Dentist shares 'vertical' technique for flossing teeth - as many make mistake

17 January 2023 , 13:14

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Dentist shares 'vertical' technique for flossing teeth - as many make mistake

If you've been to the dentist recently, they may have told you that you need to floss between your teeth more as doing so can make such a difference to your overall teeth and gum health.

But it turns out that many people don't actually know the best way to floss or have been doing it 'wrong', according to an expert.

Dr. Khaled Kasem, a chief orthodontist at Impress has been sharing his top tips and tricks with The Mirror, including demonstrating the 'correct' way to floss.

He claims there's a big mistake he sees people making with dental floss and it's all to do with the technique they use.

Dr. Khaled Kasem demonstrated the 'correct' method for flossing (Courtney Pochin)

Dr. Kasem showed how you should start with a long strand of dental floss and wind it around your fingers until you have about five centimetres in between them.

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You then go between the teeth with the floss, using an "upward and downward" movement on each side of the tooth.

"The most important thing to remember is not to go forward and backward," the expert says. "The movement should be upward and downward as this way you can clean the part of the tooth where the brush doesn't reach."

Another mistake you'll want to avoid is being too forceful with your flossing.

Dr. Kasem continues: "Don't force the gum, this is crucial. Make sure you're not putting too much pressure on the gum, or you can lose the gum and cause what we call 'black triangles' between the teeth."

And be sure to use different parts of the piece of floss for cleaning each side of each tooth.

Using the same section you've already removed plaque with, would just be like rubbing this back into your gums which isn't the best idea.

This comes after the expert shared the best method for brushing teeth with The Mirror, as well as the mistake to avoid making ahead. of your dentist appointments.

"Usually it's really important to have a really soft brush, try to avoid medium and more hard brushes as this can cause trauma to the gums," Dr. Kasem explained.

"The most crucial thing is to be methodological with your brushing, so you should start from one side and you should go to the other side.

"I'm left-handed so I usually start from the left side and you need to go in at a 45-degree angle between the gum and the teeth. Use gentle pressure, don't force the brush. Do small circular movements on the tooth and then go down."

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He adds that you should be doing nine or 10 circles per tooth and you work your way around all the teeth on the front, top and bottom, then do the same on the inside.

Do you have a top tip to share? We want to hear all about it. Email [email protected]

Courtney Pochin