It’s February! Along with long stemmed roses and romantic dinners, Dakota Dental Center has an added suggestion that will leave your special Valentine with a sweet impression of you … Floss!
What? Did you miss the obvious connection between flossing your teeth and romance? Skipping this good oral hygiene practice can cause bad breath. And without a doubt, bad breath has sabotaged more than one perfect kiss, friendly conversation or positive first impression.
90% of bad breath cases are caused by bacteria in your mouth that munch on food particles left on your teeth. Even worse, after dining on those decadent morsels left behind from your dinner at Kincaid’s, these bacteria release offensive sulfur compounds. (Sorry you had to hear it from your Dakota Dental Clinic friends, but they’re the same compounds that cause rotten eggs to smell badly – yikes!) Hurry! Read on for the good news ….
Good personal oral care and dental service is the ticket to removing these bad breath causing bacteria. While most people are pretty diligent about brushing, about 40% of tooth surfaces are missed if flossing doesn’t happen. Flossing can seem like such an innocent practice to skip, but look at it this way: Would you want to only shower or bathe 60% of your body on a regular basis? Yeah … we didn’t think so.
Just a quick little review on how to floss from Dakota Dental Apple Valley Family Dentistry:
- Use about 18 inches of floss, winding most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the remaining floss around the same finger on your other hand. This finger will collect the used floss. Hold the floss snugly between your thumbs and forefingers.
- Use a gentle rubbing motion and slide the floss between every tooth. Don’t snap the floss into your gums.
- When the floss reaches your gum line, curve it into a “C” shape against one tooth. Slide it into the space between the gum and tooth.
- Hold the floss tightly against the tooth. Gently rub the side of the tooth, moving the floss away from the gum with up and down motions.
- Repeat this process on all of your teeth and don’t forget the back side of your last tooth.
Along with popping in to see your Apple Valley dentist at Dakota Dental, really good brushing and regular daily flossing, don’t forget to brush your tongue. Bad breath related bacteria like to hunker down within the crevices of your tongue as well.
Dakota Dental family dentistry provides quality preventative dental health care that supports a healthy mouth, beautiful teeth and fresh breath. Ask us about the wide spectrum of dental services Dakota Dental Clinic offers including teeth whitening, veneers, bonding, crowns, smile makeover and Invisalign services for a smile your Valentine will definitely notice!