For people who think that flossing isn’t important, let us tell you that it is an integral part of the dental hygiene routine. Apart from a mistake like this, people who floss also end up making mistakes. These mistakes may hurt individuals or may not clean their mouths efficiently. So what are these mistakes that people commonly make and you must avoid? Listed below are six of them.
1) Using a Mouthwash Instead
Although mouthwash is a great way to clean between your teeth and an integral dental care step, it will never replace flossing. A healthy dental hygiene routine should include brushing, flossing, and the use of mouthwash.
2) Taking Too Little Floss
Do you think using less floss during every dental care session will save you a lot of dollars? Think again. When you face dental issues due to poor oral hygiene, you will have to spend more money on various treatments. Therefore, it is essential to use at least 18″ per session so that you can cover the space between each tooth without reusing the thread.
3) Reusing the Floss
Reusing the floss is another way to save a few bucks on the floss. But this is a serious mistake people make. Flossing once removes bacteria from your mouth. When you reuse the same piece of thread (which isn’t clean), you put those bacteria back in your mouth. To avoid this, it is important to use a new area of dental floss for each tooth.
4) Only Flossing When Food is Stuck
If you floss, how often do you do it? Do you floss only when there’s food trapped between your teeth? If yes, then you are making a mistake. The main reason to floss daily is to remove the plaque and tartar that build up between your teeth. Plaque and tartar are the main reasons for most dental issues. So, floss every day irrespective of whether there’s food in the interdental spaces or not.
5) Ignoring Molar
Flossing and overall dental care aren’t meant for your front teeth only. Although it is difficult to clean your teeth at the back, it is even more essential to do so. This is because food can easily get trapped in those teeth and decay there. Hence, most tooth decay and nerve damages happen in your teeth at the back.
6) Incomplete Flossing
A lot of people either floss in an up and down motion or front and back motion. Only doing any one of these is inadequate. Doing any one of these cannot scrape off the plaque and debris from your interdental spaces. When you floss, it is important to follow the natural shape of the tooth. To effectively remove the plaque, you must move the floss up and down first and then back and forth.
It is better to ask questions and clarify doubts than making mistakes. Talk to your dentist to know the right technique of flossing and the right floss to use.
