Watch: September is National Oral Health Month
Following on from the international news reports last year that flossing is no longer necessary, should you still clean in-between?
According to local dental professionals – absolutely!
Said Stella Lamprecht, president of the Oral Hygienists’ Association of South Africa: “We can honestly say you only have to floss those teeth that you would like to keep. There are a lot of conflicting messages out there, but as oral hygienists, we recommend that you floss.”
The South African Dental Association (SADA) shares a similar view.
“It is essential to floss or to use interdental brushes,” says Dr Nosipho Mzobe, SADA’s head of education.”
“The aim is to minimise the bacteria and micro-organisms that build up in the mouth causing tooth decay and disease. Brushing alone cannot remove it all, particularly in-between the teeth.”
Each tooth has five surfaces and brushing can reach only three. The other two surfaces are usually in close contact, allowing food debris and bacteria to get stuck and build up, above and below the gums. If this is not removed properly it will irritate the gums and eventually cause disease.
Although daily flossing or interdental cleaning is recommended, less than a third of South Africans floss on the recommended daily basis.
Many people cite a lack of time or finding floss difficult to use.
“It’s important to use floss correctly, otherwise it may be ineffective or even damaging,” says Dr Mzobe. “Ask your oral hygienist or dentist to show you the correct method.
How to ‘floss like a boss’:
1. Take about 30cm of floss.
2. Wind the floss around your middle fingers.
3. Hold the floss between thumbs and index fingers.
4. Slide the floss in-between teeth using a gentle back-and-forth sawing action.
5. Fold floss around the side of a tooth in a C-shape.
6. Slide the floss up and down, against tooth and just under the gum line.
7. Repeat on the neighbouring tooth.
8. Pull out and repeat using a clean section of the floss.
