Flossing between your teeth is a vital, although commonly forgotten, step in everyone’s daily oral health routine. Experiencing toothaches, particularly in the gums between your teeth, is a common complaint that dentists hear on a regular basis. While most of the time these post-flossing toothaches are due to minor issues, they often can signify serious oral health problems that need be resolved. Keep reading to learn the many reasons why your teeth may hurt after flossing, and what you can do to lessen these painful symptoms.

Common Reasons Why Your Teeth Hurt After Flossing

As mentioned, pain after flossing is a common issue that can be resolved if you understand what’s causing the symptoms. Below we list the most common reasons as to why one may experience discomfort from flossing, although if you continue to sense pain then it’s important to seek an appointment from your dentist. Painful symptoms from flossing are caused by:

• New to Flossing: If you’re either new to flossing, or restarting the daily habit, it’s normal for your gums to be initially sensitive. Once your gums heal up and become accustomed to the routine, you shouldn’t experience anymore pain from flossing when it’s become part of your daily habit.
• Proclivity to Tooth Sensitivity: Some people are just more prone to sensitive teeth. In these cases, be sure to floss slowly and carefully to ensure that you both thoroughly removed the food and plaque from between your teeth and don’t sustain sore gums. In other cases, tooth sensitivity may be cause by fractured teeth, exposed enamel, tooth decay, worn fillings, and more.
• Gum Disease: Being the worst case scenario on this list, gum disease is caused by prolonged oral health issues that were never resolved. Gum disease, also known as Gingivitis, can be observed when you’re experiencing swollen gums, bad breath, severe oral pain, and bleeding gums. Unfortunately, gum disease doesn’t heal on it’s own and requires dentistry solutions to be resolved.
• Improper Flossing Technique & Tools: The most common cause of oral pain stems from an improper flossing technique. Those who prod their gums too hard, use immense pressure, or refrain from utilizing the C-shape when flossing can severely damage their teeth and gums. Fortunately, GumChucks has a solution for those of you who fall into this camp.

Floss Properly with GumChucks

Some modern flossing accessories, GumChucks being the prime example, are specifically designed to accomplish C-Shape flossing. Unlike one-piece flossers that hold the floss in a rigid position, GumChucks’ two-handle device gives you better leverage, letting you control the tension of the floss and allowing you to effectively clean the sides of each tooth. The handles make it easier for everyone to floss, especially those with limited dexterity, with the added bonus of never having to stick your fingers in your mouth!

To prevent your teeth from hurting after you floss, it’s important to practice affective oral health habits beforehand. Flossing is the only way to remove this tartar from between your teeth and keep plaque out of hard-to-reach places. Fortunately, GumChuck’s unique design does this better than any other flosser on the market. GumChucks’ design ensures a flossing experience that’s faster, easier, and more effective than competing flossers or traditional floss. Our two handles with disposable floss allow you to comfortably reach all your teeth, even those in the back, while wrapping the floss around each tooth. This creates the vital “C-Shape” necessary to get below the gum line and effectively clean each tooth.