Many mothers say to me: I brush my children’s teeth every day, but why do they still decay between the two teeth? Why is that? Because the self-care of oral cavity is not only as simple as brushing, but also learn how to floss. What we clinically call adjacent surface caries, as the name implies, is the decay between two teeth. As the pulp cavity of children’s teeth is large, the caries develops rapidly, and parents are often frustrated when they have to anesthetize and extract the nerve when it is found. Clinical research shows that brushing alone can only remove about 60% of the plaque, and the plaque or food residue in the gap between teeth cannot be brushed clean. So, if you don’t want your baby’s teeth to decay, mothers must learn how to floss their children. Before learning how to floss, I would like to give moms some general knowledge about flossing (the following floss is based on Japanese GUM products for example). First of all, what is floss made of? Floss can be made of cotton, hemp, nylon, or polyester, and now there is a new material called PTFE that is not easy to break, so you don’t have to worry about scratching your child’s gums if you use it properly. Secondly, there are many different types of floss, so how do I choose? Depending on how the floss is used, it can be divided into regular floss and Y floss sticks. Which one should I choose between regular floss and Y-floss? From my personal point of view, if you are not a novice flosser or a child in the teething stage, it is recommended to use regular floss. The reasons are as follows: First, regular dental floss is used for a length of about 40cm each time, and a small section of floss is used to replace a clean section after a gap, so it is clean and hygienic; while a Y-floss stick is used for all teeth, so it is self-evident whether it is hygienic or not. Second, ordinary dental floss is to rely on the two hands of the thumb index finger saw type into the gap, the action is gentle and easy to control the floss, will not enter the gap, damage to the gums; and Y-type floss is not easy to control, holding the stick may not be a saw into the gums, scratching the gums, not to mention the pain index is not explosive also almost, children in case of rejection of dental floss is too bad. Third, ordinary dental floss can be “C” shaped to wrap around the three sides of the teeth to remove plaque on the buccal and lingual surfaces; while the Y-shaped dental floss stick can only be straight up and down, not around the buccal and lingual surfaces. According to the material of floss, it can be divided into super smooth floss and expanded floss (with and without wax). How to distinguish and choose between these flosses? Super smooth floss is mainly used for narrow gaps or more crowded teeth in the form of flakes, which I believe we can all understand. (The left is the old nylon floss, the right is the current super smooth floss) Expanding floss is the floss that starts to expand when it encounters saliva. The expanded floss is easier to get close to the tooth surface, increasing the cleaning area and removing plaque more effectively. Expanding floss can be divided into waxed and unwaxed floss. Waxed floss is smoother than non-waxed floss, and some people feel that the tiny fibers on non-waxed floss are in contact with the tooth surface, making it easier to remove plaque than waxed floss. However, clinical studies have shown that there is no significant difference in plaque removal between waxed and unwaxed floss. Therefore, it is advisable to choose waxed or unwaxed floss according to your preference. The above is a summary of the various types of dental floss: floss sticks are not as good as regular dental floss, but if you really can’t floss, floss sticks are better than no floss at all. Super smooth floss is suitable for people with narrow gaps, and waxed or unwaxed floss depends on personal preference (the same applies to adults). In particular, since children are in the growth stage, there are large or small gaps during the teeth replacement period, and the dental arch is small, it is recommended that mothers use thicker Y-shaped floss or expanded floss for children.