To begin, it may appear very hard to digest that anyone would want to rinse and reuse floss. But the truth is, the idea has actually become prevalent due to wrong information spread around on the internet.
Reusing dental floss can be potentially harmful and result in end number of problems. These can also deteriorate your oral health, urging you to seek medical help.
If you are taking out time to floss, it’s important that you do it right! People are also confused about how much floss to use, what time to floss and how many times can you use the same floss.
Before we dig deeper into answering these questions, let us guide you on how to floss right.
Table of Contents
Dental Flossing –The Right Technique
How one holds their floss makes a difference. Sawing the floss forth and back is a wrong technique and can cause more harm than any good.
- Keep the floss about half a feet (18 inches)
- While holding a small portion of floss in your hand, dispense it in your mouth between your teeth.
- Curve gently such that the tooth is in a “C shape”
- Move the floss back and forth, left and right including your gumline. Do not apply a lot of pressure as the floss could break.
- Do not reuse a floss. Use a new one for every tooth.
How many times should you floss?
Dental Flossing a day would keep your dentist away! Well, this might sound strange but dentists around the world recommend dental flossing to be practiced once a day. Making it a habit of your oral regime can keep you devoid of any tooth problems.
On the other hand, frequent dental flossing in a day can do more harm than any good. It can affect sensitivity and cause gum irritation. Hence, do not worry about dental flossing more than once in a day.
Should I consider re-using a dental floss?
As we know, dental flossing is an important part of maintaining one’s oral regime. Floss helps to remove bacteria, plaque and food particles from the teeth. Reusing a dental floss can lead to more plaque. Further, it can introduce some new bacteria that may have been around where your pics are kept. Hence, reusing a floss is a totally bad idea and should be strictly avoided!
What are the problems that can arise from reusing a dental floss?
Floss picks are made in such a manner that they should be ideally used once. If you are considering reusing a dental floss, Beware!
If you have had a dental issue before such a gum disease or cracked tooth, reusing a floss can bring in unwanted issues.
There can be times when your floss appears clean, but in reality, they can be a home to many bacteria. These bacteria are not visible through a naked eye but can be observed under a microscope.
A floss picks that has been reused once loses its effectiveness and should be immediately discarded. You can consider reusing it in other aspects. For example: use a reused dental floss as a wire for hanging things or tying your pile of sheets. Consider using them as shoelaces for an old pair of shoe before you purchase a new one.
Hence, the bottom line is one and simple that never consider reusing a dental floss. Talk to your dentist and ask for his guidance on learning why it is not recommended to re-use a dental floss. For more information, feel free to Contact Anoka Dental Now!
