Any flossing tips for a beginner?

[ThisLittleTrout]

Hi, so I’ve got a pretty specific problem.

I am a young adult male looking improve my dental hygiene routine. Growing up, I never got into the habit of flossing since my parents never really enforced it, so I never got the hang of it. I’ve tried to floss occasionally in the past, though definitely never to the extent at which I should have been doing it. I now want to commit to thoroughly flossing all of my teeth using proper technique once a day every single day.

However, I’m having a lot of trouble actually using the floss. I am trying to get the hang of the traditional string floss since I’ve heard that it’s the most effective at cleaning your teeth, but it has been a huge struggle. I can’t seem to get around my gums or even to the bottom of my the spaces between my teeth. Finger dexterity is way off which makes for a clumsy flossing experience. I am not even sure if my technique is effective or not because of how off my flossing has been. And don’t even get me started on the molars.

To make matters even worse, I have a pretty large and fat mouth which has made maintaining things, especially my molars, difficult. I even once had an orthodontist comment about my unusually large mouth, which has me convinced this isn’t just in my head.

To any certified dentists on this forum, do you have any tips for flossing for someone wanting to get better at oral hygiene or a mouth as large and obstructive as mine? If flossing with a string proves to be too difficult, are there any alternatives I could seek out?

I will definitely ask my dentist for his opinion when I see him again but I am not able to see him for a while unfortunately.

 

[Dr M]

You can ask your dentist to show you the correct technique. I usually prefer the C-method. It is best to demonstrate this in person. Alternatively you can consider using a water flosser. This is easier to use. Just make sure you use the lower settings, since higher settings can damage your gingival tissues.