How the American Dental Association describes how to floss correctly:

*   Start with about 18 inches of floss. Wrap most of it around the middle finger of one hand, the rest around the other middle finger.

*   Grasp the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers, and use a gentle shoeshine motion to guide it between teeth.

*   When the floss reaches the gum line, form a C shape to follow the contours of the tooth.

*   Hold the floss firmly against the tooth, and move the floss gently up and down.

*   Repeat with the other tooth, and then repeat the entire process with the rest of your teeth, “unspooling” fresh sections of floss as you go along.