How to floss properly, and what plaque and tartar are up to in the meantime

Ask a room full of adults whether they floss and you will get a lot of nervous laughter. Plenty of people do it before a dental visit and forget about it the rest of the year. The good news is that flossing is a skill, and like most skills it gets easier and faster once the technique is right.

Plaque is a film, tartar is a rock

Plaque is a soft, sticky film of bacteria that forms on teeth every day. You can feel it as that fuzzy layer when you run your tongue across your teeth in the morning. It starts building back within hours of a good cleaning, which is why brushing and flossing are daily jobs rather than weekly ones.

When plaque is left in place, minerals from saliva can harden it into tartar, which dentists also call calculus. Tartar is firm, it clings to the tooth, and it often forms right along the gumline and between teeth. You cannot brush or floss it off, no matter how hard you scrub. Only a dental professional can remove it with special instruments.

This matters because tartar has a rough surface that gives new plaque an easy place to grab hold. Plaque and tartar near the gums irritate them, and irritated gums turn red, swollen and tender. Over time that irritation can grow into gum disease. Brushing handles the flat surfaces of your teeth. Flossing handles the spaces between them, exactly where a brush cannot go.

Flossing, step by step

Here is a method that works for most mouths:

• Pull off a piece of floss about as long as your forearm, roughly 18 inches. Wind most of it around the middle finger of one hand and a little around the same finger of the other hand.
• Hold the floss tight between your thumbs and forefingers, leaving an inch or two to work with.
• Slide the floss between two teeth with a gentle back-and-forth motion. Do not snap it down onto the gum.
• Curve the floss into a C shape against one tooth and slide it up and down, going just below the gumline.
• Repeat on the neighboring tooth, since each gap has two sides that both need cleaning.
• Move to a fresh section of floss as you go so you are not dragging plaque from one gap into the next.
• Do not forget the back side of your last molars, which have only one neighbor.

The whole thing takes a couple of minutes. Most people do best flossing once a day, at whatever time they will actually stick with. Night is common because it clears out food from the day, but a consistent habit at any time beats a perfect plan you skip.

Common mistakes

The most common problem is snapping the floss straight down into the gum. It can cut the tissue and it does not clean the side of the tooth anyway. Slide and curve instead.

The second is going through the motions: pulling the floss through the middle of a gap and moving on. The floss has to hug each tooth and scrape the plaque off the surface. If the floss comes out clean every time, you are probably skimming.

The third is stopping because the gums bleed. Bleeding when you first start flossing is usually a sign that the gums are inflamed from the plaque that has been sitting there, not a sign that you are hurting them. With gentle daily cleaning, many people find that bleeding settles within a week or two. If it keeps happening, or if your gums look puffy or tender, mention it at your next visit, because it can point to gum disease that needs attention.

When string floss is hard to use

If your hands do not cooperate, or if you have tight contacts, bridgework or braces, plain floss can be a struggle. That does not mean you are off the hook. It means you need a different tool. Some people do well with floss picks, some with tiny interdental brushes that slide between teeth, and some with a water flosser. Each has its place, and the right one depends on your mouth. Ask your hygienist to show you, and then try it in front of the mirror at home.

A few more habits help keep plaque from getting ahead of you:

• Brush for two minutes, twice a day, with a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste.
• Replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles are bent.
• Cut back on sipping sweet or sticky drinks across the day.
• Keep up with your regular dental cleanings, even when your teeth feel fine.

Why professional cleanings still matter

Even a careful person misses some spots, and tartar that has formed cannot be undone at home. A cleaning removes it, polishes the teeth, and gives your dentist or hygienist a chance to look at your gums and spot early trouble before you feel anything. Many people notice their teeth feel noticeably smoother afterward, and they may find it easier to keep them that way.

At Mill Creek Family Dental in Lafayette, cleanings and oral exams are part of the general dentistry Dr. Cronkhite and his team provide. If you are not sure whether your flossing technique is working, bring it up at your next appointment and ask for a demonstration. To book a visit, call 765-471-6025.