Dental Floss

How to use dental floss

Do not be too aggressive with the floss: you risk harming your gums.

The main action of flossing is a firm but gentle scraping of the tooth from the top down.

Break off about 45cm of floss and wind some around 1 finger of each hand.
Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers, with about 2.5cm of floss between them, leaving no slack.
Use a gentle "rocking" motion to guide the floss between your teeth. Do not snap the floss into the gums.
When the floss reaches your gumline, curve it into a C-shape against a tooth until you feel resistance.
Hold the floss against the tooth. Gently scrape the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum. Repeat on the other side of the gap, along the side of the next tooth.
Do not forget the back of your last tooth.
When flossing, keep to a regular pattern. Start at the top and work from left to right, then move to the bottom and again work from the left to right. This way you're less likely to miss any teeth.