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The dreaded question every dentist asks: “Do you floss and how often if you do?”. There is the casual squirming response in the chair and then (most of the time an honest answer) of: “not as often as I should” or “if there’s something stuck”.
Flossing (or some form thereof) is non-negotiable. If you want to clean your teeth properly, you HAVE to floss them. It is the ONLY way for you to remove the plaque from in between your teeth and where the teeth physically touch. In my blog about toothbrushes, I discussed what plaque is and why it is dangerous. A quick recap is that the bacteria that cause gingivitis (gum disease) and tooth decay make up the composition of plaque – hence why you have to remove it.
In actual fact, it is more important to floss than brush your teeth! That is because during the day your cheeks, tongue and lips will clean the outer (smooth) surfaces of the teeth – not as effectively as a toothbrush – but it cleans some plaque off. Nothing can clean between your teeth where they touch except floss.
If your gums bleed when you floss, it is NOT because you are hurting them!!! Bleeding is the body’s way of showing you where you are building up plaque deposits from either not flossing properly or the lack thereof.
In our modern day and age we have various forms of floss available to us! Yay! You have a CHOICE of how to floss! You only need to decide which form of flossing suits you and your lifestyle.
My blog will discuss the different types of floss available to you and/or your children – YES children have to floss!!!! If your child’s teeth touch each other – they need to be flossed! If you would like your children’s dental visits to be happy and uneventful – floss their teeth! You will save yourself lots of money and tears.
You have the following forms of floss available to you:
1. Good ol normal dental tape
2. Flossing sticks
3. Aquaflosser/ Airflosser/ Waterpik
4. Interdental brushes
My absolute favourite floss is Champion Floss from Curaprox. Unfortunately only dentists stock it in South Africa. The reason why I love it so much and why I recommend it to all my patients, is because it is thick, broad and you get 61m of it.
For a dental tape, you want it to be broad. It has a larger cleaning surface area and is easier to control, resulting in less snapping through the teeth and hurting the gums. Thicker floss just works better than the thin thready type – once you try it you’ll feel the difference.
If your dentist doesn’t stock Champion or you run out, a fantastic alternative is Johnson and Johnson’s Expansion Plus. It’s a thicker dental tape and tastes nice. It is available at most shops.
Please remember to always look in the mirror when you floss. Keep the floss parallel to the incisal (chewing) surface of the tooth in order not to cause irreversible damage to the gums. Why you must look in the mirror: 1. To check that your flossing correctly 2. To make sure you floss between ALL your teeth.
If you don’t like flossing or struggle with the art of flossing – here is your solution! Flossing sticks are not as effective as dental tape BUT at least it is cleaning between your teeth and the contact point. Unfortunately it is designed for single use and I haven’t come across an environmentally safe disposable version YET.
Flossing sticks are a great way for kids to floss their own teeth, or for a parent struggling to floss their kids’ teeth with dental tape. PLEASE make sure that you buy the children flossing sticks as they have rounded ends. A normal flossing stick has a sharp end simulating a tooth pick which can be dangerous for children to use.
Let technology work for you! I LOVE the Aquaflossers! For patients with fixed orthodontics ie braces – this is a non-negotiable cleaning tool! The Aquaflosser cleans between your teeth by spraying a strong jet of water in between your teeth. The force is strong enough to clean the contact area, thereby substituting floss. What is also great about the Aquaflosser is that it will help remove plaque that your toothbrush may not have removed. The water jet that is created is quite strong and therefore the products come with different applicator tips or jet modes.
Using an Aquaflosser has one downside: it is messy. Water sprays everywhere as the strong jet of water hits the smooth flat surface of your teeth. I recommend to use it when you’re in the bath or shower – therefore fitting in with your lifestyle if you shower/bath everyday!
Choose an Aquaflosser that is cordless as it is easy to use when in the shower or bath. They charge on a stand using a two point plug. Also you don’t have to use ice cold water – use lukewarm water as to not have sensitivity! You can dilute mouthwash into the canister which will give you an even better clean.
Some feedback I have received from patients is that the Aquapulse flosser starts losing strength after about 2 years of use. I prefer the Sonicare Airflosser as Philips is a great brand with good support.
From the pictures above, it is clear that the anatomy of a tooth changes from the top (coronal) to the bottom (apical). There is a concavity that forms with a “S” shape which most dental flosses can’t reach and clean. One more reason why a thick, broad floss is preferable.
The solution to ridding that concavity of plaque is a FITTED interdental brush. Your dentist MUST help you choose the correct sized interdental brush, otherwise you WILL cause irreversible damage to your gums. The interdental brush should only be used ONCE, yes ONCE, inbetween your teeth. If you do repeated in and out movements, you WILL damage and change the shape of your gums over time by creating dark triangels between your teeth.
An interdental brush does NOT replace flossing or Aquaflossing!!!!
It is an adjunct to your flossing routine.
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