Shelby Township Dental Hygienist Demonstrates Proper Flossing Technique

Hi, my name is Nikki Goolsby. I’m a registered Dental Hygienist here at HPS Advanced Dental Care located in Shelby Township, Michigan and I’d like to talk to you today about a proper flossing technique. A lot of dental patients don’t know that there is a proper way of flossing in order to remove the optimal amount of plaque from in between the teeth. I start with your standard dental floss and I work it in between my middle finger and my ring finger so that way when I grab a hold, I have about an inch of working room. This is so you have some more dexterity and more control over the dental floss. When we’re flossing in between the teeth, you slowly want to work the dental floss in between the teeth so that way you’re not yanking it down onto the gums, causing any trauma. That’s not what we want to happen. Once you get underneath the gums you work slowly. Work the dental floss in a shoe shine motion or up and down, which ever one you are more comfortable with. So that way you’re getting all of the plaque out from in between the teeth and underneath the gum line. This technique is the same for children as well. However children typically have greater spaces in between their teeth. So that way it’s easier for children, as well. But it’s important to get children into the habit of flossing, so that way, it’s a habit that they have for the rest of their lifetime.

Shelby Township Dental Hygienist Demonstrates Proper Flossing Technique

If you have any questions about the proper technique for flossing your teeth, or you’d like to schedule an appointment at our Shelby Township Dental Office, please give us a call at 248-652-0024.