Flossing Picks Should Be Avoided on Children's Teeth
Posted on 1/20/2018 by OPDSF Office
Flossing picks have long been praised for their convenience and ability to reach places easier than regular floss wrapped around your fingers.
They are also great to take on the go. But while floss picks are a great idea for adults, they should be avoided on your child's teeth.
Inability to Clean Properly
When you use regular floss, you typically pull out about 18 inches and wind it around your fingers. After each tooth, you are able to adjust the floss so that you have a clean section to work with each time.
Floss picks, on the other hand, have just the small amount of pre-threaded floss between the two prongs. This means that each time you switch to a different tooth, you are transferring food particles and bacteria. Children tend to be more prone to cavities than adults, and this can potentially create more a problem than it solves.
And because the floss is fixed between two plastic prongs, it is not nearly as flexible as regular floss. You can't properly wrap it around the edges of each tooth to effectively remove all plaque and bacteria. Floss picks also lack the ability to go as far below the gums as is needed to remove debris.
Not Designed for Kids Kids naturally have smaller mouths. Floss picks were designed to fit an adult's mouth, not a child's. This means that floss picks are too big for children to use, making it more difficult for kids to maneuver the floss pick in their mouth. Because of this, they can't effectively reach and remove food particles, plaque and bacteria from in between each of their teeth.
Too Rough The fixed section of floss is strung tight between the prongs. It cannot be loosened to be gently worked between each tooth. For this reason, floss picks tend to snap against the delicate gum tissue, causing damage to children's gums. If the gums are harmed, bacteria can actually get under the tissue and cause an infection. Snapping can also cause pain, which will most likely put children off flossing.
Flossing is an important part of proper oral hygiene. Start your child early by using string floss and help them to learn proper technique, setting them up with the tools for a healthy mouth in adulthood.
Orthodontics Pediatric Dentistry - OPDSF, 801 Taraval Street, San Francisco, CA, 94116 - Associated Words: pediatric dentist San Francisco CA•
Dr. Peter Lee San Francisco CA•
pediatric dentist San Francisco CA•
Orthodontics: (415) 681-8500 Pediatric Office: (415) 661-8383• www.opdsf.com• 4/21/2018