Brushing and flossing are the fundamentals of dental hygiene. While brushing is still common, cleaning between the teeth or flossing is often a forgotten step in the daily oral hygiene routine. A lot of people experience toothache after flossing, which discourages them from practicing it.
If your teeth hurt after flossing, do not fret. Pain from flossing is a common occurrence that may make it more difficult to maintain your oral health. While it may be difficult to clean your mouth with floss, the process is too important a step to skip. Instead of skipping the step, identify the underlying reasons that can help you fix the pain.
If you are wondering what causes your teeth to be sore after flossing? This article is for you. Continue reading till the end to learn the underlying reasons causing the pain and how you can prevent it.
Why is Flossing Important?
Before understanding the reasons why your teeth hurt after flossing, let us go through the importance of flossing. A floss or inter dental cleaning helps in reducing the probability of developing gum disease and tooth decay. When we brush our teeth, the brush’s bristles are unable to reach the surfaces between the teeth. Floss, on the other hand, reaches the gaps between the teeth and helps in removing plaque and food that gets lodged between the teeth.
If plaque between teeth is not addressed, it develops into tartar, which can only be extracted by a professional. Tartar formation is deleterious to oral health as it leads to gingivitis (an early stage of gum disease) and even tooth extraction in an advanced stage.
Why Do Teeth Hurt After Flossing?
Ideally, getting rid of debris or plaque in between your teeth should not hurt. Knowing the reasons behind this pain can help you in a pain-free flossing experience. Here are the main reasons that may be causing pain after flossing:
New to Flossing
In life, sometimes the best explanations are also the simplest. So, if your teeth hurt after hurt, there may be a very simple reason for this: You are new to flossing!
Similar to brushing, flossing takes practice and requires a specific technique. Mastering this technique will require a lot of practice. If you are new at flossing, you might floss too hard, causing your teeth to ache and bleed.
Getting used to the new process may be a little painful, but it is important to stick with it. Once you create a brushing and flossing routine, the pain may go away within a week or two.
If you are new at flossing, take it slow and do not floss too hard. Flossing too hard will not remove the plaque but will surely cause pain in teeth and gums. Make sure to understand the correct technique from your dentist.
However, if you have been flossing for a while and still experience pain, there may be another issue.
Improper Flossing Technique
Do you floss regularly and still feel pain? There is a high chance that you may be flossing with an incorrect technique.
If you floss too hard, you may damage the tissue between your teeth. Hence, make sure not to floss hard but be a little gentle. When using floss, slowly guide the thread between the teeth with a zig-zag motion and gently wrap it around the side of the tooth.
Many people find it difficult to hold dental floss, let alone clean with it. If you are also one of those, discuss this issue with your dentist about using alternative inter dental cleaning options.
Flossing With Wrong Devices
You may wonder if flossing is ideally done with a string of dental floss or other conventional flossing tools. If, however, you have a nagging piece of food stuck between your teeth, it may be too hard to resist the urge to find whatever you have to remove it. A lot of people use fingernails, folding paper, cutlery, and even safety pins to do the needful. According to a study, about 42% of these people experienced pain.
To clean your teeth better and reduce the chances of pain or bleeding, it is important to only use tools meant for interdental cleaning, such as dental floss, dental picks, interdental brushes, or water flossers.
Gum Disease and Tooth Decay
Gum disease and tooth decay also cause pain in the teeth. One of the common telltale signs of gum disease is inflamed or swollen gums that bleed when brushing or flossing. While you may not experience any symptoms in the early stage of gum disease (gingivitis), the later stage may show irritation in gums and bleeding.
On the other hand, symptoms of tooth decay include toothaches and infection. If you suspect that you have either of the two conditions, visit your dentist as soon as possible.
Tooth Sensitivity
Sensitivity does not only affect you when you are eating hot or cold food. It also affects when you brush and floss by causing intense pain. Your teeth may become sensitive when the enamel on the teeth wears away, and the inner dentin is exposed. Dentin comprises microscopic tubules that allow temperature and acidic foods to reach the nerve endings and cells inside the tooth.
Tooth fractures or worn tooth fillings are some of the reasons why you may experience sensitivity. Make sure that you visit your dentist at the earliest to resolve this issue and continue with your flossing routine.
Takeaway
Flossing is an important step of any dental hygiene routine as it aids in removing plaque and food stuck between the teeth. Many people experience pain while flossing due to incorrect technique, gum disease, or tooth decay. Understanding these reasons can help resolve the issue of your teeth hurting after flossing and develop an effective flossing routine.
Resolve Your Dental Issues With Us at University Ave Dental!
Our team of experts can help you discern the causes of your bleeding gums or teeth and help you understand the basics of flossing.
Schedule an appointment with us today!
You can also contact us at 763-784-1242.
Visit us at 10155 University Ave NE, Suite #112, Blaine, MN 55434, United States.