How to Floss Your Teeth Properly (2024)

Keeping your smile at its best means maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Flossing is an important part of a good oral hygiene routine, removing food particles and the sticky film of plaque that brushing leaves behind.

Brushing is great for the surfaces of your teeth, but flossing gets in the tight spaces between the teeth. Flossing the right way will maximize how much debris you remove, and avoid damaging your delicate gums. It could help you avoid costly and uncomfortable dental procedures.

Step-by-Step Guide

Flossing is simple and quick, and if you follow a step-by-step method, you'll be doing your teeth a favor. Here's how to floss, according to the American Dental Association (ADA):

1. Cut enough floss. Pull an 18- to 24-inch strand of floss from the container. Wrap most of it around one middle finger and the rest around the middle finger of your other hand, leaving a couple of inches of floss loose between them.
2. Hold the floss taut. Grasp the ends of the loose floss by your thumbs and index fingers and pull it tight.
3. Start at the base of the tooth. Gently lower the floss to the gum line between two teeth. Make a "C" shape with the floss so that it curves around one of the teeth. Glide it back and forth between the tooth and under the movable part of the gum. Don't force it.
4. Floss the sides of the tooth. Slide the floss up and down the side of one tooth, wiping away debris, then do the other tooth.
5. Repeat for every tooth. Use a fresh section of floss for each tooth, wrapping the used portion around one of your middle fingers like spooling thread. Don't forget your back teeth.

Pro tip: Do not "snap" the floss sharply to reach the gum line; remember to floss gently. You can damage your gums if you go at it too hard.

The Best Way to Floss With Braces

If you wear braces, you have an extra challenge when it comes to flossing thoroughly, but it can be done. It's mostly the same steps as without braces, but there are some differences, as follows:

1. Cut about 18 to 24 inches of floss. Wrap most of it around one middle finger and much of the rest around the middle finger of the other hand. Leave about 2 inches of floss free between your fingers.
2. Thread the floss behind the main wire of your braces. Slide it gently down to the base of one tooth and curve the floss around it in a "C." Slide the floss back and forth, going gently below the gum line.
3. Floss the sides of your teeth. Use an up-and-down motion.
4. Pull the floss out carefully. Go slowly around the wire so the floss doesn't get caught.
5. Use a fresh section of floss for each tooth.

Pro tips:

• Waxed floss slides more easily than unwaxed.
• Floss threaders can make it easier to insert the floss around the wire.
• Super floss is made to clean around braces and bridges. It combines a floss threader, a spongy floss that is good at removing plaque, and regular floss.
• Water flossers, which use a stream of water to remove plaque and debris, are good at cleaning around braces.
  

How Often and When Should You Floss?

The ADA recommends flossing daily. Make it a set part of your routine at a time when you can give it your attention.

A small study published by the American Academy of Periodontology suggests that flossing before brushing may be better than afterward. However, the ADA says there is no preference for the order of flossing and brushing or the time of day you do it, so long as you remember to floss.

An advantage of brushing and flossing before bed is that there will be fewer leftover food particles for bacteria to feed on overnight. This allows bacteria to multiply and produce acids that attack the surface of the teeth. Bacteria cause morning breath odor and can lead to tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.

Why Flossing Is So Important

Brushing your teeth is necessary, but if you don't floss too, you are likely to leave behind more food particles and sticky plaque film. Plaque is formed by saliva and bacteria. Bacteria digest sugar and release acids that can damage tooth enamel.

Plaque is what causes cavities and gum disease. When you floss effectively, you remove the plaque and food debris that can damage your teeth. It reduces the risk of needing dental procedures like fillings and gum disease treatment. Flossing makes it more likely that you will keep your teeth longer as you age and keep you confident when you talk and smile.

Flossing benefits more than just your teeth. Gum disease can release bacteria into the body, causing inflammation and leading to potential health concerns. It can raise the risk of endocarditis, an infection of the tissue lining your heart, as well as pneumonia and other lung infections.

Oral bacteria can also end up in the plaque that builds up in blood vessels due to high cholesterol, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

If you have diabetes, you are more prone to infection, which makes you more susceptible to gum disease. If you don't control your blood sugar levels, you will also have more sugar in your saliva that can feed the bacteria that cause gum disease. Gum disease also makes it harder to control blood sugar in diabetes and increases the risk of developing diabetes.

Poor dental health among pregnant people may increase the risk of early labor and low birth weight.

Types of Dental Floss

Several varieties of dental floss are available. Find the one that works best for you:

• Waxed floss: A wax coating on the thread that may makes it easier to slide the floss between teeth
• Unwaxed floss: A thread without wax
• Super floss: Combines floss threader, spongy floss, and regular waxed floss
• Floss picks: Small sticks that hold a piece of floss, which may be easier than string for some people to handle
• Water flossers: Water pressure that effectively removes debris
• Air flossers: Cordless devices that resemble an electric toothbrush and use air pressure and drops of water to clean between teeth
• Interdental brushes: Small toothpick-like devices with brushes on the end to get between teeth
  

Other Options to Make Flossing Easier

Here are a few tips to consider to make flossing a habit you do every day:

• Combine flossing with other activities, like showering or reading.
• Take the time to learn good flossing techniques so it becomes natural to you.
• Set up reminders on your phone or computer till flossing becomes part of your daily routine.
• Keep floss available in your bathroom, nightstand, purse, and other locations so it is handy when you are likely to use it.
• Pat yourself on the back for flossing and enjoy cleaner teeth, fresher breath, and healthy gums.

Ask a Dentist or Dental Hygienist for Help

If you want to get the most out of flossing, ask a dentist or dental hygienist for some tips or a demonstration. If you are a visual learner, for instance, it can make it easier for you to get the hang of flossing in a way that removes the most debris and plaque if you can see it done correctly.

Summary

Flossing removes plaque and debris from the tight spaces between your teeth that brushing leaves behind. Floss daily at a convenient time so you form a flossing habit. Flossing will keep your teeth and gums healthier and could help lower the risk of other health concerns. Options include string floss, water flossers, and interdental brushes.