We know it can be difficult to get in the habit of flossing regularly. After all, your mouth can feel pretty fresh after just brushing, enough to fool you into thinking it’s totally clean and safe from tooth decay or gum disease. But flossing regularly is the only way to make sure you actually clean your teeth completely. Here are a few misconceptions we want to dispel to help motivate your flossing habits!

1. It’s Only About Removing Food

We know there are some people out there who only whip out the floss after eating popcorn or corn on the cob. Of course floss is great for removing the remnants of rogue kernels, but it’s not just large obvious bits of food you have to worry about. Floss also helps remove plaque that accumulates between your teeth, creating the risk for cavities even if you don’t have food stuck there. If you floss regularly, you already know how surprising it is the amount of stuff you can clean out from between your teeth even if you didn’t sink them into anything particularly messy that day.

2. There’s No Point in Starting Now

There are plenty of adults who have yet to make a solid habit of flossing. In many cases, these adults still have all their teeth and haven’t had any problems with interproximal caries (tooth decay that happens between your teeth). But just because someone has gotten this far without feeling the need to floss doesn’t mean they shouldn’t start! For one thing, the early signs of dental disease such as gum disease (periodontitis) don’t have obvious symptoms. Bleeding gums is one of the first signs you may be developing gum disease, but even if you teeth don’t bleed when you brush that doesn’t mean you’re not at risk. Start flossing now and you still may have all your own teeth for the rest of your life!

3. A Little Bleeding Is Normal

This is a choice of words problem: Many people hear that your gums bleeding when you floss is common, and misunderstand that fact to mean that it’s normal. Yes, many people see blood when they floss, but no, it’s not normal. No matter what, that spot of red is telling you something about your oral health, specifically the health of your gums. If this is a problem you encounter every time you floss, talk to us about it so we can assess the issue and have a plan for preserving your health.

Flossing is an important part of any at-home oral hygiene routine. But it’s also a source of anxiety, pain, and even shame. Instead of dreading the inevitable “floss talk” from your dentist, try these tricks to get in the habit of flossing regularly. Your smile will thank you!

Find Tools That Work for You

First, finding the right tools is essential. String floss is the oldest tool for flossing, but many find it cumbersome and simply uncomfortable. Patients who avoid string floss might complain about sticking their fingers in their mouth, not being able to reach their back teeth, or discomfort when wrapping the floss around their fingers. Such patients may find flossers to be the key to a good flossing routine.

Flossers are tools that allow you to extend your reach without wrapping floss around your fingers or sticking your fingers in your mouth. They are often one-handed tools, so if you like to multitask, you’ll be able to use your free hand for other tasks. There are a few options to consider when looking for a flosser, including the following:

• Reusable flosser with head replacements.
• Single-use flossers.
• Water flossers.

The first two still use string floss, but the tool holds it so you don’t have to. Since you use the same portion of string repeatedly, it’s important to rinse it off after every tooth gap so you don’t just transfer any removed residue to other teeth.

The single-use flossers are great to stow in the car, desk drawer, or purse for when you’re not at home. Many patients have them on hand even if they use other flossing methods at home; you never know when the urge to floss will hit!

Water flossers are becoming a popular tool for at-home flossing because of how easy to use they are and how gentle they are on teeth and gums. This type of flosser uses a stream of water to remove plaque and food particles. Because you don’t need to guide string between your teeth, water flossers make it much easier to clean around braces or permanent bridges.

Build Good Habits

Once you have your preferred flossing tool, it’s time to establish that habit that will make not flossing feel as weird as flossing feels now.

Consistency is key in creating new habits. Here are a few ideas for staying consistent:

• Make it easy. Keep your flossing tools next to your toothbrush or paste. Pairing the two activities can help you incorporate flossing in your existing oral health routine.
• Get something out of it. Keep your favorite flavor of floss on hand so you enjoy using it. Or if you go the one-handed flosser route, watch your favorite music video or play a level of your favorite mobile game while you floss. Just make sure you’re not too distracted to get a thorough floss in.
• Stay accountable. Mark the day on a calendar whenever you floss. A visual reminder of how you’ve done so far can help you push yourself to do better or keep it up!

Even with a good routine, there will be times when you just don’t feel like flossing. Just remember why you do it: clean teeth mean a cleaner smile, better breath, and fewer trips to the dentist for costly procedures.

With these tips, we’re confident you’ll build good flossing habits. Let us know if these tips work for you, or if you used any others as well!