Helpful Hints by Dental Associates

1. Setting up and inserting floss.
   Pull about 18 inches of floss from the dispenser and wrap the ends around your middle fingers.  Hold floss tightly, using your fingers to gently guide the floss between the teeth.


2. Removing plaque.
   Holding the floss tightly against the tooth, move the floss away from the gum, scraping the floss up and down against the side of the tooth.


3. Cleaning the whole mouth.
   Repeat flossing procedure on each tooth, upper and lower, using a clean segment of floss.


4. Flossing back teeth.
   Don't forget to floss behind back teeth or where there is no adjacent tooth.

When to start flossing.

Start flossing your child's teeth when they fit closely together at age two or three.  At about age eight, kids should be able to floss their own teeth.  Teach your children to floss once a day.