Flossing could be an awkward, annoying and boring experience but what we don’t know is that flossing is the only way that the residual food stuck in between of our teeth can be efficiently removed.

There is no tooth brush that can actually access to such a difficult space.

In addition, every single minute that goes by and that little piece of food is stuck in between our teeth is the perfect reservoir for the bacterias to proliferate and start a cavity which is located in one of the most difficult areas to diagnose and one of the weakest areas of our teeth, so the most aggressive cavities are located here.

Residual food in between our teeth not only represents a potential aggressive cavity but also bad breath, and potential periodontal pathology development by allowing the bacterias to progress along the tooth downwards the soft tissues (gum)

There are many different types of floss and most of them are difficult to use, the contact points of our teeth sometimes are too tight and this represents a very bad experience while trying to overcome that narrow space. This is the reason why here we are going to help you to choose the right type of floss to avoid hurting your gum while overcoming the contact point of our teeth.

The brand is not particularly important but we recommend that the floss picked should be flat, a real TAPE. This particular shape of our floss (flat surface) can go through the contact point very easily avoiding damaging the gum at the time of its use.

We should floss every night, before brushing and going to bed in order to remove all the potential food storage stuck that will serve as bacterial energy during the night.

This will be the best and most efficient way to avoid cavity progression down the road because strategic prevention is the most effective way to save money and time in our lives.

Dr. Nicolas Aronna Mallia

Periodontics & Implant Dentistry

New York University

Medical Director of Advance Dental Institute

Aesthetic Dentistry