Flossing plays a very important role in your oral hygiene. Flossing is the only way to clean in between your teeth. You can brush three times a day, but you are still not cleaning in between your teeth if you aren’t flossing. Using your dental floss at least once a day, especially at night before going to bed can help prevent cavities. It removes plaque or food particles that are stuck between your teeth. Flossing also helps you from having bad breath, the bad breath usually comes from food that is left in between your teeth. Our Santa Ana Dentist Dr. Danial Kalantari always recommend his patients to floss between each meals, or least once a day. For children he recommends that the parents floss their kid’s teeth until they learn how to on their own. If you aren’t flossing regularly it is very common for your gums to bleed. This is gingivitis which means swelling of the gums. The way you treat gingivitis is by brushing your teeth and flossing regularly. The gums will become to turn a pink color and the bleeding stops. Flossing also prevents periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is caused from buildup that is under the gum. The buildup attacks the bone and gums causing them to recede. Plaque that is left on the teeth becomes to harden up with the saliva causing it to stick to your teeth. Once the buildup is stuck to your teeth it is very hard to remove with just a regular toothbrush. You will have to go to a professional to remove the buildup. There are many products in the market that help with cleaning in between your teeth, but the one that our Santa Ana Dentist Dr. Danial Kalantari recommends is regular wax dental floss. It is very affordable and easy to use. If you have braces or a dental bridge it is very important you floss with the help of a floss threader. The threader helps the floss go in the space where it’s desired to go. Brushing and flossing correctly will help you maintain a good oral hygiene. The way your floss is you pull the floss out to about 2 to 3 inches. You wrap the ends against your fingers and place it in between your teeth. When the floss reaches the gum line, rub the floss gently along your teeth and under your gums and then away from the gum line. Do not force the dental floss in between your teeth you can hurt your gums. Continue the method in between all teeth. If you have any questions regarding dental floss or flossing, please contact our Santa Ana Dentist Dr. Danial Kalantari or your friendly dental office Smiles on Bristol Dentistry./contact-us/