What is Dental Floss?
Dental floss is a thin thread or strip used to clean plaque and food residue between teeth. Flossing helps to clean teeth more thoroughly in addition to brushing. Also, flossing is important for gum health because it helps prevent the formation of bacteria that cause gum disease.
What are the Effects of Dental Floss on Dental Health?
Dental floss is an effective method used to protect dental health and prevent gum diseases. They are used to remove plaque and food residues accumulated between teeth that cannot be cleaned with tooth brushing. The effects of dental floss on dental health are as follows:
Removes Plaque and Tartar
Dental floss removes plaque and food residues stuck between teeth. It reduces plaque accumulation by cleaning areas that are difficult to reach with a toothbrush. Plaque is a sticky layer where bacteria accumulate and cause gum disease to begin. Cleaning between teeth using dental floss helps prevent gum disease by preventing plaque formation.
Protects Gum Health
Dental floss helps keep gums healthy. The main cause of gum disease is the plaque that accumulates between the teeth. Plaque buildup can lead to irritation, redness, and swelling of the gums. Over time, gum disease can progress and cause gum recessions, tooth loss, and other serious problems. Regularly cleaning between teeth using dental floss helps keep gums healthy and prevent gum disease.
Prevents Tooth Decay
Dental floss helps reduce the formation of dental caries. Food scraps left between the teeth provide an environment for bacteria to grow and form acid. These acids can weaken tooth enamel, leading to cavities. Cleaning food residues between teeth using dental floss reduces the risk of caries by reducing acid formation.
Prevents Bad Breath Occurrence
Dental floss helps to clean food residues that cause bad odor in the mouth. Plaque and food residues accumulating between the teeth can lead to the growth of bacteria and the formation of bad odor. Cleaning these residues using dental floss helps prevent bad breath.
How To Use Dental Floss?
Dental floss is used to remove plaque and debris from between your teeth. The steps for flossing are as follows:
Take a floss about 45 cm long. Wrap it around your fingers, leaving a gap of 5 centimeters, provided that it is not too tight. More than one floss should not be wrapped around a finger.
Tie a loose knot at the end of the string or wrap it between two fingers. This will prevent the rope from slipping.
Place the floss between your two thumbs. Bring your thumbs closer together, about 2-3 cm apart.
Gently move the floss between your teeth. Be careful not to push too hard and not to break the floss, so as not to damage your gums or teeth.
Allow the floss to curl slightly as you move it back and forth between your teeth. This helps to better remove plaque and debris.
After cleaning between each tooth, remove the floss and use a clean side of the floss to move between the next tooth.
When flossing is complete, complete oral hygiene by brushing your teeth thoroughly and gargling with mouthwash.
It may take some time to get used to flossing. Use a clean portion of floss to use between each tooth. Reusing a dirty section can increase the risk of infection.
You can contact your dentist to learn more about flossing.