Flossing and cleaning between your teeth: a simple guide

A toothbrush cleans the front, back and top of your teeth, but it cannot reach the narrow spaces between them. Cavities and gum disease often start exactly there.

Why clean between your teeth?

Plaque collects in the gaps and along the gum line between teeth, where bristles do not reach. Left there, it causes decay between the teeth and inflames the gums. Cleaning between your teeth once a day removes it.

Floss or interdental brush?

• Floss suits tight spaces where teeth touch.
• Interdental brushes are small brushes that suit wider gaps, and many people find them easier. Your dentist or hygienist can tell you which size fits.
• Toothpicks can help to remove stuck food, but use them gently so that they do not injure the gum.

Choose the one you will actually use every day.

How to floss

1. Take about 40 centimetres of floss and wind most of it around one finger of each hand, leaving a short length between.
2. Slide it gently between two teeth with a back-and-forth motion. Do not snap it down onto the gum.
3. Curve it into a C shape against one tooth and move it up and down, just under the gum line.
4. Repeat on the neighbouring tooth, then use a clean section for the next gap.

You can floss before or after brushing, as long as you do it.

My gums bleed. Should I stop?

No. Bleeding in the first few days is common, because the gums are inflamed from the plaque left there. Keep going gently every day and the bleeding usually settles within one to two weeks. If it does not, see a dentist. See bleeding gums.

What if floss shreds or gets stuck?

Shredding floss can mean a rough filling edge or a broken tooth, and a space that always traps food can mean a cavity. Tell your dentist.

Children and braces

Children usually need help until they can do it well. If you wear braces, ask your dentist about floss threaders or special brushes.

When to see a dentist

Come in if floss shreds repeatedly, if one space always traps food, or if bleeding continues. Check-ups are available at both our clinics, in Sayan and on Chhaprabhatha-Variyav Road. For the rest of the routine, read how to brush your teeth properly. Use the booking button below to ask for an appointment.