Maintaining a healthy smile requires an oral health routine that you stick to. This routine is outlined for all of us during our first dentist visits, and to speak truthfully, every dentist visit after that. It goes without saying that a healthy dental routine requires brushing twice a day for two minutes each time, flossing, mouthwash and regular visits to the dentist. What we’ve come to notice is that the most difficult part of this routine is the flossing, so we’ve worked to create a list of tips that will help you get the absolute most out of flossing.
Frequency
Flossing once a day is the perfect amount of times to maintain great oral health. While this is the case, it needs to be stated that the one time that you do floss needs to be done well. Too often people think that the more they floss the better their health will be, that’s not the case. While consistency is great, it’s important that you are consistently taking the time to floss well.
Time
Before bed is the time that most people take to floss their teeth. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but the best time to floss is actually going to be the most thoroughly. Most people suggest flossing before bed because the flow from our salivary glands decreases as we sleep, making the benefits of flossing all the more prominent. However, if you don’t have time to floss before bed, it’s better to floss when you have the time to do it well.
Duration
This all depends on your skill level. It should take at least a couple of minutes to ensure that you’ve gotten between all your teeth and to your gums. This can take a bit longer if you’ve got braces or permanent retainers to work around. Take as much time as needed to do a good job with the flossing.
At Heritage Dental, we want to ensure that your smile is at it’s healthiest potential. Visit our dentist office here in Lady Lake for your routine dental visit and let us help provide you the pearly whites you’ve been dreaming of.