Many patients tell me they have a hard time flossing or they can’t floss their teeth. After talking to them I have found out many of them are making just one simple mistake; they are wrapping the floss around the wrong finger. They are wrapping it around their pointer fingers, instead of their middle fingers. What you want to do is wrap a small amount of floss around one middle finger and then wrap the rest around the other middle finger. Now these fingers “Never” go inside the mouth, instead they stay outside the mouth holding the floss tight just like a goal post.
Then you take your pointer fingers and thumbs and grab the floss and go inside your mouth and in between the teeth. You can move at any angle to reach the teeth. I use several different angles when flossing. This is the correct way to floss and makes it very easy to reach the back teeth and floss even if you have larger fingers. Just give it a try next time. It might feel awkward the first time because you are not used to flossing this way, but trust me – it is so much easier!
Another flossing tip: as you use the floss, unwrap it from the middle finger and wind it up on the other middle finger, so you are always using clean floss between each tooth.
Happy Flossing. 🙂
Then you take your pointer fingers and thumbs and grab the floss and go inside your mouth and in between the teeth. You can move at any angle to reach the teeth. I use several different angles when flossing. This is the correct way to floss and makes it very easy to reach the back teeth and floss even if you have larger fingers. Just give it a try next time. It might feel awkward the first time because you are not used to flossing this way, but trust me – it is so much easier!
Another flossing tip: as you use the floss, unwrap it from the middle finger and wind it up on the other middle finger, so you are always using clean floss between each tooth.
Happy Flossing. 🙂
– from Julie C. (Dental Hygienist)