What Flossing Does for Dental Hygiene

By Susan Braden

Does your dentist tell you that you need to floss more before your next visit? You might brush your teeth, attend regular dentist check-ups with a cheap dental plan, and generally take care of your mouth, but your dentist really does know best. Flossing is an essential part of the proper oral maintenance that leads to cheap dental bills!

You don't need fancy equipment because any cheap dental floss will do the trick. Here are the key reasons why you should regularly use cheap dental floss with some helpful tips to make flossing more bearable.

Why Should I Floss?

Though brushing is essential to great oral health, do not forget the significance of flossing! Plaque and tartar can build up between your teeth just like on the front and back surfaces of your teeth – brushing alone does not reach deeply enough into crevices to remove all of this tartar. If you are not flossing, then you are likely allowing the plaque that builds cavities to form in between your teeth! Flossing, however, breaks up plaque buildup between your teeth to prevent cavities.

Though brushing cleans and polishes your tooth surfaces, making your smile look clean and white, flossing creates a nice finished look around all your tooth edges. Flossing properly can be compared to edging a lawn. A well-mowed lawn may look presentable, but if that same lawn is nicely edged around its curb and driveway, it stands out that much more! Similarly, flossing helps your manicured teeth steal the show!

How Should I Floss?

This chore may seem terribly inconvenient – maybe we are more used to brushing only because we have made it a habit all our lives. Many people can multitask while brushing, but when it comes to flossing, we are often not as adept. The traditional method requires both hands, and you generally have to pay close attention to not floss too deep, causing too much gum bleeding. As you continue on a regular basis, however, you will become quicker, more disciplined, and more comfortable. Also, if you experience some pain, do not worry. Your gums will toughen up over time, making this oral discipline less painful. If your teeth are particularly close together or far apart, most stores have thin floss for tight teeth and thicker, more textured floss for those with a little more space.

One cheap dental alternative to the traditional method is the popular “ floss stick ” – a small, disposable plastic utensil with a small strip of cheap dental floss already attached. Floss sticks are much quicker and easier to use than traditional floss and can make this chore much more enjoyable.

How Often Should I Floss?

Dentists recommend all patients to floss daily – in a perfect world, this chore would be easy. However, in this hectic world where things rarely happen perfectly, flossing just once or twice a week may keep your mouth in okay shape. It is easy to floss on-the-go with cheap dental floss sticks – you can even keep a pack of these cheap dental tools in your car.

Another option is to set a day or two of the week to floss. Perhaps you want to start this routine every Friday evening before you go out. If you spend extra time getting dressed Sunday morning, you could make a point to floss every Sunday.

Flossing may seem like a hassle, but flossing consistently will help keep your teeth healthy and strong for a lifetime, leading to healthy teeth and cheap dental bills. It is comforting to know that there are some helpful ways that this chore can be made more manageable. As your dentist may say, floss the teeth that you want to keep!