How Much Floss Do You Really Need?

Flossing your teeth is important. We all know that, as we have heard it our entire lives. You need to make sure you clean the area between each set of teeth in your mouth to avoid cavities and problems with your gums. However, do you have any idea how much floss is really a good idea to use? Using too little or too much is not going to do you any good.

Using The Right Amount Of Floss Is Important

Most offices, including ours, recommend that you use about 1.5 feet, or around 18 inches, of floss each time you floss. You should wrap the majority of the floss around one index finger, while only wrapping a small bit around the other, leaving about two inches of floss between your fingers. When you push the floss between your teeth, you want to scrape the floss back out while pressing against one tooth of that gap.

Then, you want to advance the floss slightly, and scrape the other tooth of that gap before moving on. Each time you go to scrape a tooth, you want to advance the floss forward slightly. By the time you are done, nearly all of the floss should be on the index finger that had nearly none to start in the first place. This gives you a clean bit of floss for each tooth.

Flossing is a very important part of your oral hygiene routine. You do not want to use just one small bit of floss over and over. What that does is spreads any bacteria in your mouth to other parts of your mouth where it may not have been yet. This can increase your chances of developing gum disease or having tooth decay. For more information on flossing, call our office and schedule an appointment.