Dental floss is an ideal and important addition to brushing your teeth. But whether waxed, unwaxed or with a Teflon coating – in the end, the right technology decides on the application. We reveal how to use dental floss correctly and what you should pay attention to when buying.
Use dental floss correctly
You should use around 50 centimeters of dental floss per application. It is crucial whether you use the right technique. We’ll show you how to use dental floss in five steps:
- Wrap both ends around your index or middle finger.
- A maximum of three to five centimeters should be left between the fingers, which must be tightened. Hold it between your thumb and forefinger.
- Gently floss between your teeth.
- Move these up and down. Be careful not to touch the gums, as this can cause minor injuries and inflammation.
- If you have used the piece of dental floss in several spaces, choose a fresh piece and work on the other teeth.
The duration of use should be two minutes every evening. In this way, you ensure optimal care of your teeth and get into almost every tooth space. However, a little practice is required because bleeding gums often appear at the beginning.
If you can’t handle dental floss as a tape, it’s best to use dental floss sticks. These are easy to use because you can simply hold them by the handle and the dental floss is already clamped as a piece about a centimeter long.
Floss selection
Ranging from unwaxed products to fluoride floss to waxed “tapes” with peppermint flavor – every type of floss has its advantages and disadvantages.
If you want to spend as little money as possible, you should use unwaxed floss. 50 meters of dental floss are available in the drugstore for less than one euro. However, this product also saves on quality: Unwaxed dental floss fibrils quickly, is not easy to slide and breaks more often than other dental flosses.
Dental floss with Teflon or fluoride coating
If you want to offer your teeth more quality, you better use waxed dental floss. It is characterized by increased lubricity and firmness. However, it is thicker than unwaxed, which makes it unsuitable for tight teeth. Waxed dental floss is already available for just under one euro.
Dental floss with a Teflon coating is somewhat expensive. This is particularly slippery, but does not clean it very thoroughly.
The most expensive are dental floss with fluoride or chlorhexidine, which fight bacteria in the interdental spaces. However, the dosages are too low to have a significant effect. Nevertheless, the daily use of dental floss helps against bacteria in the interdental spaces and thus prevents bad breath, which the toothbrush does not get there.
Alternatives to dental floss
If you just can’t handle dental floss, there is an efficient alternative. A test carried out by Düsseldorf dentists showed that mouthwash had a better effect than dental floss. However, the study result is favored by the fact that most people do not use dental floss properly and only use it irregularly. A prerequisite for the mouthwash is that it has an antibacterial effect.
Interdental brushes are even more thorough than dental floss
In addition to mouthwash, so-called interdental brushes (brush for the interdental spaces) are suitable for keeping the interdental spaces clean. These are said to be even more thorough than dental floss. They are available in different thicknesses – depending on the size of the interdental spaces.
Or you can use an oral irrigator. However, the water jet should not be set too hard. In this case, you damage the gums and increase the risk of periodontitis (inflammation of the tooth bed).
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Important NOTE: The information is by no means a substitute for professional advice or treatment by trained and recognized doctors. The content of t-online.de cannot and must not be used to independently diagnose or start treatment.
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