The Importance of Flossing

Dr. Gordon Tam • April 21, 2020

What is a dental floss?


A dental floss is a thin cord of filaments that we used to remove any food stuck in between our teeth and areas that a toothbrush is unable to reach. The most common and popular dental floss in the market, and often most recommended by dentists is the one that is wax coated. As it is wax coated, it is more gentle on our gums and leaves a minty taste after flossing.

Types of dental flosses

  • F-shaped floss
  • Y-shaped floss
  • Interdental floss
  • Water flosser

Other than the cord of floss in a dispenser box, there are a few variations that cater to different needs and usage. 

The F-shaped and Y-shaped dental floss wands are designed for the convenience of flossing without needing 2 hands to do the flossing motion in between our teeth. It is a single-hand operation design that enables the user to floss efficiently and reach to the back of the mouth. 

There is also a similar design but battery operated flosser. It serves the similar purpose as the F-shaped and Y-shaped dental floss. It is designed for users who are unable to master the traditional string floss technique.

For you who are wearing braces, you will find that you can use a traditional dental floss directly. You need a floss threader to help the floss to go through the brackets, wires and bands, allowing flossing to be efficient, just like a needle and thread. 

An interdental floss looks like a mini toothbrush with bristles at the sides with a short handle that allows you to grab on and floss in between teeth. It is effective for those teeth with bigger gaps. The interdental floss does not cut the gums accidentally like a normal dental floss does. Usually people choose interdental floss over a traditional dental floss when the dental floss is inefficient and some gaps and corners can’t be reached. 

The water flosser is an electronic floss with water sprouting out, cleaning through your teeth. It is popular for those people who do not like the traditional dental floss and effective in cleaning out food stuck in between the teeth where dental floss can’t reach. It also helps to flush underneath the gum line which many people tend to ignore and neglect. 

It is not a replacement for a toothbrush, but an enhancement to flossing our teeth. The water flosser is a good choice for those wearing braces and find using traditional dental floss with a floss threader too cumbersome to manipulate. It has a different intensity of strength that allows water to pass through the intricate nooks in between your teeth to remove food traps.

Why do we need to floss?

Very often, we are not able to brush and clean off all the food trapped in between our teeth with just a toothbrush. During brushing, there are areas that a toothbrush is unable to reach, and mouthwash is unable to flush these debris out. We needed intervention from a thinner string to go in between to remove them. 

The dental floss is an adjunct aid that helps brushing and cleaning our teeth more effectively. To complete our daily routine dental hygiene, we need to floss, brush and rinse with mouthwash. 

Food traps not only cause gum inflammation and eventually lead to tooth decay, it also causes bad breath. The food decomposing in between our teeth gives out foul smell. Imagine yourself conducting a presentation in front of your clients, and people get to see ‘what you ate for lunch’ and avoiding speaking to you directly due to your bad breath. 

How frequent do we need to floss our teeth?

Ideally, we should floss our teeth after every meal. Just like rinsing our mouths after each meal, flossing will remove any food stuck in between our teeth. Any remnant of food remaining in between our teeth will start to decompose over time and cause gum inflammation and eventually leads to tooth decay. 

In severe cases, gum irritation and inflammation will lead to gum disease and require professional deep cleaning through the gums to restore the gum health. Tooth decay in this situation will usually develop in pairs as the food is stuck in between two teeth. 

Simple routine oral maintenance allows us to minimise potential discomfort and pain caused by our laziness of not brushing and flossing our teeth well. 

Together with regular dental checkups and cleaning done by the dentist helps us to maintain healthy teeth and gums and even our breath! 

Flossing helps to reduce the plaque build up by 80% as compared to just brushing alone. It enhances better dental and gingival health and reduces plaque retention and possible dental diseases. 

You can find out more about which type of dental floss is suitable for your oral condition. Contact us for a consultation session now to get a clear understanding of your oral health. 

For more information and consultation, please contact Smile Design Dental Practice at +65 6463 8588.


To serve you better, we are available by Appointment Only. 

Please contact us to schedule for an appointment.

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