What is dental floss

In our daily life, we need to brush our teeth every day, which helps to keep the teeth and oral cavity clean and protect the health of the teeth. Although people pay more attention to the health of teeth and oral cavity, many dental cleaning products have appeared in front of us. Dental floss is a product used to clean teeth. There are many types of dental floss at present. When buying dental floss, you can choose according to your preferences and dental condition.

What is dental floss?

1. Dental floss is a nylon, silk or polyester thread used to clean the plaque on the adjacent surfaces of teeth. It is very effective, especially for flat or convex tooth surfaces. Pull down a 25cm section of dental floss and tie the two ends of the floss into a double knot to form a loop. Alternatively, take about 33cm of dental floss, wrap the two ends of the floss around your two middle fingers, and use your right and left fingers to pass the dental floss through the contact points.

2. The distance between two fingers to control the dental floss is about 1~1.5cm. When there is a feeling of tightness and inability to get through, you can make a sawing motion back and forth, pass through the contact point, and gently reach the tooth surface under the contact point. At the same time, put the dental floss at the bottom of the gingival sulcus to clean the gingival sulcus area. Be careful not to press hard into the tissue too deep below the gingival sulcus.

Types of dental floss

1. Waxed and unwaxed dental floss

Some dentists prefer waxed dental floss, as they believe it provides greater friction and helps clean tartar and plaque. In fact, there is no significant difference between waxed and unwaxed dental floss. The effect of waxed dental floss is only slightly better. On the other hand, some people find that waxed floss moves between teeth more easily than unwaxed floss.

2. Teflon dental floss

This type of flossing is quick and easy to use. Because it's made of Teflon, which means it won't get stuck between your teeth, it moves very easily.

3. Dental floss with stick

This dental floss is made of nylon and is used just like any other dental floss. The difference is that you wear a hard rod at the end and don’t need to wrap it around your hand. In addition, it is more convenient to pass the archwire through the gap between teeth during orthodontic treatment.

4. Flavored dental floss and unflavored dental floss

Some dental flosses have added flavors, such as mint or fruit flavors. It tastes great and is more pleasant to use. There is also a method of using fluoride dental floss to prevent tooth decay.

5. Ribbon dental floss

This is a thicker type of dental floss than the regular type and is mainly used when there are large gaps between teeth. It is an ideal new type of dental floss. It is also smooth and slides smoothly between the teeth.

6. Vibrating dental floss

Vibrating dental floss is easy to use and has additional advantages. .But they are also more expensive than other traditional dental floss.