Brushing and flossing your teeth are the most basic routine dental care practices. They are equally important to your oral health and well-being. The doctors advise you to perform these two dental care practices daily.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), you should brush your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day. It also recommends you floss between your teeth at least once a day. However, you can do flossing whenever you feel food particles are stuck between your teeth.
The Importance of Brushing Your Teeth
Brushing your teeth is the most effective dental care practice. When you brush your teeth, it helps remove food particles, yellowness, and plaque (a sticky layer of small food particles containing bacteria) from your mouth.
Plaque and bacteria in your mouth are the most harmful things to your oral health. When you consume high sugar content, the bacteria in your mouth activate with sugar and produce acids that weaken your tooth enamel. Moreover, it causes many other dental and mouth problems, such as:
Tooth Cavity or Tooth Decay- Tooth cavity refers to the permanent damage to your tooth caused by plaque, bacteria, and germs. This damage later develops into tiny holes that cause tooth decay.
You may not notice any symptoms of tooth cavity in the initial stage. Later, you may experience toothache, infection, and loose teeth. You must see a McKinney dentist regularly to know if you have a cavity in your teeth.
When a tooth cavity occurs, it is often painful and may lead to other general health problems. Also, getting a tooth cavity treatment doesn't give a good experience. Therefore, you should prevent tooth cavities from developing in your mouth. Proper brushing your teeth regularly plays a crucial role.
Tartar- Plaque also causes tartar, a hard calcified deposit that forms on your teeth and gums. It makes it harder to keep your teeth clean as it does not come off quickly.
Tartar spoils your teeth’ appearance, smile, and facial expressions. It also causes some other dental and mouth problems, such as gum diseases and inflammation.
Mouth Infection- Mouth infections are another mouth problem that occurs when you let the plaque stay in your mouth for a longer time. Some of the most common symptoms of mouth infections are:
Bad breath
Toothache
Fever
Sore mouth
Bitter taste
Gum inflammation
Swollen jaw
Apart from these three mouth problems, tooth loss, abscessed tooth, and periodontal diseases can occur due to plaque. So, it is essential to remove plaque from your mouth by brushing your teeth twice a day.
According to certified dentists, you should use fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush your teeth. They are effective to clean and freshen your mouth.
The Importance of Dental Flossing
The practice of flossing your teeth is also essential for maintaining your good oral health. It helps remove small food particles that are stuck between your teeth.
Doctors advise you to floss your teeth regularly alongside brushing. But only a few people take their piece of advice seriously. What about you? Do you regularly floss your teeth, or are you among those who do not even consider dental flossing?
Practicing dental flossing is good oral health. It keeps many dental and mouth problems away.
Here are some mouth problems you may experience due to food particles that are stuck between your teeth. Check them out here!
Difficulty in Chewing- Will you have ever experienced difficulty chewing due to food particles stuck between your teeth. If yes, you better know how frustrating and irritating it is. It feels like there is some kind of intense pressure between the teeth.
When you experience this kind of problem in your mouth, you cannot distract your mind from that point, even willingly. Although it is not a severe dental problem, it can worsen if left untreated.
Discomfort and Disturbance- The stuck food particles between your teeth are no less than a toothache. You will experience discomfort and disturbance unless you use dental floss to remove the food particles between your teeth.
Toothache- If the stuck food particles are bigger, they may cause toothache. However, the toothache caused by such problems is bearable, but you cannot leave it untreated.
Bleeding Gums- Bleeding gums is another severe mouth problem that may occur due to stuck food particles between your teeth. However, in most cases, people do not experience this problem. It mainly happens when you try hard to remove those food particles between your teeth using inappropriate techniques.
You can avoid all these mouth problems by flossing your teeth daily, especially after having your daily meal.
How to Floss Your Teeth?
Here are some instructions to floss your teeth correctly. Check them out below!
Break off some part of your dental floss. It should be 18-24 inches long.
Then, wind most of the dental floss around your thumb and index finger, leaving 1-2 inches-long floss to make it pass through between your teeth.
Next, hold the floss firmly and place it between the teeth to remove stuck food particles. Gently move the floss up and down, rubbing the sides of both teeth. Keep the floss away from gums as it can scratch or bruise them.
Repeat the steps to make the floss pass through every tooth.
You can also use a dental floss tool to floss your teeth.
Apart from this, an oral irrigator or water flosser is also effective in removing food particles stuck in your teeth. It is an at-home flossing device, also used for removing plaque formed around the gum line.