Correct Flossing Technique and Where the Brush Cannot Reach
Used correctly, floss cleans the third of the tooth a brush never reaches.
The correct technique step by step
- Take about forty centimetres and wind the ends on your middle fingers
- Keep about one and a half centimetres taut between thumb and index
- Pass the contact point with a gentle back-and-forth motion
- Curve the floss into a C against one tooth surface
- Slide gently one to two millimetres into the gum sulcus
- Sweep up and down, then repeat on the other surface of the same gap
- Use a clean length of floss for every gap
The three commonest mistakes
First, snapping the floss down through the contact, which cuts the gum and makes people give up. Move it gently back and forth instead. Second, keeping the floss straight and only moving it up and down, which never touches the contact surface. Third, cleaning one side of a gap and moving on — every gap has two surfaces.
Bleeding and other tools
Mild bleeding in the first days usually indicates existing inflammation rather than damage, and settles within weeks as the gums recover; persistent bleeding should be assessed. Where gums have receded or bridges, implants or braces are present, interdental brushes of the right size work better, and a water flosser supports rather than replaces cleaning.
Getting Here, Booking and Emergencies from Ataturk
Route, booking and emergency arrangements for patients from Ataturk.
Getting here from Ataturk
Atatürk lies in the Kepez district of Antalya; Kepez is one of the central districts, about 6 kilometres from the clinic. We also see patients from neighbouring areas that share the route from Ataturk, such as Yeşilyurt, Altınova Düden, Barış, Duacı. You can ask for the location on WhatsApp when travelling from Ataturk.
Appointments for Ataturk
At this distance, splitting treatment into visits is no problem for patients from Atatürk, and attending reviews is easy too. As with patients from Kepez generally, appointments for families from Ataturk can be scheduled consecutively.
Emergencies from Ataturk
Setting out from Atatürk at night is quick; come without delay in an emergency, and calling as you leave means preparation is done in advance. For patients coming from Dental Clinic in Ataturk, the clinic is open 24/7 and in an emergency the order is set by severity rather than arrival time. For spreading facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or toothache with fever, go to the nearest emergency department.
Why Teeth Become Sensitive and How It Settles
The short sharp pain felt with cold, sweetness or brushing comes from exposed dentine. Dentine contains thousands of microscopic tubules that open directly towards the nerve.
How dentine becomes exposed
There are two routes, and their treatments differ:
- Through the enamel: erosion, wear or a fracture thins it
- Through the root: recession exposes the root, which has no enamel
- A micro-gap at the margin of a restoration
- Temporary opening of the tubules after whitening
How desensitising toothpaste works
Two mechanisms are used: some products occlude the tubules and block fluid movement, others raise the nerve's threshold. Both work cumulatively; no result is expected from a single use, but with regular use there is a marked reduction within two to four weeks. Rubbing the paste onto the sensitive area with a finger after brushing, without rinsing, increases the effect.
When sensitivity signals something else
Pain that continues after the stimulus is removed, starts on its own, worsens at night or concentrates on one tooth is not simple sensitivity and may indicate the pulp is affected. A sharp pain on biting suggests cracked tooth syndrome. These three presentations need different treatment and are distinguished at examination.
