Johnson johnson dental tape waxed

Dental tape is wider and flatter than many traditional round flosses, and its wax coating can help it pass through a tight contact. The brand name does not determine whether the shape suits your tooth spacing, bridges, braces, or gum contour.

Use a clean section of tape for each gap, guide it through the contact without forcing it, curve it around each tooth in a C shape, and move it below the gum edge with light pressure. Choose an interdental brush or threader where tape cannot pass or cannot clean around an appliance.

Seek dental advice if tape repeatedly shreds, catches on a filling, causes persistent bleeding, or cannot reach around a bridge or orthodontic wire. Bleeding with redness or swelling may indicate gingival inflammation rather than a flossing problem alone.

Ask which interdental tool fits each space, whether a filling edge or crown is trapping the tape, and how to clean around implants, bridges, retainers, or braces.