Irrigating and Flossing your Teeth

After brushing it’s time to irrigate:

Grab yourself a Waterpik and run the water stream along the gum-line of each tooth in the mouth. You will be surprised at the particles of food that wash out from between the teeth. Along with a water irrigating device it is also important to floss. Irrigating or flossing alone does not remove all food particles. After flossing and irrigating, completeyour home care routine by using a mouthwash. Use a fluoride rinse such as Listerine Total Care mouthwash. The coating of fluoride provided by the rinse is important to strengthen the teeth against decay.

What about bleeding and sensitivity when irrigating the teeth

Bleeding gums

It is possible that you will notice bleeding while washing along the gum line at the edge of the teeth. Each day, be sure to thoroughly brush, floss and irrigate. Let the pulse of water go directly into the bleeding area or areas. After a few days, the bleeding should stop. If the bleeding continues then let your dentist observe your gums. You might need a deep professional cleaning to cure the bleeding area. If your gums are red and bleeding then you might also experience discomfort while irrigating and flossing. Don’t give up. Put the Waterpik and afterward place the floss right into the areas of gum that bother you.After a week of proper cleaning, the discomfort and bleeding will lessen as the gums heal in.

How to irrigate bleeding gums:

Place the tip of the Waterpik directly into the bleeding areas, (which usually occurs between the teeth). Rinse these areas out thoroughly. Don’t be afraid of the blood. Rinse it well, let it bleed. Afterward, run the Waterpik along the gum line for each tooth. Sometimes there will be bleeding in your mouth but you will not be sure where it is coming from. This is another reason why each and every tooth must be irrigated at least once daily Remember, after a few days, the bleeding will lessen as the inflammation will recede.

Irritated gums and roots:

Use warm water when irrigating. Don’t worry about areas that are occasionally sensitive or irritated. This is usually due to mild gum inflammation or root sensitivity, both of which will heal after several days of irrigation use. Continued sensitivity after a week might signify a cavity or nerve problem - check it out with your dentist.

Be sure to floss all the way into the gums.

Flossing technique

Wrap floss around one finger on each hand and run the string up and down between each tooth. Check out the video. Note while watching the video that flossing is done in an up and down motion INTO the gums. It is not done in a side to side motion.

There are many types of floss:

• There are different thicknesses of floss. You may have to experiment with different brands.

• There are different shapes of floss threads from strings to ribbons.

• There are wax-like coatings and uncoated floss threads.

• Glide floss is a bit different. ‘Glide Floss’ is a ribbon of floss, very thin and coated with a non-stick chemical. It is very easy to use. There have been some reports that Glide Floss has some safety concerns. This is not true. The American Dental Association says recent concerns about the chemical coating on Glide Floss are unfounded.

  The differences between waxed and unwaxed floss:

  Some brands of floss are coated with wax, which makes it easier to slide the floss between the teeth. Floss that lacks a wax coating may be slightly more difficult to slide between the teeth. The ‘uncoated, non-wax’ flosses have an advantage, however, they clean better than wax floss. This is due to the floss ‘scraping’ the sides of the teeth cleaner than wax flosses do. If you are able to use a non-stick or non-wax floss then do so. If you have trouble with these brands then chose either Glide floss or waxed floss.

  Brands of waxed floss include: REACH and Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Floss

  Brands of non-waxed floss include: Oral-B Essential and CVS unwaxed floss.