Floss wire

Good oral hygiene is important

Good oral hygiene keeps your teeth, molars and gums healthy. Brushing twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste is the basis for this. With a toothbrush alone, you cannot always properly clean the spaces between your teeth. For that, you can use dental floss, for example.

Dental plaque

Plaque forms on and between your teeth. To keep your mouth healthy, you need to remove this barely visible, white-yellowish layer. Plaque consists mainly of bacteria and bacterial products. If you do not remove plaque regularly, the bacteria can cause gum inflammation and cavities. Plaque that is not removed can harden and calcify into tartar. New plaque easily adheres to tartar. The gums can become increasingly inflamed. The inflammation can spread and affect the underlying jawbone. Eventually, so much jawbone can be lost that your teeth become loose.

Removing plaque between teeth with floss

To remove plaque from between your teeth, you can use various tools, namely floss, toothpicks or brushes. Talk to your dentist or dental hygienist about which tool is most suitable for you. Use floss once a day if the gap is very narrow. For larger gaps, it is better to use toothpicks. Is the gap too large for a toothpick? Then use interdental brushes.

Which floss should I use?

Floss thread is available in different types and thicknesses, with and without wax coating. Some people prefer to use a floss bow. Consult your dentist or dental hygienist about which floss thread is best for you.

In the beginning, using floss can be difficult and painful. The gums then bleed easily because they are still inflamed. If you floss daily, the inflammation disappears and so does the bleeding. Moreover, using it becomes less painful. Bleeding gums can also result from incorrect technique. Doesn't the bleeding get less or worse? If so, see your dentist or dental hygienist.

How should I floss?

Take a piece of dental flossPass the wire through the contact point with measured forcePull the wire tight around the toothGently insert the wire under the gumsReturn the wire through the contact point with a sawing motionUse a new piece of floss for each gap

1. Take a forty-centimetre piece of floss thread for your entire teeth. Wrap the ends loosely around the middle fingers and hold a three-centimetre piece of floss thread tightly between both thumbs and index fingers.

2. Using your thumbs and index fingers, pass the wire through the point where the teeth meet (contact point) with measured force and back-and-forth movements. Do this carefully and avoid slipping.

3. Pull the wire tight around the tooth after the contact point. Bring the wire under the gums until you feel resistance. It should not hurt. Then, while keeping contact with the side of the tooth, pull the wire back to the contact point with short back-and-forth movements. 

4. Now pull the wire tightly around the adjacent side of the tooth. Gently bring the wire back under the gums. Stop if you feel resistance. While keeping contact with the side of the tooth, bring the wire back to the contact point with short back-and-forth movements.

5. Then bring the floss thread through the contact point with a sawing motion and retrieve it.

6. Continue to the next tooth or molar. Use a new piece of floss thread for each gap each time.

Bridge needle and superfloss

Bridge needle

If you cannot bring the floss thread through the point of contact between your teeth (for example, with a bridge or fixed braces), a bridge needle can help. A bridge needle is a plastic needle with a large eye. You feed a common floss thread through the eye of this needle. The tip of the needle passes between two teeth that are very close together. So the needle is an aid to get the floss thread between teeth where it would otherwise not be possible. Superfloss is an alternative to a bridge needle. The beginning of this floss thread has a sturdy tip in the shape of a plastic needle. This allows you to pull the floss thread through in one go.

Please note: Excessive or incorrect use of oral hygiene aids can cause damage to teeth and gums.

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