Flossing your teeth each day is essential to ideal dental health, but can you floss your teeth too much? The American Dental Association and Dr. Daxon here at Daxon Dentistry recommend that you floss at least once per day to help remove plaque from your gums and teeth. However, some feel that teeth should be flossed twice per day or after every meal. This begs the question: can you over-floss your teeth? Keep reading to learn our thoughts on the subject.
How Many Times A Day You Should Floss
As stated above, the ADA recommends that people floss at least once each day. Flossing is important to the dental health process to help remove plaque that can’t be reached by merely brushing your teeth. Flossing each day also prevents the growth and spread of gum disease and cavities.
Can You Floss Your Teeth Too Much?
While highly resilient, your teeth and gums are also highly sensitive. If you have eaten notoriously teeth-clogging foods like popcorn, corn on the cob or spinach, it is perfectly fine to floss more than once that day. However, you can floss too much. Flossing your teeth too much as part of your daily dental routine could damage or irritate your gums and gum line, causing soreness or swollenness. Over time, your tooth’s enamel will get worn down and the roots of your teeth could become exposed — causing more discomfort and dental issues like root cavities and root canals.
Should You Floss or Brush First?
While some prefer to floss before they brush to ensure that all of the gaps have been cleaned with toothpaste, others believe one should brush first to remove large particles and let the floss clean up the rest. It truly doesn’t matter when you floss your teeth as long as you do floss at least once each day.
Flossing Tips and Tricks
Always remember flossing should not be painful! Be sure not to apply too much pressure when you floss and keep up the routine each day to minimize any discomfort. Also, be sure to get the kids in on the habit as soon as he or she has two teeth that touch. (You may have to help children as it can be hard for youngsters who lack manual dexterity.) More tips from the ADA can be found here.
Contact Daxon Dentistry For More Flossing Info
To thoroughly clean your teeth and gums, you should floss at least once a day. Be sure not to floss too much as over-flossing can damage your gums. If you did not regularly floss in the past, you may benefit from the restorative dental procedures from Dr. Daxon. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your dental questions.