hey everyone keeps saying your suppose to gloss after ur brush ur teeth but i heard that flossing creates gaps between ur teeth is it true or not? Thanks for the help
2007-02-10 07:35:28 · 18 answers · asked by PeanutButternJelly 1 in Health ➔ Dental
Break off about 18 inches of floss, and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the remaining floss around the same finger of the opposite hand. This second finger will take up the floss as it becomes dirty. Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers.
Guide the floss between your teeth using a gentle rubbing motion. Never snap the floss into the gums.
When the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a C shape against one tooth. Gently slide it into the space between the gum and the tooth.
Hold the floss tightly against the tooth. Gently rub the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum with up and down motions.
Repeat this method on the rest of your teeth.
Don't forget the back side of your last tooth.
If you have difficulty handling dental floss, you may prefer to use another kind of interdental cleaner. These aids include special brushes, picks, or sticks. If you use interdental cleaners, ask your dentist about how to use them properly, to avoid injuring your gums.
2007-02-10 07:39:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Flossing your teeth won't create gaps in your teeth. Although doing it wrong by "popping" the floss can damage and eventually cause the recession of the embrasure area (the pointed tissue in between teeth) making it look as though you have a gap between the teeth. Just be careful by slowly sliding the floss in between the teeth then going under the gum in a "C" shape close to the tooth, then do the other tooth the same way being cautious not to cause trauma by "popping" the tissue. Hope I've cleared this up for you, because everybody needs to floss to prevent tooth decay and to keep your gum tissue healthy.
2007-02-10 07:50:59 · answer #2 · answered by HeatherS 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To the best of my knowledge, it is better to floss before you brush your teeth. Flossing dislodges food particles, plaque, and bacteria that you can brush away as you brush your teeth. If you prefer to floss after you brush, make sure you rinse your mouth well.
About the gaps, flossing is good for your gums and may change the shape of your gums slightly (for the better and healthier) but flossing is not enough time/force to radically move your teeth. If it could move your teeth/create spaces, people would spend much less money on cosmetic dentistry and braces (that take months/years to move teeth). There is no need to worry about moving teeth. Floss, and make your dentist (and your gums) happy!
2007-02-10 07:42:27 · answer #3 · answered by Strawberry 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people, after a thorough cleaning, feel that they have gaps in between their teeth that were not there before. That is because the cleaning removed all the calculus that was there. Flossing keeps the natural spaces between the teeth. Regular maintenance does not allow for much calculus to form between the teeth since you are removing the plaque before it calcifies. It also keeps your gums and bone healthy. Plaque is full of bacteria that can eat away at your teeth and and bone, in addition to causing gingivitis.
2007-02-10 09:18:16 · answer #4 · answered by LaLa 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, 'flossing' is done with 'thick thread' that is slightly coated so that it can 'scrape off plaque and germs' and because it's 'soft and pliable' and is between your teeth for a very short time, it can't 'create gaps' in your teeth. There are only three ways to 'create gaps' in your teeth ... 'genetics' (you are born with a tendency toward gaps), 'removal' (you have one or more teeth pulled out), or 'consistent forcing' (you 'pry them apart' with your fingers or by inserting something hard and you do this in the same space at least daily or several times a day).
2007-02-10 08:13:34 · answer #5 · answered by Kris L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
True.... sort of. The gaps created by flossing are only temporary. The gap could have been there before but a piece of food was caught between the teeth so it didnt show.
2007-02-10 07:41:53 · answer #6 · answered by Santa 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's not true! It might feel like it's pushing between your teeth when you're flossing but that's just because your contacts are really tight. It does not create gaps...and unless you want decay between your teeth (where you can't reach with a toothbrush) then you need to floss.
2007-02-10 07:41:42 · answer #7 · answered by flutterby 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No. Actually not flossing will create huge gaps through the loss of your teeth.
Brush and floss after every meal. Ask your dentist!
2007-02-10 07:42:29 · answer #8 · answered by Kahlo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you don't floss you will more than likely get cavities between your teeth and possibly lose them. This sounds like an old wives tale. You need to floss unless you want to get gum disease and possibly lose your teeth!
2007-02-10 07:40:09 · answer #9 · answered by pearl28 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is not true. It just cleans out the gaps.
2007-02-10 07:44:06 · answer #10 · answered by Gone fishin' 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋