Dental care is essential just as we take care of other body parts. It is always recommended to brush your teeth two times a day. But, is that enough? The toothbrush bristles cannot always clean between the crevices of your teeth which may lead to the accumulation of foodstuffs and in a long run may cause cavities to develop. Dental flossing regularly will help you get rid of the foodstuffs and bacterial build-up between the gaps of your teeth and help prevent cavities. Most people either forget about flossing or put it low on their list of priorities because they are unaware of the importance or unsure how to do it correctly.
Dental floss is a tool you should use daily to remove food and bacteria build-up from in between your teeth. Floss is commonly made up of nylon or plastic and is a thin thread that you place between your teeth and pull in order to clean the gaps. As you pull the thread, you remove all the foodstuffs and debris. Home remedies for common dental problems >>
TYPES OF DENTAL FLOSS: The dental care aisle is filled with many types of floss. You can get most of them at your local super market or drugstore. Although each kind of dental flosses some type of thread or ribbon, there are differences in materials and packing.
- WAXED FLOSS: It is a traditional string- nylon waxed monofilament floss and is also available coated in PTFE and it does not fray! This is a onetime use floss and needs to disposed off.
- UNWAXED FLOSS: This floss is similar to the one described above but the only difference is that it is not waxed. This too is a disposable one.
- DENTAL TAPE: It is waxed disposable floss that has a wider and flatter design to the conventional floss. This is ideal for first time users as it won’t cut the gums due to harsh flossing.
- TUFTED/BRAIDED DENTAL FLOSS/SUPER FLOSS: It is regular diameter floss with wider tufted portion which looks like a yarn string. Tip of product also resembles a threader.
- FLOSS WITH HOLDER OR DENTAL FLOSS STICKS: It contains dental floss which is secured and hold taut in a handle with F and Y shaped prongs. It can be used for a number of times, but the floss needs to be changed after each use.
- FLOSS THREADER: It is a nylon loop designed to resemble a needle with large opening to thread floss. Tip of floss threader inserted and pulled through the space between two teeth to allow cleaning of the teeth sides.
- POWER FLOSSERS: These types of flossers have a bow type tip and a single filament nylon tip.
HOW TO DENTAL FLOSS: To receive maximum benefits from flossing, use the following proper technique:
- Starting with about 18 inches of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with
- Holding the floss tautly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth
- Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath the gumline
- Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth
- To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth
LIST OF BEST DENTAL FLOSSES IN INDIA:
- Colgate total dental floss- INR 74
- Trisa dental floss- INR 342
- Oral B essential floss waxed dental floss- INR 127
- Tepe mini flosser- INR 890
- Glide pro-health for life smooth mint floss 35 meters- INR 250
Add flossing to your daily routine and you’ll experience a cleaner, healthier smile. Happy flossing.