Simple Reasons You Keep Dropping Your Floss

Yes, it seems like after a lifetime of using dental floss, you would be a pro by now. However, if you’re like many of our patients who use floss on and off, then you may not have reached quite the expert level you’d like to have attained! Part of the reason may have something to do with the challenge of making it through a flossing session that you assume should be easy but that turns into pure frustration. Allow our Cleveland, TX team to help you with this aspect of your dental hygiene. You may be surprised to learn that some very simple hints can often be all you need to become quite the champion!

You’re Not Using Enough

You may not be using enough dental floss. If you think that you are supposed to use just a couple inches of floss, then you may have a hard time keeping your grip, which can cause you to drop it quite a lot. This is not a fun way (nor is it an effective way) to get through your dental hygiene. What should you be doing, you ask? To make this part of your preventive care all that it should be, use a strand that’s around 18 inches long! Start at one end and move your way to the other, as you use new segments with each move to a new space between your teeth.

You’re Winding It Incorrectly

Our team knows you might think that you’ve been winding your floss correctly for a long time. However, our suggestion may make your dental hygiene easier. Use your middle fingers as anchors (wind the floss around them). Then, use index and thumb fingers to do the moving and maneuvering!

You’re Rushing

Did you know that you can actually harm your oral health if you’re rushing through your dental hygiene sessions? This is true not only for brushing (when you rush and brush too hard, you can cause gum recession!) but also for flossing. It maybe tempting to try to do it as quickly as possible but if you try this approach, you may be too aggressive (which can damage your gum tissue) and may miss quite a lot of plaque and debris (which leaves you susceptible to problems like decay). Slow down, be thorough and gentle, and you are less likely to drop the floss with your steady method.

Get Any And All Dental Questions Answered With Us

Come in for the answers and the dental care that you need, so you never have to worry about the health of your teeth and gums. Call our Cleveland Family Dentistry office in Cleveland, TX, today at (281) 592-1234. We proudly serve patients and their families from Cleveland, Kingwood, New Caney, Conroe, Livingston, Huffman, and all surrounding communities.