Üsküdar Dental Hospital Periodontology Specialist Dr. Instructor Kübra Güler explained why dental floss is important for oral and dental health. Periodontology Specialist Dr., who started his speech by pointing out that brushing alone is not enough to protect oral and dental health, however, it is necessary to use dental floss. Instructor Member Kübra Güler said, “Assuming that brushing can be done effectively, only the visible surfaces of the teeth can be cleaned during brushing. Namely the front, back and top surfaces. However, the adjacent surfaces cannot be cleaned because the bristles cannot touch each other. Cleaning these surfaces, which we call interface, is possible with dental floss. If it is not cleaned, caries, gingival inflammation and bleeding can occur on the surfaces of the teeth that face each other. said.
Explaining how often dental floss should be used, Güler said, “If dental floss is used intermittently, it cannot provide effective cleaning, so dental interface health cannot be ensured. In order to get meaningful results, it must be used once a day in the evening before going to bed. In addition, if used correctly, it can be used at different times when needed. For example, fibrous foods such as meat can be caught between the teeth, in such a case, dental floss can be used after the meal. he said.
Noting that gingival bleeding can be seen when dental floss is just started to be used, Güler said, “Because the food left on the interfaces caused the gingiva to become inflamed. However, when dental floss is started to be used regularly every evening, bleeding begins to occur from the third evening. Now the gums have regained their health. If there is still bleeding on the third day, either the dental floss is being used incorrectly or there is a condition in the gums that requires treatment. In this case, it is necessary to see a gum disease specialist.” warned.
Güler stated that if there are protrusions on the surface of the tooth while using dental floss, these may be tartar, and said, “After the tooth surfaces are completely smoothed by a gum disease specialist, gum bleeding will pass with regular floss use and there will be no bleeding in subsequent uses. Another point that requires a warning is that using it in a way that will traumatize the gums can cause gum recession. In this case, there is no harm in consulting a gum disease specialist for dental floss training.” said.
Mentioning when and in which situations dental floss should be used in children, Dr. Instructor Member Kübra Güler said, “It is necessary to pay attention to the content of the diet in children. Consuming plenty of uncooked whole fruits, vegetables, nuts by biting and chewing will provide physiological cleaning of the teeth. Consuming soft and sticky foods causes caries. If hard foods are not consumed, which will enable the chewing function to be effective, caries may occur, especially on the surfaces of the molars facing each other. In such cases, dental floss can be used. However, the fine motor skills required for flossing in children are not yet developed. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for us to expect their use. A mother, father or caregiver can help with this. If the baby teeth come out and permanent teeth erupt, that is, between the ages of 10-12, the child's fine motor skills are now developed and he can clean between teeth using dental floss. he said.
Stating that dental floss is generally divided into two as natural or nylon, Güler said, “The ones made of natural materials can be slightly thicker than the artificial ones in order to be resistant to breakage. For this reason, individuals with very tight dental contacts may have difficulty using natural dental floss, as it will be difficult to get in between the teeth. Nylon ones can be waxed or unwaxed. The waxed ones may be a little thicker as extra wax is added on them, but you will not have any trouble getting them into the tooth gap as the wax will provide slipperiness.” said.
Noting that which variety should be used depends entirely on personal preference, Güler concluded his words as follows:
“Whether it is in the form of a roll or toothpick, any type of dental floss provides effective cleaning at the point of use. Toothpicks are a little easier to use, but because they cannot wrap around the tooth in a C-shape, they may not be as effective as the pull-out dental floss that we use by wrapping the finger. However, you can definitely use these toothpick-shaped dental floss in cases where you cannot use the plucked ones or are lazy. The aroma is also entirely up to individual preference. In addition, some dental floss may contain fluorine. It may be beneficial for patients who are prone to caries to prefer a dental floss containing fluoride in this way to prevent caries.”