How to floss like a boss 💪

Flossing is an important oral hygiene habit. It cleans your teeth and dislodges food stuck between them, which reduces the amount of bacteria and plaque in your mouth. Plaque is a sticky film that builds up on teeth and contributes to cavities and gum disease.

Although many people brush their teeth daily, not everyone flosses their teeth as regularly as they brush. According to anational poll,33% of adults in the UK never floss.

Of course, it isn’t enough to simply floss. It’s important to floss correctly. Improper flossing can potentially damage your teeth and gums. So, if you’re unsure about the right way to clean in between your teeth, here’s a step-by-step guide on the best way to floss.

Flossing instructions:

1. Break off about 18 to 24 inches of dental floss. Wind most of it around both of your middle fingers to hold it correctly. Leave only about 1 to 2 inches of floss for your teeth.
2. Next, hold the floss taut with your index fingers and thumb.
3. Placing the floss in between two teeth, gently glide it up and down, rubbing against both sides of each tooth. Be careful not to glide the floss into your gums as this will cause a scratch!
4. As the floss reaches your gums, curve it at the base of the tooth to form a C shape. This allows the floss to enter the space between your gums and your tooth.
5. With each tooth, repeat the steps as you move onto the next one.

When should you floss?

Knowing the right time to floss also contributes to good oral health. Some people have a routine of brushing their teeth first and then flossing. However, it’s generally recommended to floss and then brush your teeth. Floss on the go with Floe by keeping our natural floss in your bag or next to your desk.

Flossing helps lift and release food and plaque stuck in between your teeth, while brushing removes these particles from your mouth. If you brush first and floss afterwards, food and plaque could remain in your mouth until the next time you brush.

Floss with Floe

Good oral hygiene involves more than just brushing your teeth. It also means flossing and knowing how to floss correctly. Flossing helps remove bacteria, plaque, and food from between your teeth, and it reduces the likelihood of tooth decay and gum disease. Dental floss comes in many varieties. Which type of floss is best for you depends on your preferences and the amount of space in between your teeth. This is where Floe comes in.

Our floss is one of the most sustainable dental floss products currently available. Standard dental floss is made from waxed nylon which is known to take between 20 and 200 years to biodegrade, with some dental floss even found to contain harmful PFAS chemicals. Our floss is largely made from bamboo and charcoal fibres coated with candelilla wax (a plant- based alternative to beeswax which is suitable for vegans) and organic peppermint oil. This type of floss boosts your oral health as charcoal clings to plaque, removing build up where a toothbrush can’t reach – that’s 40% of your teeth surface area! And because of its colour, it allows you to see exactly how much you’re removing.

Bamboo biodegrades within a year or two but bamboo floss currently requires some polyester yarn to strengthen it. As polyester is a synthetic fibre, we are investigating how quickly our floss does breakdown and whether we can genuinely claim it is biodegradable and compostable. Our floss comes in a glass jar with an aluminium dispensing lid providing a reusable alternative to traditional single-use plastic floss containers and it provides 90 applications.That’s one a day for three months… then your new box arrives!

As well as our activated charcoal floss, our subscription box comes complete with a Curaprox brush (voted the number one manual toothbrush by dentists) and two special toothpastes for morning and evening brushing. Every three months, we send you a top-up to ensure you never run out. Subscribe today for a stronger, long-lasting oral care routine, and claim 50% off your first box by using the code hellofloe at checkout!