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Cut my gum flossing?

S

scared0902

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2007
Messages
161
I have one area between two teeth that always has food stuck in it--I have fillings on each side, and the margins have never been right (they've redone it twice). So I floss a lot between these two teeth, and now I think I've irritated the gum from excess flossing. I'm assuming this is possible, but I'm paranoid, so I wanted to check :)

It just feels sort of sore and the gums feels a little inflamed. It doesn't "hurt." Could it just be the irritation? Should I just lay off the floss there for a couple of days?
 
Could you get a hygienist to watch you flossing to make sure you're doing it properly? Some folks are a bit heavy handed and use floss more like a cheese cutter than a cleaning implement :)
 
Thanks! It went away, so I'm guessing it was just a little sore.

Yes, I'll ask my hygienist to watch me, but she said I wasn't doing it hard enough before...?
 
interesting you mention hygienists because I was wondering if I am the only one alarmed at the "sandpaper" type stuff they use to clean tartar between teeth. It's like rough superfloss with a kick. The problem being that I'm worried they are filing my teeth away too....
 
interesting you mention hygienists because I was wondering if I am the only one alarmed at the "sandpaper" type stuff they use to clean tartar between teeth. It's like rough superfloss with a kick. The problem being that I'm worried they are filing my teeth away too....

Haven't noticed that with hygienist but when my dentist flosses a bit for me as part of a check-up - the stuff he uses does seem rougher i.e. not like the floss I use myself....maybe Gordon knows what they could be using that's different?....
 
The rough stuff is needed to get the final wee bit of tartar off. Enamel is pretty hard stuff, there's no danger of taking any off with it. The proper name for it is finishing strip.
 
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