Why Do Hygienists Use String Dental Floss?
We asked our dental hygienist Sharon, why she uses string dental floss with her patients.
String dental floss, inter proximal soft picks and water flosses are all beneficial tools in adding in plaque removal and helping to keep our mouths clean. However, they each have different functions.
I use floss at the end of the hygiene appointment for several reasons:
- To remove any remaining plaque or food particles that are directly in the contact areas of the teeth – this area is only accessible with floss.
- I also use floss as a way of checking and feeling between the teeth for any remaining calculus. You want the tooth surface to feel smooth after a cleaning.
- Flossing also helps to remove any remaining tooth polish that may be still present.
There is not a need to use a water flosser or soft picks at the end of a cleaning because the teeth have already been cleaned with the ultrasonic scaler which flushes out between teeth and gums with water and hand instruments that remove soft and hard deposits on the teeth and under the gum tissue. Water flossers and soft picks are great to use at home for daily cleaning of teeth and gums along with daily thorough brushing and flossing with string dental floss.
