Just as Fergie sings in her hit single ‘Glamorous’, ‘For the glamorous, oh the flossy flossy’, at ProudSmile, we also love to wax lyrical about the benefits of flossing for your oral hygiene and dental health.
In recent years, ‘floss’ has also become a popular dance move with tweens, but today, let’s work our way around the different flossing methods that you can choose from, and why they might suit your teeth and lifestyle best.
Remember – daily flossing is a must, but there’s more than one way to get the job done!
Traditional Dental Floss
The classic string dental floss gets that interdental clean done well, and it’s been doing so for a very long time! The first dental floss was invented in 1819 by a dentist from New Orleans, who recognised that just a little something extra was required in order to properly remove build-up between the teeth that cause decay.
Today, you can get all different types of dental floss to suit your preferences and taste – you might prefer the classic thinner string, waxed or unwaxed, mint flavoured or thicker width. The secret to good flossing is making sure you not only get in between the tight tooth crevices but also work the string high up enough into the edges of the gums.
For many people, traditional floss is a must, disposable, convenient and dentist-recommended, but read on to find other floss options that are out there.
Water Flossing
In recent years, water flossing machines have become increasingly popular on the market, but are they worth the hype?
Also known by the more serious term ‘oral irrigator’, a water flosser is an electric device that shoots a small, thin stream of water from the tip of the head in between your teeth with a burst of pressure, pushing away food debris for you to easily rinse.
Before you go running out to score yourself one – it’s believed that a water flosser doesn’t do the same action of scraping down across and in between the tooth as more traditional string floss does. It’s also difficult to manoeuvre the water up around the gum – this means you might miss some debris. But never fear – if you love your water flosser, it can be used in conjunction to clear out bigger missed food particles before you go in for the detail job with standard floss.
Floss Picks and ‘Reach’ Handles
Spotted those cute little disposable floss picks in the supermarket? Bringing a contemporary shape to the classic string floss, these floss picks allow you to easily get the floss into those back teeth or upper molars that can be hard to floss with a length of string.
With the floss always taut and poised for flossing readiness, it’s the perfect way to floss on the go in between meals, to keep at work or even in the car.
If you still find yourself needing a little extra handle length, some brands even offer long handles (similar to the length of a toothbrush) with a handy floss pick head, making flossing a breeze.
At ProudSmile, we want every client to feel comfortable and knowledgeable about caring for their teeth. If you’d like to work out how to step up your dental hygiene game and get some expert advice with a friendly smile, visit us today.
