VIDEO: Dental experts highlight the importance of flossing
Each tooth has five surfaces and brushing can reach only three.
SEPTEMBER is national oral health month and local dental professionals are aiming to clear the perception that flossing is no longer necessary as stated in international news reports last year.
According to local dental professionals cleaning your teeth is important and therefore, flossing is recommended to ensure thorough oral hygiene.
“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,” said Stella Lamprecht, President of the Oral Hygienists’ Association of South Africa.
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 between teeth can eventually cause disease.
Watch how to floss correctly in less than a minute:
Although daily flossing or interdental cleaning is recommended, it can be ineffective or even damaging if not done correctly. Below are easy steps on how to floss properly:
1. Take about 30cm of floss
2. Wind the floss around your middle fingers
3. Hold it 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
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