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Can you floss too much?

Look: any given random person is much more likely to be under-flossing than over-flossing. 

But, yes, it’s possible that you can floss too much, and you can do some damage to your gum tissue and your teeth if you are. 

Importance of flossing and dental care

Everyone wants a bright, beautiful smile and no one wants bad breath. But that isn’t always enough to get every person flossing the way that they should. A study published in 2019 found that in 2014, only 32% of Americans flossed daily.

Since 2014, we’ve learned a great deal about how much our oral health affects our overall health: 

• studies demonstrated a link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s disease
• others observed that “[p]atients suffering from periodontitis, a common advanced gingival disease caused by bacterial dysbiosis, have a 2–5 times higher risk of acquiring any cancer compared to healthy individuals.”
• and scientists began investigating the relationship between gum disease and diabetes

So if you can’t be motivated to floss for vanity reasons, consider flossing as a way to preserve and protect your overall health!  Regular flossing is part of your long-term healthy aging plan. Good oral hygiene is about your teeth, of course, but it’s also about preventing worst-case scenario health problems like heart disease that are related to periodontal disease. 

What’s the correct amount of flossing?

The American Dental Association officially recommends flossing once per day. They note that the best time of day to floss is the time you’ll actually stick with. However, most dentists will encourage you to floss at night so that you don’t have food particles, bacterial colonies, and gross stuff sitting between your teeth overnight. But the most important thing is just getting that daily flossing in at some point, because plaque can harden in as little as 24 hours. 

So, if you can, floss at night — if you can’t bring yourself to, floss in the morning. Any dentist in the world would gladly accept morning flossing if it got those 68% of non-flossers up and flossing!

What if I want to floss twice a day?

So, there’s nothing wrong with flossing twice a day if that works for you. However, if you are a twice-daily flosser, it’s extra important that you be sure you’re flossing the right way and not doing any damage during your flossing routine. If your flossing is too aggressive, you can cause gum irritation or wear down the tooth enamel. And that can lead to potentially quite serious damage. 

If you’re going to floss gently, you can floss twice a day. (I often do!) But if you’re too aggressive or you’re making some common flossing mistakes, you can do more harm than good. 

How to floss to avoid dental problems 

Correct flossing technique can go a long way in preventing overflossing.

First step: take a piece of floss or a  dental flosser like this one. (I like this specific brand because of the double strand of floss. My dental hygienist has been complimentary since I started using it!) If you’re using floss, wrap one end around your middle finger and hold the other end taut. Choose your starting place (I start center top!) and wiggle the floss between your teeth. 

Instead of imagining it going up and down in the space between your teeth, instead imagine using a saw-like motion, back-and-forth, along the sides of the teeth. Go up and down a few times along the tooth on the left side of the space you’re flossing, then up and down a few times on the right. Using a bit of gentle pressure will scrape off the yuckies without doing any damage to your tooth’s enamel. 

The floss should curve a little around the curved edges of the tooth to ensure you’re not leaving any spots that don’t get caught by either the floss or the brush. If you’re using a regular stretch of floss, move your hands over to the side that you’re flossing so that the inches of floss curve around the tooth. If you use a flosser (like I do), you’ll need to do the front curve and the back curve separately by moving the flosser up and down diagonally. 

I don’t know how clear that explanation was, so here’s a pic:

​Popular belief is that you must floss every tooth that touches. I think this misconception comes from pediatricians, actually. At every appointment for my kids we were told, start flossing as soon as they have two teeth that touch! However, you should floss all of the sides of your teeth including your last molars and the sides of any gaps you might have. Any area that is not being reached by the toothbrush head should be flossed for good oral health.

If you’re using a length of floss, a general dentist will say you should use a fresh section of floss on every tooth. Since I use the flossers, I just rinse it off if it has something on it. If you’re flossing well, you will pull out food debris and remove plaque before it becomes hardened plaque buildup.

When flossing goes wrong

If you’re flossing too frequently (like after every meal) or too aggressively, it can actually backfire and lead to tooth decay. Too much flossing or excessively aggressive flossing can wear down and weaken the tooth enamel on the insides of your teeth. That leads to the exact oral health issues you were working so hard to prevent! Weakened enamel may lead to tooth sensitivity, increased risk of cavities, and even tooth loss. You are not working this hard to lose a tooth anyway! 

In addition to the tooth damage, you also risk gum recession and damage at the gum line, especially to the papilla. That’s the little blob of gum tissue that sticks in between your teeth. Your gum tissue is super sensitive and the floss shouldn’t be pushed down into the gums. If you keep injuring the gums, this tissue can be damaged or lost. If it’s lost, the tooth’s root can be exposed. 

Your gums shouldn’t hurt after you floss. If they do, you’ve used excessive pressure and you’re hurting your overall dental hygiene. Periodontal disease is no joke and can cost you in a lot of other areas of your health. 

The one exception — if you’re just starting to floss, it might hurt for a couple weeks. But if you’ve been a regular flosser for some time and you’re experiencing pain, dial it back a little. 

If you’re really worried about getting under your gums clean (like if you deal with bad breath!) it’s better to add a water flosser to the mix. With a water flosser on moderate pressure, you’re getting all that bacteria out without having to worry about physical damage to the gum. Your gums can get the special attention that they deserve without the damage you can get from vigorous flossing. 

Other dental care priorities

If you’re this into flossing (love that for you), you’re probably on top of this too. But, be sure that you’re in the care of a dental team and getting regular check-ups and dental cleanings. A professional cleaning does a lot to support your overall health, not just your oral health. If you’re still worried that you’re over-flossing, dental professionals like a dentist or hygienist can let you know. They’ll tell you if you’re doing a good thing or too much of a good thing. 

If you’re a regular in your dentist’s chair but still experiencing dental problems, you can always see about adding extra annual cleanings. My insurance covers two per year, but I pay out of pocket for one more. I go every four months now instead of every six. It’s an expense, but it’s been an investment so far. I haven’t needed any additional dental work since I started doing it. (And I spent most of my adult life as a “two cavities every year no matter what” person!) 

I hope this post has been helpful! If you’re overhauling your oral care, you might also want to read Nail Biting Effects on Teeth – the damage and how to stop.