A Healthy Smile for Life
The 4 steps
Take the 4 Steps to a healthy smile
 Once you’ve got into the habit of brushing, flossing and rinsing every day, you won’t even realise you’re doing it. Of course, we recommend you also visit the dentist regularly. But by adding just a few minutes to your daily dental routine, you can be sure you’ll have something to really smile about every time you visit.
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Did you know? Research has shown that adults who flossed had twice as many plaque free surfaces between their teeth*.
(*Reitman et al) |
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Step 2 - Use floss once a day
Nothing will make your dentist love you more than telling them you've taken up flossing. Why? Because it's the perfect way to clean where your toothbrush can't – where cavities often develop.
How to floss
- Floss at least once a day, preferably at night.
- Use about 45 centimeters of floss and wind most of it around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.
- Hold the floss tight between your thumbs and index fingers and slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth, gently following the curves of your teeth.
- Be sure to clean beneath the gum line, but avoid snapping the floss on the gums.
- Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
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What to use
There are two types of dental floss: Nylon and PTFE. PTFE floss can be more expensive, but this is because is it less likely to tear and shred. When used properly, both are brilliant in the battle against hidden, cavity-forming bacteria. For more information on Colgate Total Floss click here. |
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