How to Floss Around a Wisdom Tooth Without Hurting Your Gum

Flossing around a wisdom tooth calls for a different approach than flossing your other teeth. The gum tissue back there is often tender, swollen and partly covering the tooth so standard flossing technique can cause pain and bleeding if you’re not careful. Here’s exactly how to do it safely.

The Right Way to Floss Around a Wisdom Tooth

Use waxed floss and dental tape. Unwaxed floss can shred and catch on tight contact points near the back of the mouth, especially if the wisdom tooth is angled and crowded against the tooth in front of it. Waxed floss and flat dental tape slides through more smoothly and is gentler on inflamed gum tissue.

Guide the floss in from behind the tooth. Because a wisdom tooth is the last tooth in the row, you need to wrap the floss around its back surface, not just the sides. Slide the floss down gently, curve it into a C shape against the tooth and move it up and down along the surface, including behind the tooth where plaque tends to build up unnoticed.

Be gentle, not forceful. Snapping the floss into the gumline can bruise already-sensitive tissue. Ease the floss down slowly until you feel light resistance at the gumline, then hug the tooth’s curve rather than sawing back and forth.

Rinse with warm salt water afterward. If the gum is sore and slightly bleeding a warm saltwater rinse can soothe the area and help reduce mild inflammation after flossing.

When Regular Floss Isn’t Enough

If the wisdom tooth is partially erupted a flap of gum tissue called an operculum may cover part of the crown. This flap easily traps food debris and plaque that ordinary floss can’t reach in these cases:

• A floss threader can help guide floss under a tight and awkward gum flap.
• An interdental brush a small bristled brush can clean between the wisdom tooth and its neighbor more effectively than floss alone.
• A water flosser can flush out debris trapped under the gum flap without the friction of string floss which some people find more comfortable around an irritated area.

If the tooth is fully impacted still under the gum and bone with no visible crown there’s often nothing to floss yet and cleaning that area is not possible until the tooth erupts and is evaluated by a dentist.

How to Clean a Partially Erupted Wisdom Tooth

Mild, occasional bleeding when you first start flossing a neglected area is common and usually settles within a few days of consistent, gentle care. However some symptoms point to a problem that flossing alone won’t fix:

• Ongoing swelling, redness, and pain around the wisdom tooth
• A bad taste and odor coming from that area
• Difficulty opening your mouth fully
• Pain that spreads to your ear and jaw

These can be signs of pericoronitis, an infection of the gum tissue around a partially erupted wisdom tooth. This condition typically needs professional treatment rather than home care so see a dentist if these symptoms appear.

FAQs About Flossing Around a Wisdom Tooth

Is it normal for my gums to bleed when I floss near a wisdom tooth? Some light bleeding is common if the area hasn’t been flossed regularly and if the gum is mildly inflamed. It should improve within a few days of gentle consistent flossing. Bleeding that persists and worsens is worth mentioning to a dentist.

Can I use a toothpick instead of floss around a wisdom tooth? A toothpick can dislodge larger food particles but doesn’t clean the tooth surface and below the gumline the way floss an interdental brush and a water flosser can.

What if my wisdom tooth is impacted and I can’t floss around it? If the tooth hasn’t erupted and is only barely visible there may be little and nothing to floss. A dentist can assess whether the tooth needs monitoring and removal.

How often should I floss around a wisdom tooth? Once a day as part of a normal flossing routine unless a dentist has advised otherwise due to a specific issue like pericoronitis.