Dental hygiene is important to everyone. If you’ve ever had a serious toothache, or a root-canal, you understand the importance of maintaining your teeth. Other people appreciate your oral care too. Talking to someone with bad breath is an unpleasant experience, we’ve all had at some point. Keeping your mouth and teeth clean will help prevent bad breath, and your friends and family will appreciate it.
One of the ways you can keep your oral hygiene up is to floss. It’s a sometimes unpleasant thing to do, and it can be inconvenient, but it helps to keep food and bacteria out from the space between your teeth and helps prevent gum disease, says Kirkland Dentist Jonathan Everett.
The Importance of Flossing
Brushing your teeth is not enough by itself to keep your mouth completely clean. Bristles on a toothbrush can not get in between your teeth and clean that space effectively. If you’re not flossing, the plaque that is not removed hardens into tartar, which is a hard mineral, and can only be removed with professional cleaning instruments.
With the forming of tartar, gums may swell and begin bleeding when brushed. This bleeding is an early sign of the gum disease called gingivitis.
By flossing, you will better be able to remove the particles that are deposited between your teeth. Dental floss is able to clean the space where toothbrush bristles can not reach and will help reduce the risk of tooth decay and gingivitis.
What is Floss?
Floss is simply a string, which can be made of nylon filaments or plastic mono-filaments. Floss can be either waxed or unwaxed, and some types of floss have flavoring. Adding flavor to floss does nothing more than make the process of flossing your teeth more enjoyable.
There is also no difference in waxed or unwaxed floss. The effectiveness for both is the same, and it simply comes down to personal preference.
What to Look for in A Floss
There are a lot of different types of floss out there. Regardless of whether your prefer waxed or unwaxed, flavored or not, there are a few things that you should be looking for to ensure that you don’t get fleeced by pretenders.
Mainly, you want to be looking for a floss that has the seal of the American Dental Association (ADA). This seal is present on any dental flosses that have been inspected and approved by the ADA for the following reasons:
- Flossing your teeth with this product is more helpful than brushing alone. By brushing and then flossing, you will be able to reduce plaque and slow gingivitis.
- The product is safe to use in your mouth. There is nothing that will cause harm or ill health through the use of the floss.
- A patient who uses the floss in an unsupervised manner will not harm any oral tissue or dental work that has been done in your mouth.
When the ADA assesses floss, it must meet those three criteria in order to receive the ADA seal of approval. Using a floss with this seal means that you know that you are using a product that has been tested and approved by the top authority on dental care.
Pick for Preference
There is no significant difference between flossing products if they have the ADA seal on them. Picking the right floss for you or your family comes down to what is preferred by the person using the floss. If they like using the product, they are more likely to use it. Children may be happier with floss that has a flavor to it, in order to make it more enjoyable for them. Because they are smaller, child-sized floss products may work best.
Others may prefer electric flossers, or a spongier floss that helps people who have braces to floss their teeth properly. For those with gaps in their teeth, dental tape or Super Floss may be another way to go. Disposable floss in measured lengths is another option for people.
Every person is different when it comes to their oral care, and everyone has different preferences. Choosing the right floss for you means that you should try different options, and see which ones suit you the best. There is no right or wrong; there is only a cleaner mouth.
