Tartar buildup

[Sean M]

I understand that flossing is the most important thing you can do to help prevent tartar build up. I've become hooked on the floss sticks! There very convenient and you can pop one in just about anywhere. A friend told me that they weren't as effective as traditional floss. Is this true? What's the difference between using floss sticks and using regular floss? Also what are the best floss sticks to use?

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

Flossing, if done correctly, is one of the most effective ways of removing plaque from between the teeth. There are many people that floss regularly but when dentist examine their teeth it appears as if they are not flossing due to the inflamed with presence of plaque. This is simply because the technique of flossing is not correct.

I am not fully sure what you mean by saying floss sticks! If you mean flossets, then they are as good as normal flossing. If you mean tooth picks, then they can be effective enough to effectively remove plaque but their biggest disadvantage is that they can cause receding gum which you will not get with flossing unless you are very vigorous with flossing. So I recommend flossing.

[Imputtulceque]

Thoroughly I'm Bernadette. I like the idea of this forum so I'll be posting here and stuff.