I am sure we’ve all been there. You are in the tooth care aisle of your local pharmacy shopping for the necessities (toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, floss) and find yourself quite overwhelmed with the overabundance of products, brands, and types. Most people go for the same toothpaste or toothbrush over and over again. Hey, once you find something you love and it works for you, why change it? The same applies to floss.
POINTS OF CONTACT
Floss is something you need to choose based on your specific needs. The floss you use should be based primarily on how much space you have in between your contacts. We’re not talking about contact lenses for the eyes. We’re talking about dental contacts, which are points of contact where a tooth touches its adjacent tooth. It’s pretty simple: for tight contacts, use a thinner floss; for loose contacts, use a thicker floss.
TIGHT CONTACTS
Chicago’s Sugar Fix Dental Loft recommends Oral-B’s Glide products for tight contacts. Out of most products on the market, Glide slides easily between tight spaces. Having tight contacts is a good thing. The more your teeth are touching each other, the less food, drink and bacteria can get stuck and fester. This means less buildup of dental plaque, which then hardens into tartar. I recently picked up the Glide Pro-Health Deep Clean Floss in Cool Mint to keep in my handbag and have on the go. I love how strong it is, while at the same time easily sliding in between the tightest points of contact between my teeth.
BREAK DOWN CALCULUS
This author’s contacts are tight thanks to years of orthodontia, but my front two bottom teeth do not touch, save for a tiny part at the tip-top of each tooth. Thus, the yellow junk otherwise known as dental calculus develops practically overnight. Yuck. Thanks to daily flossing, I have been able to slowly break down the calculus so it’s less visible. It won’t 100% go away until a professional teeth cleaning, but flossing sure does help get rid of the yellow stuff!
LOOSE CONTACTS
For those of you with loose contacts, choose a thicker floss like Reach. You know this one. It’s the unwaxed woven floss that kind of resembles a string of yarn. The traditional colors are blue and white. Two strings woven together create a larger surface area to help wipe away plaque. The thicker diameter of the woven floss is a great option for loose contacts.
CONTACT
Have a question about which floss is right for you? Give the team a call at her cosmetic dental practice Sugar Fix Dental Loft, located in the beautiful Chicago neighborhood of Lakeview. Schedule a consultation so that they can assess your contacts and advise the best floss for you!