Flossing: Are You Giving Your Smile the Attention and Care It Deserves?

To give your smile the attention and care it deserves to thrive requires brushing and flossing daily. While brushing twice a day removes plaque and oral debris off of your teeth, flossing daily cleans the tight space between your pearly whites. This habit, recommended by the American Dental Association, works to prevent gum disease and tooth decay from invading your smile.

Flossing today is easier than ever before thanks to the wide variety of interdental flossers available. Your choices include floss tape, dental picks, pre-threaded flossers, tiny brushes, oral irrigators, and wooden plaque removers. You want to make sure the product is both safe and effective to use, so look for the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance on the packaging.

Patients sometimes ask when they should floss. You can do it whenever it works best for you, whether that is before bedtime, after lunch, or when you wake up and begin your day. Just be sure to floss once a day and you are doing your part to keep plaque from accumulating between the teeth and hardening. Also, you can choose to floss before or after you brush.

We urge you to make flossing a daily habit to maintain your oral health. If you have questions on how to care for your smile, our dentist, Dr. Kenneth Pollary, is happy to help. Please call Pollary Family Dentistry in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at 719-591-0750, and our dental professionals will provide you with the dental care you deserve!