{"id":180,"date":"2019-12-17T19:14:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T19:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/?p=180"},"modified":"2021-11-04T18:15:28","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T18:15:28","slug":"steps-building-dental-floss-habit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Steps to Building a Flossing Habit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-181\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AdobeStock_101203092__1568123769_85880-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"man using dental floss\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AdobeStock_101203092__1568123769_85880-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AdobeStock_101203092__1568123769_85880-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AdobeStock_101203092__1568123769_85880.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s almost the new year, which means it\u2019s time to start thinking about those resolutions and building healthy habits for 2020. Maybe you want to hit the gym more often. Maybe you want to read more books. Maybe you keep meaning to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">floss<\/a> more, but you always seem to misplace your dental floss. That\u2019s why we have written this guide on how to get you more into the habit of flossing ahead of 2020.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>1. Find the Right Floss for Your Teeth<\/h2>\n<p>While it might seem like there\u2019s just the standard floss out there, that\u2019s actually far form the truth. For example, if your teeth are very close together, fine floss might help clean the space between them. Floss can even come in different flavors to make the habit more enjoyable.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Use the Correct Technique<\/h2>\n<p>You might be tempted to just search \u201cwhat is the best way to floss my teeth?\u201d but you might get all sorts of conflicting answers. Take this tried-and-true method from your dentist:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pull out a piece of dental floss that\u2019s about 18 inches long.<\/li>\n<li>Wind it around the middle fingers of both hands.<\/li>\n<li>Pinch the floss between your first fingers and thumbs, leaving a couple inches free between your hands.<\/li>\n<li>Pull the floss tight.<\/li>\n<li>Use your index fingers to guide the floss between two of your teeth, gently sliding back and forth.<\/li>\n<li>Wrap the floss around each tooth, sliding to the gumline.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat until you\u2019ve flossed all the spaces between your teeth and behind your molars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>3. Try Water Flossing<\/h2>\n<p>Also known as a waterpik, water flossing involves a handheld appliance that shoots a steady stream of water between your teeth to flush out any debris. Many people use this as an alternative to traditional flossing.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Set Reminders<\/h2>\n<p>If you struggle to remember to floss, try setting a reminder on your phone right before bedtime. Alternatively, you could place your floss on your pillow so that you can\u2019t go to bed without being reminded to floss.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Stick with It<\/h2>\n<p>When you first start flossing, your gums might be sensitive or even bleed, but power through it. After a few days to a couple weeks, these problems should be gone. Moreover, you\u2019ll soon start to feel gross if you go a day without flossing.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Keep Track of Your Progress<\/h2>\n<p>Mark on your calendar the day you started flossing. Then, at your next dental checkup, ask how your amount of plaque compares to previous visits. You\u2019ll likely be pleasantly surprised at the results!<\/p>\n<p>Flossing is quite an admirable New Year\u2019s resolution. Follow these habits to make it not just a resolution, but a lifelong habit.<\/p>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/meet-your-dentists.html\">Dr. Clarene Green Hightower<\/a> is a graduate of Howard University\u2019s College of Dentistry. She has had years of working in pediatric dentistry, so she welcomes families to her practice, Ambiance Dental Spa in Bowie, MD. She believes that when it comes to dental care, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Flossing is a great way to keep all kinds of oral health issues like gum disease at bay. To learn more about how best to implement flossing into your daily life, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/contact.html\">contact<\/a> Dr. Hightower at (301) 262-2624.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s almost the new year, which means it\u2019s time to start thinking about those resolutions and building healthy habits for 2020. Maybe you want to hit the gym more often. Maybe you want to read more books. Maybe you keep meaning to floss more, but you always seem to misplace your dental floss. That\u2019s why [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dental Floss | What&#039;s the Best Way to Floss My Teeth | Dr. Clarene Green Hightower<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is your New Year\u2019s Resolution to use dental floss more frequently? Then read this guide with six steps on how to make that habit a daily one.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dental Floss | What&#039;s the Best Way to Floss My Teeth | Dr. Clarene Green Hightower\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is your New Year\u2019s Resolution to use dental floss more frequently? Then read this guide with six steps on how to make that habit a daily one.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ambiance Dental Spa | Bowie MD | Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-17T19:14:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-04T18:15:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AdobeStock_101203092__1568123769_85880-300x199.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ambianceteam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ambianceteam\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/\",\"name\":\"Dental Floss | What's the Best Way to Floss My Teeth | Dr. Clarene Green Hightower\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/steps-building-dental-floss-habit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/AdobeStock_101203092__1568123769_85880-300x199.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-17T19:14:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-04T18:15:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ambiancedentspa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6c43a2812ceca1eac0d29f014fc80318\"},\"description\":\"Is your New Year\u2019s Resolution to use dental floss more frequently? 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