Why Do My Teeth Hurt After Flossing?

We’re all supposed to floss daily, though plenty of us don’t. And if you do floss and notice sore teeth or tender gums afterward, it can feel like a discouraging reason to skip it. The good news is that post-flossing soreness usually has a simple, fixable cause. Here are the common culprits and what to do about each.

You're not flossing often enough

If you only floss occasionally, your gums can become inflamed and may bleed or feel sore when you do. Counterintuitively, the fix is usually to floss more regularly, not less. As your gums get used to it and become healthier, the soreness typically settles.

You may have a cracked or chipped tooth

Sometimes chips and cracks are so small they’re hard to spot. If one particular spot consistently hurts when you floss, a tiny crack could be the reason, and that’s worth having looked at so it can be addressed before it grows.

An orthodontic appliance is in the way

Braces and other appliances can make flossing trickier and occasionally uncomfortable. Wires in particular are fiddly to floss around, and a broken bracket or wire can cause soreness too. If that’s your situation, we can show you techniques and tools to make it easier.

You're flossing (or brushing) too hard

Flossing shouldn’t hurt, and there’s no need to force the floss between your teeth. Aggressive flossing, or brushing too hard with a firm brush, can irritate teeth and gums. A soft-bristled toothbrush and a gentle flossing technique, easing the floss carefully between each tooth, usually solves it.

You might prefer a different kind of floss

Not all floss suits all mouths. People with sensitive teeth and gums sometimes find a water flosser gentler than traditional string floss, using a stream of water to clear debris from between the teeth and along the gumline.

When to check in

If pain after flossing is a regular thing for you, don’t just push through it, or worse, give up flossing. Get in touch with TMJ Therapy Centre to book a visit, and we’ll help work out what’s behind it.