How Often Should You Be Flossing?

Dental hygiene is critical for adults and children. Even when they’re diligently brushing their teeth twice a day, most people are still skipping the flossing part. Skipping the floss is easy, especially when you’re feeling tired after a long day at work. How often should you floss? Your local Fuquay-Varina dentist would advise that flossing and brushing twice a day is of the utmost importance. Read on to learn more about the benefits of flossing as well as how to find the right floss for you.

Flossing Helps you Take Better Care of your Teeth

Since taking care of your teeth is critical, you want to ensure that you’re practicing good oral care. Flossing goes in hand with brushing. The two steps help keep your teeth and gums in healthy shape while maintaining them from home.

What are the Benefits of Flossing Regularly?

There are quite a few benefits to flossing regularly, including:

• When you floss your teeth every day, it leads to healthier teeth and gums.
• Floss helps remove plaque build-up that a toothbrush may not be able to reach and decrease inflammation.
• Flossing removes excess food and residue.
• Flossing reduces bleeding gums, which is usually due to inflammation due to plaque build-up.
• Flossing your teeth and gums helps prevent gum diseases like gingivitis.

Are All Dental Floss the Same? How Do You Choose?

Not all dental floss is created the same. Yes, dental floss is designed to get in between the teeth and get any debris out from the gums and teeth. Still, not all floss is the same.

The typical types of dental floss are:

• Unwaxed floss – The unwaxed dental floss can sometimes fray as you use it. Unwaxed dental floss is usually more affordable than the waxed version.
• Waxed dental floss – Waxed dental floss has a wax coating that prevents the fiber from splitting as you use the string. The waxed floss is more robust than the unwaxed counterpart.
• Dental tape – The dental tape variant of floss is thicker and flatter than regular floss. It is a good option for teeth with wider gaps.

Contact Our Fuquay-Varina Dentist Today for a Checkup

When our teeth are in great shape, it boosts confidence and helps give us a beautiful smile. In 2019, more than 64% of adults 18 and older visited the dentist for dental problems, and if you want to avoid adding to this year’s statistic, you should make sure that you’re flossing. For help with flossing or to schedule a regular cleaning, call us at (919) 552-2431 or fill out our appointment request form.