The dentists and hygienists at Pro Health Dental know just how important it is for you to floss like a professional.

No individual can duplicate the level of cleaning that a dental hygienist can provide, because she has the tools, techniques, and experience to be able to reach everywhere in the mouth and to even inject antibiotic pellets or a solution to stop periodontal infection. Be sure you have this done at least twice a year.

Good Cleaning Habits Improve Your Treatment Results

But ideally you make their work easier by brushing after breakfast for two minutes (in part to remove the bacteria that collects in the mouth while you sleep) and then after your last snack at night, when you also floss.

Late at night it is tempting to rush through flossing, which is not as easy to do as brushing. It is important to scrape the sides of both teeth and beneath the gums at least once, twice if needed, not just rush the string between the teeth. If your efforts cause bleeding, that is gingivitis, the initial stage of what can become periodontal disease or periodontitis. That can ultimately lead to the gums pulling away their support from the teeth, leading them to fall out or need to be extracted.

Another technique that is often not done is to move a fresh part of the string to each area you floss. Otherwise, you can simply be transferring the sticky bacterial plaque that has formed around food particles (because they were not cleaned off earlier) from one area to the other.

If your teeth are crowded and it is hard to fit the string between them, use one with a thinner string or that is waxed.

Cleaning Difficult-to-Reach Spaces

What if you still see particles in hard-to-clean spaces and around dental bridges? Use a small-bristle interdental brush, a water flosser, or pre-threaded floss that has a stiff point that can be inserted in a tight space.

Also, don’t neglect the rear of the back molars, which are very difficult to clean and it is easy for plaque to not only accumulate, but if not removed, where it will harden into tartar that only a hygienist can clean off.

And do not forget to brush and floss around your braces and dental restorations, like crowns, implants, and dentures.