Laser-Assisted
Periodontal Therapy

String is in the AIR

Dentists rate flossing as even more essential than brushing. If you know what's good for the crevices between your teeth, you'll do it every day.

Most of us brush our teeth routinely, morning and night. After all, who doesn't love having a minty-clean mouth and whisking away those infuriating bacteria that cause tooth decay? But what we don't do (or at least 90 percent of us don't, according to one statistic) is floss on a daily basis --as if we just couldn't fit more dental activity into our busy schedules.

Well, listen up. It's time to correct that omission. Flossing is now regarded by dental professionals as even more crucial to a healthy mouth than brushing. It removes the food particles and plaque that perversely elude the toothbrush by hiding between the teeth. The more we don't floss, the more those food bits and plaque build up, causing irritation and inflammation of the gums. Eventually, this state of affairs leads to periodontal disease. And periodontal disease not only causes tooth and bone loss, but is now known to increase our risk of heart disease by a factor of three, notes Richard M. Rotchestein, DDS, of Charlotte, NC.

Daily flossing also helps prevent tooth decay, points out Zarina Stoller, DMD, of Delray Beach, FL, who adds that "even high tech twenty-first-century cavity detectors can't discover cavities that develop between the teeth." To get at that decay, you've literally got to work your way into the narrow crevices between the teeth, and the surefire means to accomplish that is with a length of floss.

So it's little wonder that the American Dental Association recommends flossing at least once a day. If you're smart, you'll carry around a supply of floss, for dislodging those annoying string-bean sinews and bits of jalapeno seed that invariably get caught between the teeth when you're out and about.

Fortunately for us, it's a floss-shopper's market out there in consumerland today. No longer are we consigned to buying plain old waxed or unwaxed floss. Now we can choose between floss as thin as a strand of silk, or as thick and flat as ribbon. We can also indulge in appetite-curbing cinnamon, spearmint, cranberry, and tea-tree-oil flavored flosses (which are almost like having mini-snacks). And finally, we're now witnessing flosses that come saturated with plaque inhibitors, whitening ingredients, and enamel strengtheners.

Okay, so you're willing to give daily flossing a whirl. But don't just slip that string between your teeth and quickly yank it out. There's an art to flossing. And, like proper toothbrushing, it takes a bit of extra time. But try it. The tip of your tongue will like that new, non fuzzy feeling between your teeth. --L.D.

Beautiful Teeth's Five Step Flossing Program:

1. Break off an 18-inch length of floss, and wind most of it around your index or middle finger. Wind the remaining floss around the same finger of the opposite hand. This is the finger that will pick up the slack of used floss. (Whew! That took some explaining.) If this is too tricky, try the kind of floss that's loaded into a disposable handle.

2. Choose a starting point: maybe the space between your two front teeth, or your farthest back molar.

3. Holding the floss taut, use a sawing motion as you guide it between your teeth (or, in the case of that farthest molar, the outer gum edge of the tooth). Ideally, the floss should "snap" through to the gum level. Once there, gently coax it from side to side. Then work it up and down against the edge of the opposing tooth.

4. If the floss gets stuck, don't try to wrench it out. Just slip it out sideways, and try again. Don't give up. If floss gets stuck in that spot, so can food particles.

5. Be diligent: Floss this way between all your teeth.

Source: Oh, what Beautiful Teeth - A supplement to Contemporary Esthetics and Restorative Practice®. Copyright 2003. Medical World Business Press, Inc. An MWC Publication. Premier Issue/Summer 2003, pg. 10.