Flossing is important but flossing is also hard
Flossing is important, but lets admit it, flossing is a pain; difficult even for professionals. We all know cleaning in between the teeth is important and a toothbrush does not get to these surfaces. Using string floss between two fingers is a manual dexterity skill that few truly master. Crooked teeth, fat fingers, tight contacts, boney anatomy and small mouths all contribute to the difficulty of flossing. We will do everything we can to help you learn, but the reality is that most people do not floss even after learning how. This is one of the reasons that gum disease is one of the most common diseases.
Why Can Some people can get away without flossing?

How to floss
- Wind 15-18 inches of floss around your middle fingers (This allows you to control the floss with your forefinger and thumb).
- Gently guide floss between teeth to the gun line.
- Try not to snap the floss through the contact as you can actually damage the gum.
- Curve the floss to contact as much of the tooth as possible.
- This will clean the surfaces of the tooth.
- Gently move the floss up and down.
- Do not saw back and forth you can damage the gum and actually even saw into the tooth.
- Use a fresh piece section of floss for each tooth (No reason to spread bacteria from one place to another).
Alternatives to floss
Here are some of the other tools we recommend:
Rubber tips:

Floss holders:

Tooth picks and small inter-dental brushes:

Automatic toothbrushes:
Some automatic toothbrushes have pointy tips that can be useful, but may not be able to reach the most difficult areas in between the teeth.
Types of floss:
For the traditionalists who insist on using string floss there are many different types of available with different thicknesses and types of string materials. We have found that Glide floss is the easiest to get through tight contacts without shredding and breaking.
Water Picks:
Water picks do not actually disturb all the bacteria between the teeth completely, but they do dilute and remove the toxins produced by the bacteria.
The bottom line is that we have seen each of these methods used by our patients to achieve dental health. It really doesn’t matter how or what we use to get to that goal. The key is to keep trying different methods and let us help you to evaluate if they are working at your cleaning appointments. If floss is getting hung up in between particular teeth let us know because it may indicate a problem like a fractured filling, broken tooth or decay.
The dangers of do it yourself hygiene
Finally for all you wannabe dentists and hygienists who use metal instruments bought or created to clean your teeth I offer this cautionary tale. One of my good friends decided he could get the tartar off the back of his front teeth by creating his own dental tool out of a paperclip. He diligently used his tool because he felt a ledge on the back of his lower front tooth. Unfortunately the bump he was trying to remove was his own tooth structure. He managed to dig all the way into the nerve and ended up needing a root canal. Our advice is to let us be the ones who use metal dental tools in your mouth to clean your teeth.