All the Kinds of Floss You Can Buy for Your Teeth

Flossing is a very important part of oral hygiene, as it removes food particles and other residue stuck in between your teeth and gums. You have likely been reminded to floss every day by your Kitchener dentist. What you might not know is that there are different kinds of floss out there to treat different kinds of teeth and mouths that people have.

When you find best dentist in Kitchener and go for your first teeth cleaning, you’ll receive a bag of complementary supplies for home brushing, which includes a spool of floss. If you try all the different types of floss there are on the market, you would find that there are some types that perform better with your teeth than others. Here are certain characteristics of floss for your consideration:

Thickness

Floss comes in thick, regular, or thin strands. Regular floss is thin as it is, and will typically work for most people to remove plaque from teeth. Thick floss is for teeth with generally wide gaps, and will be labeled “super floss” on its packaging. This floss is easy for you to floss between gaps in your teeth. Regular floss can also work on gaps, but more effort is likely required on your end to remove it all. Dental tape is another form of thick floss work considering. Thin floss is for teeth that have narrow spaces in between them, designed for people who have straight teeth or have their treat aligned from wearing braces.

Filament

Strands of floss can either be single filament or multifilament. The first to come on the market was multifilament floss, which is made of nylon. Multifilament floss consists of more than one fiber so that the floss is strong and does not snap into two as you are flossing. Despite the multi-strand nature, this floss will tend to shred from within, so it won’t hold up for use on multiple teeth. For each gap, use an unused section of floss to prevent the floss from wearing out. Single filament floss is the more recent version, made of plastic and rubber for both strength and elasticity. You might find this type of floss easier to glide into your gums, and doesn’t tear or shred like multifilament floss. The caveat is that this floss tends to be more expensive.

Wax

There are waxed and unwaxed versions of floss that you can buy. One has an extra coating while the other does not. Waxed floss is designed to make it easier for you to glide the floss into deep areas of your gums. The space gets narrower the deeper you work into your teeth, so the wax is designed to get the floss into the tightest of spaces. Unwaxed floss does not have this coating, but it also will not come with a foul aftertaste after using it.

Alternatives to String Floss?

If you are looking for variants of floss that don’t come in string form, there are some that you can consider instead.

Floss picks are small, plastic instruments that hold a small string of floss. These picks make it easier for people to hold the floss to use in their mouths.

Electric flossers also exist, like electric toothbrushes do. These devices vibrate, which is for both removing plaque and massaging your gum line.

Water flossers spray a stream of water in between teeth in order to remove particles, so no string is required.

Summary

There are many kinds of floss you can get for your teeth, and you will find that some will work better than others.