To take good care of your oral health, it is essential to clean your teeth regularly. But that doesn’t just mean brushing them, flossing is an element in the dental hygiene routine as important as brushing and toothpaste. So it’s important to know the reasons for flossing.

Even so, many people still ignore the need for its use. It is at this point that the question arises: Why should we use dental floss when brushing your teeth?

If you don’t know what the answer to that question is, don’t worry. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the importance of flossing for oral hygiene. Continue reading to learn more about it!

Understand the reasons for flossing after brushing your teeth

Most people understand that taking care of your teeth and oral health is very important. After all, in addition to affecting appearance and self-esteem, oral health is crucial for the functioning of the digestive system, and therefore for the health of the body as a whole.

Because of this, everyone knows that it is necessary to brush your teeth. But a lot of people still make the mistake of thinking that flossing is an expendable accessory, not as important as brushing itself.

In fact, brushing your teeth and flossing are complementary when it comes to cleaning your mouth. In other words, one becomes less efficient without the other.

But why is that? Well, the role of floss in oral hygiene is to clean up that the toothbrush cannot do. That’s because, even after brushing your teeth carefully, a lot of leftover food still stays between your teeth, in places that the brush doesn’t reach.

These remains can accumulate, favoring the proliferation of bacteria and generating cavities.

Floss is responsible for removing these food scraps, as it can clean the spaces between the teeth that the brush cannot touch.

With this, in addition to making it difficult for cavities and plaque to form, flossing also prevents gingival inflammation and bad breath, oral health problems caused by poor oral hygiene.

How to use dental floss

Knowing why you floss when brushing your teeth is not enough. You also need to know how to use it correctly.

Ideally, to use dental floss, wrap around 40 centimeters of floss around the middle fingers, leaving approximately ten centimeters between the fingers.

Then slide the floss carefully into the spaces between the teeth, making a “C” shape. But be careful: make this movement smoothly, to avoid gum injuries.

As you go through the teeth, use new pieces of floss. Never force floss against the gum, as this is a very sensitive part of the mouth.

Finally, just remove the floss from the space between your teeth carefully and throw the used dental floss away. Do this every time you brush your teeth, immediately after brushing. You can also choose to use water flosser, they offer a more gentle alternative to traditional floss and are less likely to cause our gums to become inflamed or bleed.