Why are my gums inflamed even though I brush and floss every day?

This is a question that is commonly asked. How can my gums still be inflamed even though I spend so much time cleaning them? The answer usually is that even though many brush and floss their teeth every day many are not doing so optimally. Often people do not clean their tooth effectively at the gum line. This is probably the most important part of the tooth to get clean since plaque left near the gum is what usually causes the inflammation. Also another common mistake is to not do a systematic enough job of brushing and certain teeth are missed. Some people hope that spreading toothpaste around their teeth will get their teeth clean but that is not the case. Toothpaste does very little cleaning. It is the motion of the tooth brush that does the job and it must contact every accessible tooth surface in order to clean the teeth properly.

Similarly, many people floss incorrectly. Floss has to be wrapped around the tooth and moved up and down against it in order to properly clean the proxmal surface.

I have made two videos for About.com that may be helpful for people seeking help with improving their oral home care. One video is tittled "How to floss properly" and demonstrates how to use floss effectively. The other tittled "How to brush teeth" demonstrates a suggested method for brushing teeth using a manual tooth brush.