I’ve been flossing usually twice a day, sometimes only once a day, pretty strictly for the past 2 weeks or so. mostly because my grandma bullied me lol. However it still hurts? when does it usually go away?
I do it once a day, which is what my dentist recommends. Usually at night so you don’t go to sleep with stuff in your teeth. Being gentle should prevent it from hurting.
I would suggest try different brands of floss. Some are shit, some too slippery etc etc. Also practice and improve your technique. Personally I found the Colgate floss to be too thick and Oral B is best suited for me.
Also fun fact : the gap between all your teeth may not be same. Some maybe a bit more bunched up, be careful on how much force you apply. Too much force and it’ll go straight to your gums and you’ll end up bleeding.
Last option if you are lazy is use a Waterpik or some other dental water flosser.
Yeah, I’d say not cheaping out on floss is one of the more important things. I bought some cheap floss while on a trip since I forgot mine and it absolutely destroyed my gums even though I’ve been flossing for years without any issues.
Yeah, I’ve been buying more expensive floss (Cocofloss) and it’s awesome. God I’m old.
Waterpik is not used to floss.
Idk what you mean by this but both Waterpik and floss are interdental cleaners performing the same job. They have very subtle differences but ADA says either is fine as long as you’re doing one of them.
It’s Butlerweave or nothing for me!
This will tend to happen if you’re snapping the floss in between each tooth. Use a gentle back and forth motion to slip it between teeth, and slide it against the side of each tooth gently. If it hurts, you’re probably being too rough. Also maybe start with once per day, in the evening.
Try a waterpik, or just go easier on yourself. Also grandma is right, flossing is really good for you and will improve your oral health a lot. I floss basically after every time I eat, it’s just automatic and feels so good to have clean teeth
Waterpiks are great but not really a substitute for flossing
But they’re a great substitute for not flossing, which is what I’d wager most people do
Personally I advocate for having a beard - ready made floss is always at hand.
As a man with thirteen teeth, I wholeheartedly applaud your gran’s tenacity. If your gums are damaged by not flossing, they’ll bleed a lot at first.
Has your dentist recommended a deep cleaning? It’s possible you have tarter under the gum line. That would cause inflammation and lead to more painful flossing. Once my gum disease was in check, they stopped bleeding from my water pick, before that, it was a fountain of gore.
Flossing shouldn’t be painful. Maybe you’re doing it wrong?
Still painful for me after being consistent for 30 years.
And yes, I do it right. I’ve had probably a dozen dentists.
Not everyone is the same.
Not a dentist. Should probably see one. Mine were in really bad shape. I didn’t take care of them for a long time. I’m trying now. At first all the gums would bleed and hurt. A month later still bad. I ended up giving the gums a couple days to heal every once and a while then back to once a day. Two years later still two spots that hurt a little and bleed some times. It can take time, dont get discouraged. I think its something that if you don’t do, its hard to get back to healthy. Keep in there, don’t give up. My teeth are a million times better than they were.
How are you flossing? I start at the back on the top, wriggle the floss in between my teeth, then bend the floss over one tooth and rub it up and down against the tooth down to the gum line. Then, I bend it over the other tooth and do the same. The goal is to clean the tooth right down to below the gum line. You want to get below the edge of the gum to clean the pocket around the base of the tooth. You don’t want to injured the gum.
I started years ago when my doctor told me it would shorten my life if I didn’t floss. Now I can’t stand staring the day with unflossed teeth.
Take it easy on your gums. It will get better quickly.
I was going to post this exactly. Stop hurting your gums OP!
Important question: are you bleeding from the gums when you floss?
Healthy gums can handle normal flossing without bleeding. I floss once a day, before bed. Normal flossing does not involve super hard scrubbing, just enough force to scrape off stuff stuck between the teeth and dislodge stuck particles. You might also want to add some antiseptic mouthwash to your routine after flossing until your gums stop bleeding.
After 30 years of being a consistent flosser, and trying everything under the sun, mine still bleed. Multiple dentists in that time have determined gums are healthy.
That’s frustrating, sorry to hear that.
your gums are fucked you need to go to an ass doctor
I use water floss and interdental brushes. Not sure if that will make a difference in your case.
Best to talk to your dentist.
Listen to this guy/girl OP.
Your dentist will almost certainly recommend:
-Getting an electric toothbrush, READING THE INSTRUCTIONS, and using at least twice daily.
-Simultaneously, getting a water-pik or similar (they make travel ones too) and using it twice a day. (Tastier if you fill it with mouthwash).
Or shell out ~$10k or more (in the US) later for ignoring this advice, like I will in April, for gum restoration procedures.
Plus nobody will tell you you have eye-watering bad breath, but they will certainly hold it against you.
Proper mouthwash is a game changer.
Had problems in my 20’s (30 years ago), old dentist: “use mouthwash 2-3x a day, and not that newfangled nonsense, I mean Listerine. Yea, it tastes awful, but it works.” hahaha
Dammit if he wasn’t right about my issues at the time.
And modern electric toothbrushes are a game changer. Not like the truly electric (as in you plug it in) when I was a kid. I think improved brush heads and especially the built-in timer make the difference.
Electric toothbrush is amazeballs.
Twice a day is way too much. Maybe 3 times a week, or less if you’re trying to actually get started and improve the health.
Also, they make little interdental brushes in various sizes that can be much less aggressive when your gums are still very sensitive and inflamed. You should be able to find them at the dental section of your supermarket.
It’ll take a few weeks for your gums to toughen up. Then you can go crazy on the floss if you want.
If you’ve never flossed before this could take a while to adjust to. Basically you have to heal and strengthen. If you haven’t been in s as long time, be sure to have a checkup with your dentist.
Yes, however part of it is technique: Flossing will probably always hurt if you are just sawing into your gums with string all the time. The idea is to use it to clear stuff off your teeth, so try to get the floss to conform to the curves of your teeth as best you can. If you’re using flossers, consider switching to regular string. They also sell flossing toothbrushes.
However you floss, try to keep it up along with regular brushing using fluoride toothpaste before bed. I brush when I wake up too.
Great advice. I’ve been using flossers lately because of a broken shoulder, and I can definitely tell that the quality of my flossing is lower than it is with regular floss. It’s also harder to be gentle.
Yeah, flossers are kind of more of an in-a-pinch solution IMO. You might try a flossing toothbrush too, hope your shoulder heals soon!
