particles.
- Can I rinse and reuse the floss? The ADA does not recommend using the floss more than once. Used floss might fray, lose its effectiveness and may even deposit bacteria in the mouth. Discard them after use.
In the end it still boils down your own personal preferences to choose the most suitable interdental cleaning aid for you. Hope the information will help you in some way.
