Flossing forms a part of basic dental hygiene. Unfortunately, very few people employ flossing in their routine dental care. Hardly 2% of U.S population engages in flossing at a regular basis. It should be noted that flossing is a must for proper dental hygiene and not a bonus for dental hygiene.

Brushing your teeth cleans about 65% of the tooth surfaces. 35% surface area of the teeth is inaccessible to the tooth brush. Flossing cleans the remaining 35% of the tooth surface which is mainly comprised of areas between your teeth where food and plaque accumulates.

How to floss your teeth

Flossing is carried out by a dental floss which looks like a white thread. The actual procedure for flossing is a fairly simple one.

Take about 18 inches of dental floss. Wind up most of the floss around your middle finger on each hand and hold it tight between the thumb and the index finger of each hand leaving 1 to 2 inches of floss which you will use to clean your teeth.

Stretch it tight and slide it gently between the two teeth you want to clean. Make an up-down motion to dislodge any food particles and plaque build-up.

Curve the dental floss around the base of the tooth and go beneath the gum line. Use gentle motions to ensure you do not damage your gums. After you are done, move on to the next tooth with a clean section of the dental floss.