Flossing between your teeth once a day is vital for a healthy smile free from plaque and oral debris between the teeth and gums. Along with brushing twice a day for two minutes, as recommended by the American Dental Association—lowers your risk of gum disease and tooth decay harming your smile.
Fortunately, you have a wide variety of interdental flossers on the market available to you, including waxed or unwaxed floss, dental picks, pre-threaded flossers, tiny brushes that reach between the teeth, water flossers, and even wooden plaque removers. Just be sure to choose a product that carries the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance on the packaging. This will ensure that the product is both safe and effective for you, the consumer.
You can floss before you go to sleep, in the middle of the day after you eat lunch, or when you start your day. When you floss isn’t as important as that you floss, once every day to prevent dental plaque and oral debris from building up between your pearly whites.
You can floss before or after you brush, both are acceptable, just be sure to do it. Also, don’t rinse the dental floss strand and reuse it another time. This can transfer oral bacteria, and of course, the strand may break apart and once it frays, doesn’t clean properly.
If you have questions on how to best care for your smile, our dentist, Dr. Stephen Craig Thomas, is happy to help. We invite you to call Carolina Avenue Dental Care in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, at 843-899-5911, and allow our dental professionals to help you keep your smile healthy!