Hygiene Basics: Flossing 101

Cliché as it may be, a dental hygienist is always going to nag you about your flossing habits and technique.  This is because proper flossing removes plaque and food debris in places where a toothbrush cannot easily reach — under the gum line and between your teeth.

Here are a few tips to make the arduous process of flossing a little bit easier.

First, start with about 15-18 inches of floss.

Then, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work between the teeth.  Anchoring the floss around the middle fingers allows our most dexterous fingers, the thumb and index finger, free to do most of the maneuvering.

Next, hold the floss taut between your thumbs and index fingers and move it back and forth until it moves gently between your teeth.

The key to great flossing is curving the floss around the tooth, like a C, and make sure you slide beneath the gum line.

Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.

Finally, to remove the floss, use the same back and forth motion to move through the contact of the teeth, or you can simply let one finger free of the floss and pull the floss through the space.

Click here to view Colgate's educational video of proper flossing technique.

Manual verses Powered Toothbrushes

Have you ever wondered if springing for the more expensive toothbrush was worth it?

In addition to things like brushing time and technique, experts believe that the type of toothbrush you use can directly affect your plaque removal.

According to a 2005 independent study (The Cochrane Review), “there was a wide range in plaque and gingivitis reduction among the powered toothbrushes.”

The difference in plaque removal and gingivitis:

The most effective toothbrush for the removal of plaque and the reduction of gingivitis was the rotation-oscillation rechargeable brush. It reduced plaque by 7% and gingivitis by 17% in both short-term and long-term use as compared to a manual toothbrush.

Other features of powered toothbrushes make them beneficial. Additional features are:

• Brush modes for sensitive teeth or gum massage
• Pressure sensors to signal when brushing too hard
• Quadrant timers
• Power-off once brushing is complete
• Variety of brush heads and brush action (sonic or oscillation)
• Reminders to replace your brush hea

Hygiene Basics: Brushing 101

Let me tell you that the proper brushing technique is not using a death grip on your toothbrush then sawing back and forth for thirty seconds.

What, then, is the right way to brush?

First, you need to angle the toothbrush bristles at a 45° angle against the gum line.

Then you sweep or roll the brush away from the gum line.

Brush the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of each tooth-using short, gentle strokes. Pay extra attention to the gum line, hard to reach back teeth, especially wisdom teeth or crowns.

Proper brushing technique takes at least two minutes.  

For fresher breath, be sure to brush your tongue too. Start and the base of the tongue, in the back of the mouth, and use three or four downward strokes. 

Click here to view Colgate's educational video of proper brushing technique.