How to Floss Teeth

Although it only takes a few minutes a day, flossing your teeth can go a long way toward keeping your smile bright and improving the health of your teeth and gums. Our guide on how to floss teeth will show you the proper way to use the dental tool and provide tips on using floss and floss alternatives around dental work like braces, crowns and implants.

• If you typically break out the dental floss a few days before your annual checkup, you may want to add it to your daily routine.AARP: Brush and Floss Regularly for Good Oral Health Not only does it help you clean the sides of your teeth and the spaces between them, but according to WebMD, flossing may even add more than six years to your lifespan.Mayo Clinic: Dental Floss Vs. Water Pick WebMD: Healthy Habits No. 6: Practice Good Dental Hygiene Created by a New Orleans dentist in 1815, floss is easy to use properly once you learn a few simple techniques.Dentists.org: What's So Important about Dental Floss?

1. Use about 18 inches of floss and wind the ends around your middle fingers for stability.
2. Pinch the floss between your thumbs and index fingers to keep it taut as you work.
3. Gently insert the floss between upper teeth by pressing with your thumbs.
4. Insert the floss between lower teeth by pressing with your index fingers.
5. Work the floss gently below the gumline, forming a "c" shape to clean the sides of each tooth.
6. Try using superfloss to clean around implants, below bridges or between widely spaced teeth.
7. Use a floss threader to help use floss around braces.
8. Floss picks can help kids and adults with poor fine motor skills clean between teeth.

• With different flavors, thicknesses and coatings, there's a type of dental floss to suit your preferences and the configuration of your teeth. Whatever one you choose, be sure it has the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval. It ensures that the ADA Council of Scientific Affairs considers it a safe and proven way to reduce plaque and gingivitis.American Dental Association: How Does the ADA Evaluate Floss?

1. Unwaxed: While the thin nylon yarn fits between particularly close teeth, it can fray or snap easily.Everyday Health: Unwaxed Floss
2. Waxed: Coated with a layer of wax, this floss is ideal if you need help sliding it along the surface of your teeth.Tooth Club: Floss Coating
   • -For a refreshing feel, consider mint-flavored waxed floss.Tooth Club: Floss Coating
3. Dental Tape: Available in waxed and unwaxed versions, dental tape is wide and flat, perfect for flossing between teeth with more space between them.Everyday Health: Dental Tape
4. Superfloss: Superfloss is a multi-use floss that features joined segments of regular floss, thicker spongy floss and a stiff tip that helps slide the floss through gaps in teeth or dental work like a fixed bridge.Tooth Club: Superfloss

• Note: The ADA doesn't recommend rinsing and reusing floss since it will be less effective and possibly introduce bacteria to your mouth.American Dental Association: Can I Rinse and Reuse Floss?

• The ADA suggests flossing once a day, preferably before brushing to help the toothpaste's fluoride reach tight spots.American Dental Association: When's The Best Time to Floss? Choose the flossing method that's most comfortable for you.

• Spool Method

1. Cut 18 inches of dental floss from the container.American Dental Association: How Do I Floss My Teeth?
2. Twist the floss around the middle finger on each hand.Oral B: Flossing 101: Tone Your Technique
3. Pinch the floss on each side between your thumbs and index fingers to keep it taut.Colgate: How to Floss: Flossing Tips
4. Guide the floss between your teeth with the tips of your index fingers.American Dental Hygienists' Association: Proper Flossing
   • -Try to use a slow sawing motion so the floss doesn't cut into your gums.Dentistry.com: The Right Way to Floss
   • -Curve the floss around each tooth to clean the sides, going gently below the gumline.Colgate: How to Floss: Flossing Tips
   • -Work away from the gums, moving the floss up and down to free it from your teeth.Colgate: How to Floss: Flossing Tips
5. Move the floss to ensure you clean each tooth with a new, clean segment.American Dental Hygienists' Association: Proper Flossing
6. Repeat the flossing process for every tooth, including the backs of the last teeth.American Dental Association: How Do I Floss My Teeth?
   • YouTube Video: Flossing Tutorial (Time: 2:38)

• Loop Method

1. Cut an 18-inch piece of dental floss.Your Total Health: Loop (or circle) Method
2. Knot the floss' ends together so you've got a secure circle.Yale Medical Group: Flossing Methods: Loop Method
3. Grab the circle with both hands, holding a small length between your thumbs and index fingers.Revolution Health: Circle Method for Using Dental Floss
4. Use your index fingers to gently press the floss between your bottom teeth.John Hopkins Medicine: Flossing Methods for Adults: Loop Method
5. Use your thumbs to press the floss between your upper teeth.Academy of General Dentistry: How Should I Floss?
6. Gently guide the floss below the gumline.Yale Medical Group: Flossing Methods: Loop Method
7. Create a "C" shape with the floss to help clean the sides of each tooth.John Hopkins Medicine: Flossing Methods for Adults: Loop Method

• Note: Teach the loop method to children or adults with arthritis or poor muscle coordination since it makes the floss easier to hold and control.Academy of General Dentistry: How Should I Floss?

1. Crowns: When flossing around crowns, slide the floss out from between your teeth instead of lifting it out. The motion can possibly jar the crown loose, particularly if it's a temporary.Web MD: How Should I Care for My Temporary Dental Crown?
2. Fixed Bridges: Clean fixed bridges with super floss, using the stiff end to thread the floss under the bridge.Tooth Club: Fixed Bridge Cleaning
   • -Pull the spongy portion of the floss between the gums and the bridge to eliminate any food or buildup.Tooth Club: Fixed Bridge Cleaning
   • -Carefully pull the floss out from under the bridge.Tooth Club: Fixed Bridge Cleaning
3. Dental Implants: Floss around the implant posts with the teeth removed.Dental Implants of Long Island: Maintenance of Dental Implants
   • -Try a floss threader to guide the floss through the gaps between the posts.Everyday Health: Floss Threader

1. Use waxed dental floss since unwaxed floss will easily shred on the braces' brackets.Orthodontics.org: Flossing
   • -Consider using a floss threader or the stiff end of superfloss to guide the floss under the braces' archwires.Dr. Miller Orthodontics: Flossing
2. Gently push the floss toward the gumline and pull it away from the gums, repeating the motion about five times.Northside Orthodontics: Flossing
   • -Be careful not to pull too hard on the way down, which will put pressure on the braces' wire.Northside Orthodontics: Flossing
3. Use clean sections of the floss as you clean between different pairs of teeth.Dr. Miller Orthodontics: Flossing
   • YouTube Video: Flossing with Braces (Time: 1:31)

• If you're unable to use traditional lengths of dental floss to clean between your teeth, consider these alternatives to simplify the process.

1. Floss Pick: Considered dental floss with a handle, floss picks can help children or adults with poor motor skills clean between their teeth. Battery-operated versions or those with picks on the other end that you can use to remove food particles are also available. Oral B: Flossers: Oral Care Made Easier Oral B: Get Picky About Flossing: Try a Floss Pick
2. Interdental Brushes: With the appearance of miniature bottle brushes, interdental brushes are covered with nylon fibers can be used to clean around implants or gently pushed between teeth spaced widely apart.Dimensions of Dental Hygiene: Floss Alternatives: Interdental Brushes
3. End Tuft Brushes: Featuring nylon bristles sticking straight out of a plastic handle, end tuft brushes can be inserted to clean between widely spaced teeth by using a motion similar to using a paintbrush.Everyday Health: End-tufted Brushes
   • -End-tuft brushes can be helpful for adults who have trouble controlling the more flexible interdental brushes.Dimensions of Dental Hygiene: Floss Alternatives: End Tuft Brushes
4. Tip Stimulator: The rubber tips often found at the end of toothbrushes, tip stimulators can be used to massage gums or remove food particles and plaque.Everyday Health: Tip Stimulator
5. Water Pick: Although water picks, which shoot streams of water between your teeth, can help remove large particles, they may not clean the tight spaces between your teeth or along your gums.Oral B: Get Picky About Flossing: Try a Floss Pick
   • YouTube Video: How to Maintain Healthy Teeth (Time: 2:22)
   • YouTube Video: Flossing Alternatives: Inter-Dental Devices (Time: 2:47)

• A little flossing definitely goes a long way toward improving your oral health. Bear in mind that your gums may bleed a little if you haven't been flossing regularly. Your gums should heal in five or six days and the bleeding should stop.AARP: Brush and Floss Regularly for Good Oral Health Be sure to consult your dentist or orthodontist if you continue to experience problems with your teeth, gums or flossing technique.

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your dentist before using the information presented here.