Tooth brushing is good for cleaning the surface of your teeth, but nothing gets down to the gums like flossing. In a pinch, you can use just about any type of string to floss, including thread, but to get the best results, use real dental floss because it's specially designed to hit all the nooks and crannies between your teeth.
Best Floss
Dental floss now comes in unwaxed, waxed or easy glide, plain and flavored varieties. You can even buy short pieces of floss on little handles so you don't have to wrap it around your fingers. They're all intended to do the same job---to get food particles and plaque from between your teeth. The best floss is whichever type feels most comfortable so you'll keep flossing.
Technique
Take about 16 to 18 inches of floss and wind it from each end around both your middle fingers until only about an inch in the middle is between those fingers. Hold that inch securely using your thumbs and index fingers.
Gently work the floss down between the first two teeth, pushing back and forth as you go if it's a tight fit. Don't force the floss straight down because you could cut your gum. Once you've got the floss down to the gum line, pull it into a C shape around one tooth and scrape it up and down a few times, getting it slightly under the tooth. Then reverse the C and scrape it up and down the tooth on the other side, getting under that tooth as well.
Once you have scraped both sides, move on to the next pair of teeth. Keep unwinding and rewinding the floss to get a fresh piece. You don't want to redistribute plaque from the floss to other teeth.
Routine
It helps to develop a methodical routine, for example, always flossing from right to left along the bottom, then right to left along the top, so you don't miss any teeth. Start wherever it feels natural for you and make it a ritual.
Floss Alternatives
Toothpicks are no substitute for dental floss. They remove food particles, but they're ineffective against plaque because they can't reach all surfaces between your teeth. A better item to use if floss isn't for you is a water pick, or oral irrigator, which flosses with water. But according to most dentists, there's nothing better than plain old dental floss.
Tips
Using a plaque-reducing antiseptic mouth rinse before you brush and floss softens plaque so it's easier to remove, but daily flossing is key to keeping plaque from accumulating. If you notice that your gums look red, feel tender or bleed when you floss, see your dentist right away.
Tags: your teeth, between your, between your teeth, dental floss, plaque from, floss down, food particles