Flossing should never be painful. If you floss too hard, you could damage the tissue between your teeth. However, if you’re too gentle, you might not be removing the food from your teeth. Floss removes food trapped between the teeth and removes the film of bacteria that forms there before it has a chance to harden to plaque. Plaque buildup causes gingivitis, which can lead to a more serious form of periodontal disease. Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro can’t monitor how often you floss (once a day) but he can give you some flossing tips to utilize the next time you get the job done.
- Starting with about 18 inches of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.
- Holding the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth.
- · Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath the gum line. Never force the floss, as this may cut or bruise delicate gum tissue.
- Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
- To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.
If you have further questions regarding your oral hygiene routine, give us a call. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS in our New York, NY office, give us a call at 212-988-1089 or visit our website, www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information about the services we provide.
