Healthy gums don’t bleed, and are not painful to floss at all.
I’m in my 30s and only recently learned flossing technique and got my gums healthy. Flossing used to take so long and always involved a lot of bleeding no matter how delicate I was.
These days I’m absolute savage with floss and interdental brushes and never have any blood or pain.
Once you get your gums healthy you’ll be disgusted at yourself for ever not flossing. The amount of disgusting I can floss out on an almost daily basis is insane.
Plus you’re breath will not smell gross anymore.
It’s worth committing to the habit of flossing. Trust me.
I had to go to an unscheduled dentist visit once to remove some floss that was stuck between my molars. So much pain, and so much relief once they were able to remove it.
Use Pro-Glide waxed floss. Doesn’t get stuck like the cheap stuff
If you have trouble flossing, I highly recommend this. IIRC it’s made of nylon and it’s soooo much smoother than ordinary waxed floss. Think of it as easy mode.
However, I do recommend going back to regular waxed floss if and when you can do so comfortably. It’s more abrasive, and thus more effective at actually removing residue. So said my hygienist, and after switching back to regular waxed, I understand why. I can literally see the difference in how much comes out on the floss.
Of course, talk to your dentist and follow their advice over a random internet stranger. And either way, do not let perfect be the enemy of good. Do whatever you need to do to get in the habit of flossing every day. I don’t think I could have cemented my habit of flossing if I hadn’t picked up the nylon floss at first.
This was over 20 years ago so I don’t remember what kind I had then. But definitely go for the waxed floss now.
Might be a silly question but couldn’t you just use floss to remove a stuck piece of floss? That’s what I do when it shreds and gets stuck.
Believe me, I tried. I couldn’t get the floss between those teeth. The hygienist also had a lot of difficulty. It stopped being a problem several years later when I had a root canal on one of those problem teeth.