Frequently Asked Questions

Is waxed or unwaxed floss better?

Waxed floss slides between tight teeth more easily and doesn't shred as much. Most people find it easier to use. Unwaxed floss is thinner and some people feel it cleans better, but it breaks more easily if your teeth are close together or you have rough fillings.

For practical purposes, use whatever you'll actually use consistently. If unwaxed floss frustrates you because it shreds, you won't floss regularly. The Signature Select Waxed Floss costs $3.99 for 100 yards and works fine for most people.

If you have very tight contacts between teeth, try dental tape instead of regular floss. It's wider and flatter, which helps it slide through without getting stuck. Signature Select Dental Tape costs the same as regular floss.

Do I need Oral-B Glide, or will other floss work too?

Oral-B Glide is smooth, strong, and slides between tight teeth without shredding. People with tight contacts or rough dental work love it because it doesn't break or get stuck. But it costs significantly more per yard than store brand floss.

Regular floss from Signature Select or Reach works fine if your teeth have normal spacing and you don't have issues with shredding. You're getting similar cleaning results. The Signature Select mint waxed floss is a quarter of the price per yard compared to Glide.

Are floss picks as effective as regular floss?

Floss picks work if you use them correctly, but most people don't. They reuse the same small piece of floss for their entire mouth, which just moves bacteria from tooth to tooth. With regular floss, you use a fresh section for each tooth.

Floss picks are convenient for travel, work, or situations where regular floss is impractical. Products like Oral-B Glide Floss Picks or Signature Select Floss Picks work better than not flossing at all.

If floss picks are the only way you'll actually floss daily, use them. Imperfect flossing beats no flossing. Just try to rinse the pick between teeth or use multiple picks per session.

What's the right flossing technique?

Wrap about 18 inches of floss around your middle fingers, leaving a few inches to work with. Slide it gently between teeth using a back-and-forth motion. Curve it into a C-shape against each tooth and slide it under the gumline, then move it up and down against the tooth surface.

Use a fresh section of floss for each tooth. The used section has bacteria and food particles you just removed. Don't snap floss down onto your gums. This damages tissue and causes bleeding.

Floss before brushing, not after. Flossing removes food particles and loosens plaque between teeth. Then brushing clears everything away and delivers fluoride to those clean surfaces.

Why do my gums bleed when I floss?

Bleeding usually means you have gingivitis, which is inflammation from plaque buildup between teeth. When you start flossing regularly, you disturb that bacteria and inflamed tissue bleeds easily. This is normal initially.

Keep flossing daily. Within one to two weeks of consistent flossing, the inflammation reduces and bleeding stops. If you stop flossing because of bleeding, the gingivitis gets worse.

If bleeding continues after two weeks of daily flossing, or if it's excessive, see your dentist. You might have more advanced gum disease that needs professional treatment.

Should I floss once or twice a day?

Once a day is enough for most people. Floss at night before brushing so you remove all the food particles and bacteria that accumulated during the day. This prevents bacteria from sitting between your teeth overnight while you sleep.

Some people prefer morning flossing. That's fine too. The key is consistency. Flossing once daily is dramatically better than flossing occasionally or not at all.

If you have braces, gum disease, or your dentist recommends it, floss more frequently. Otherwise, once a day with proper technique is sufficient.

What's the difference between dental floss and dental tape?

Dental tape is wider and flatter than regular floss. It covers more surface area on each tooth and slides through tight contacts more easily because it's thinner edge-to-edge. The Signature Select Dental Tape works well for people who find regular floss gets stuck.

Regular floss is round or slightly flat and thinner overall. It fits into tighter spaces but may shred more easily. Most people use regular floss unless they have specific issues with it.

Try regular floss first since it's more common. If it consistently gets stuck or shreds, switch to tape. Both clean effectively when used properly.

Are interdental brushes better than floss?

Interdental brushes like GUM Proxabrush Go-Betweens work well for people with larger gaps between teeth, around bridges, or with gum recession that creates spaces. They're easier to use than floss for people with arthritis or limited hand dexterity.

For normal tooth spacing, regular floss works better because interdental brushes don't fit between tight contacts. Many people use both—interdental brushes for larger spaces and regular floss for tight areas.

If you have gum disease or your hygienist recommends them, interdental brushes can clean below the gumline more effectively than floss in certain situations. Ask your dentist which areas need interdental brushes versus regular floss.

How do I floss with braces?

Use a floss threader or orthodontic floss with a stiff end that you can thread under the wire. Regular floss doesn't work because you can't get it between the wire and your teeth. Thread the floss under the wire, then floss normally on each side of the tooth.

This takes significantly longer than regular flossing, usually 10 to 15 minutes for your whole mouth. It's tedious but necessary. Plaque buildup around braces leads to permanent white spots on your teeth once the braces come off.

Water flossers work well with braces and are faster than traditional floss. They're more expensive initially but save time daily if you have braces for a year or more.

Can I use floss that's been sitting in my cabinet for years?

Floss doesn't really expire, but old floss can lose its coating and become less effective. Waxed floss dries out over time and shreds more easily. Flavored floss loses its mint taste.

If your old floss still glides between teeth without excessive shredding, it's fine to use. If it breaks constantly or feels rough, replace it. At $3 to $4 per 100 yards for store brand floss, it's not worth struggling with degraded floss.

Store floss in a cool, dry place. Heat and humidity accelerate deterioration of the wax coating and flavoring.

Is mouthwash a substitute for flossing?

No. Mouthwash kills bacteria on surfaces it touches, but it doesn't remove plaque or food particles wedged between teeth. The mechanical action of flossing is necessary to actually remove debris.

Some people use mouthwash after flossing to rinse away loosened particles and kill bacteria in areas they can't reach. This is fine, but it's an addition to flossing, not a replacement.

Mouthwash makes your mouth feel fresh and clean, which creates the illusion you don't need to floss. But without flossing, plaque hardens into tartar between your teeth, leading to cavities and gum disease.

Does mint flavored floss work better than unflavored?

The mint flavor is purely for preference. It doesn't make the floss clean better. Some people like the fresh feeling mint provides. Others find it irritating or too strong.

Unflavored floss cleans identically to flavored versions. The active cleaning comes from the physical removal of plaque and food particles, not from any ingredient in the flavoring.

If you're sensitive to mint or find it unpleasant, unflavored floss works just as well. Most floss at Safeway is mint-flavored because that's what most people prefer, but unflavored options exist.

How much floss should I use each time?

About 18 inches, which is roughly the length from your fingertip to your elbow. This gives you enough clean floss to use a fresh section for each tooth without running out partway through.

Some people use more, some use less. The key is having enough to avoid reusing dirty sections. If you're running out before finishing your mouth, use more next time.

A 100-yard container of floss like Signature Select contains about 3,600 inches. At 18 inches per use, that's 200 uses, or about six months flossing once daily. At $3.99, that's 2 cents per use.

Why does floss sometimes smell bad when I use it?

The smell is bacteria and decaying food particles you're removing from between your teeth. If floss smells particularly bad in certain areas, that's where plaque buildup is worst.

This smell is actually a good sign that flossing is necessary. Those bacteria are producing the odor constantly, contributing to bad breath. Removing them with floss eliminates the source of the smell.

If the smell is severe or accompanied by bleeding, pain, or visible pus, see your dentist. You might have an infection or advanced gum disease that needs treatment.

Can I reuse floss picks?

Technically you can rinse them and reuse them, but you shouldn't. The floss gets dirty, frayed, and less effective after one use. Reusing spreads bacteria back into your mouth.

Floss picks are designed as single-use items. If cost is a concern, regular floss is much cheaper per use than picks. The Signature Select 90-count floss picks cost $2.99, which is 3 cents per pick. Regular floss costs 2 cents per use and works better.

Use fresh picks each time if you prefer picks over regular floss. Don't reuse them to save money.

What are soft picks, and are they the same as floss?

Soft picks like GUM Soft-Picks have rubber bristles that slide between teeth to remove food particles. They're gentler than floss and easier to use for people with limited dexterity.

They're not quite the same as floss. Soft picks clean well for food removal and stimulate gums, but they don't get as deep below the gumline as traditional floss. They work well for people with larger spaces between teeth.

If you have normal tooth spacing, use regular floss. If you have gaps, bridges, or find regular floss difficult, soft picks are a good alternative. Some people use both depending on which areas of their mouth need what type of cleaning.

Should I floss before or after brushing?

Floss before brushing. This removes food particles and loosens plaque between teeth first. Then brushing clears away the debris you loosened and applies fluoride to the clean tooth surfaces.

Some dentists say the order doesn't matter as long as you do both. But flossing first makes more sense logically. You wouldn't sweep your floors after vacuuming.

The most important thing is that you actually do both. If flossing after brushing is the only way you'll remember to floss, do it in that order. Flossing in any order beats not flossing at all.

Does it matter what time of day I floss?

Night is best because you're removing all the food particles and bacteria that accumulated during the day. This prevents them from sitting on your teeth overnight while you sleep and saliva production decreases.

Morning flossing works too if that fits your routine better. Some people floss after meals if they have food stuck. The key is doing it at least once daily on a consistent schedule.

Flossing at night has the added benefit that most people have more time for thorough oral hygiene before bed than in the rushed morning routine.

Can kids use regular floss, or do they need special floss?

Kids can use regular floss once they have teeth that touch each other. The floss itself doesn't need to be different. What matters is supervision and technique.

Most kids under age 10 need help flossing because they don't have the dexterity to do it properly. Parents should floss for younger kids and supervise older kids until they demonstrate proper technique.

Floss picks can be easier for kids to handle themselves, though they're less effective than regular floss. If picks get your child to floss independently, they're worth using until the child is coordinated enough for regular floss.

Why does my dentist say I need to floss more if I brush twice a day?

Brushing doesn't reach the sides of teeth where they touch each other. About 40% of tooth surfaces are between teeth where bristles can't reach. Bacteria and food particles accumulate in these areas and cause cavities and gum disease.

You can brush perfectly and still get cavities between teeth if you don't floss. Dentists can see these areas on X-rays and during exams. The dark spots between teeth or inflamed gums indicate flossing neglect.

Brushing and flossing do different jobs. Brushing cleans the front, back, and chewing surfaces. Flossing cleans the sides. You need both for complete oral hygiene.

Is there a wrong way to floss?

Yes. Snapping floss down between teeth damages gums. Sawing back and forth horizontally without curving around each tooth misses plaque along the sides. Reusing the same section of floss spreads bacteria around instead of removing it.

Using too little pressure doesn't remove plaque effectively. Using too much pressure cuts into gums. You want firm contact against the tooth surface while being gentle on gums.

Not going below the gumline is another common mistake. Plaque accumulates just under the gums. Slide floss gently below the gumline on each tooth to remove this buildup without injuring tissue.