On how to floss your teeth properly

■ Starting with about 18in of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.

■ Holding it tautly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up and down between your teeth.

■ Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath the gum line. Never snap or force the floss, as this may cut or bruise your delicate gum tissue. ■ Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth. ■ To remove it, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.