Floss for a dazzling smile

Janette Roy

Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is crucial to first impressions. This is an especially useful tip in university since first impressions occur nearly everyday. There is nothing worse than to see a smashing guy or gal and then the awaited smile creeps on their face and... they have the worst teeth that you have ever seen in your life, you know, the yellow, crooked smelly mess that makes you shiver at the thought. You need to make a daily commitment to keeping your teeth clean and your gums free of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Even if it is for the sake of all those future better halves.

Gingivitis is an inflammatory reaction of the gums, or gingiva, caused by inadequate removal of bacterial plaque. Gingivitis causes the gum tissue to swell, be red in colour, and bleed easily. You'll know if you have this disease if you try to floss and your gums bleed profusely. Most of the time gingivitis is reversible, but when not taken care of properly, it may result in periodontitis. This is the bad stuff, boys and girls.

Periodontal disease or periodontitis is more serious than gingivitis. Disease-producing bacteria causes the loss and destruction of the periodontal attachment and supporting tissues surrounding the teeth and your teeth basically fall out at this point.

Periodontitis can result in pain, bad breath, bleeding, and tooth and bone loss. You can ask your dentist for a periodic periodontal screening to be part of your regular dental cleaning and check-up. These support tissues are very important for the attachment of the teeth to the jaw. The healthier the support tissues are, the stronger and firmer the teeth will be, giving you a healthy and sexy smile.

A good diet, exercise, daily brushing and flossing are fundamental for good dental health. Brushing and flossing remove the bacteria and bacterial plaque that collect on the teeth and gums to cause gingivitis and periodontal disease. So even when you come home from the bar and are just too drunk to even think of brushing, do it anyways.

The massaging action of the toothbrush bristles cleans the teeth, stimulates the blood flow and brings in fresh nutrients to the support tissues surrounding the teeth which carry away the harmful bacterial toxins and by-products that may destroy the gingival and periodontal attachment of the tooth. This is straight from the American Academy of Periodontoly, folks.

How should you be brushing: For best results, start with a soft toothbrush slanted toward the gumline at about a 45-degree angle.

Using small circular strokes, move the bristles against the margin of the tooth as it emerges from the gum or gingiva and extend those strokes to the crown of the tooth at its chewing or biting surface.

Flossing helps clean your teeth and remove the bacterial plaque in areas where the toothbrush bristles may fail to penetrate.

How you should be flossing: Flossing properly may take a little practice.

Start with about an arms-length of floss. Much like spools of thread, wrap one end of the floss on the third finger of one hand in a clockwise direction, the other end on the third finger of your opposite hand in a counter-clockwise direction, leaving about an inch of floss between them.

This leaves your thumb and index finger free to slide that inch of floss through the contract of two adjacent teeth.

By the gum line, position your thumb and finger on one of the teeth so the floss rests firmly against that tooth, almost like a ring around it, next to the margin of the gum.

Start to slide the floss up and down along the tooth and under the gum several times to loosen and remove the bacterial plaque hidden in the space between the tooth and the gum.

Move the floss to the adjacent tooth, repeat the up and down motions to dislodge the plaque and then slide the floss out.

Unwind a new segment of floss from your fingers and repeat until you finish all your teeth.

If you have the unfortunate habit of smoking, your goal of having a beautiful and bright smile may include your desire to whiten your teeth. You could use tooth-whitening or tooth-bleaching agents. Yellowish tinged teeth may whiten easily; brownish-looking teeth will whiten less and grayish-hued teeth may not whiten at all. The lesson here is what, you may ask. Brush your teeth because there's nothing worse . . .