All you need to know about flossing

I find it odd that despite the abundance of advertisements and information about brushing your teeth, there is very little mention of flossing in our country. I don’t remember ever seeing an advertisement about dental floss. It’s a little disconcerting, as flossing is a very important component of dental hygiene.

Let me start with the basics. Dental floss is “a soft thread of floss silk or similar material used to clean between the teeth”. It is recommended to floss once daily – preferably at night. Most top brands such as Colgate offer dental floss, and you can buy them for fairly cheap. A small container of floss will last you a couple of months.

Flossing is done to get into the hard to reach areas that a toothbrush misses. Floss, being thread-like, can be wrapped around the tooth and slipped into the space between teeth, and above the gum line. It sounds painful, but it’s really not. New users may experience some bleeding, but it’s nothing to worry about, and it stops after you’ve done it for a few days. The process is quick and painless – relaxing, even.