Flossing

[littlejj]

Hey guys,

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago and the nurse gave me cleaning and while she was flossing my teeth, they were painfully hurting and she said that it was normal if you don't floss everyday. After the flossing I got some water and started to rinse my mouth out and a lot of blood came out. She told me that I had gingivitis. Which shocked me completely. I started flossing everyday after that and my teeth seem to hurt every time I floss. I also started using Listerine Mouthwash that helps kill gingivitis. I was thinking about ditching the flossing and maybe just using the mouthwash more than twice a day. What do you all think?

men4life

 

[cityboy-stl]

Bad idea. You need to do the flossing to remove the bacteria between the teeth and the gums. Mouthwash alone won't do it. Your gums hurt from the infection. Be more gentle with the flossing. Eventually the gums will heal and the bleeding will stop. Then you might get away with flossing every few days. But if you quit flossing entirely it will come back.

 

[jspk]

use mouthwash, as much and long as you want. then floss. you will still find leftover.

=> you still need to floss. maybe you floss incorrectly. the bleeding should go away. otherwise you may need deep cleaning (warning it hurts).

 

[Yooper]

I've been fighting Gingivitis for the majority of my adult life.

Floss, Floss Floss is a key in controlling it although I admit I don't floss enough.

I've also used a Water Pik off and on over the years and generally hated it; the traditional ones make such a mess. However, it was recommended to me to get a cordless, battery operated one and use it in the shower; far, far easier. I use it once a day now, and my Dentist is now pleased enough with my progress that I'm now on a 6-month recall instead of every 3 months.

You can find them online for around $50, cheaper than even Wal-Mart. But read the reviews; they are not all created equal (for the record, mine is a Panasonic).

 

[seven_sins]

Try some Oral-B Superfloss. It is great. The WaterPik is nice if your teeth aren't so tight together that you can't squirt water between them. A dirty tongue can harbor lots of bacteria. You can get plastic strips that will scrape it off. My dentist gave some to me.

 

[littlejj]

Thank you guys for the great advice. Keep it coming.

 

[mojoe54]

I never flossed when I was young. When I was in my 20's had to get my teeth planed because of gingivitis--it was painful, but I was able to stop the progression of the disease. But when I was 50 I still had to have surgery on my gums due to the fact that I didn't floss when I was younger. So follow the others advice--floss, floss, floss! And get a Sonic Care toothbrush if you can.

 

[littlejj]

Thanks guys for all the advice.

later,
men4life

 

[PhoenixRising]

Also, you need to get a gum stimulator or something like that to run along the base of your teeth along the gumline to remove the buildup of crap that can collect in te periodontal space.

 

[sexsomniac]

You don't have to floss all of your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep.

Finally, found an advice good enought to keep in mind. lmao

 

[Yuki Sohma]

Continue to floss daily.

 

[littlejj]

I took my brother to the dentist today to get a cleaning and the nurse said that your suppose to floss before you brush your teeth and coming from someone who recently started to floss their teeth it was kind of upsetting because these past month trying it get rid of my gingivitis, I found out that I'm doing it wrong. I was brushing first then flossing which kind of makes since when you think about it. Did you all no that?

 

[drhladnjak]

Believe it or not, there's not a consensus among dental professionals about whether you should floss before or after brushing. The important thing is just to floss and find what works best for you.

 

[littlejj]

Thanks everyone.

 

[fadeinout30]

I read a study a few years ago that Listerine prevents the big G as much as flossing does. But I think it is important to do both. However, I use only non alcohol mouthwash and refuse to use the gunk toothpastes found in grocery stores like Crest or AIM.

Anyone else here go organic when it comes oral care?

 

[fadeinout30]

I would add green tea to your regime as well. Green tea kills oral bacteria and also helps prevent cavities as it naturally contains fluoride. And do so by steeping a bag, not that watered down crap in bottles or powders.

There are other numerous benefits of green and white tea. Do a search online to learn more.

HTH

 

[drhladnjak]

I'm not sure what happened in the end, but there were some concerns about the truthfulness of Pfizer's advertisements regarding that study (which was funded by Pfizer). From http://ceb.com/newsletterv12/ListerineAd.htm,

A federal judge has ruled that an advertising campaign by Pfizer, claiming that the mouthwash Listerine is as effective as flossing in fighting tooth and gum decay, is false and misleading and poses a public health risk.

In the January 6, 2005 decision, Judge Chin of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction, ordering Pfizer to stop running the ads. The lawsuit was brought by McNeil-PPC, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company that is the market leader in dental floss.

 

[bimwadd]

After years of neglect, I now use the Crest Glide floss picks as I hated winding up floss around my fingers. The line is set laterally like a slingshot instead of axially like a knife as all of the others are which make those harder to get to the back teeth. You give it a gentle sawing motion and work each tooth, now I love doing it. I also use those little micro pipe cleaner-like brush picks.