Cut a piece of floss — about 18 inches, or the length of 2½ toothbrushes — and wrap it around your middle fingers on both hands, leaving a couple of inches at a time to work with.

As Tang notes, flossing picks are not the most effective method of cleaning teeth at the gum level. Its small, straight piece of floss cannot form to the curves of teeth to clean them thoroughly.

Your dentist may remind you to brush, floss and mouthwash – but what is the "right" order to do it? While all steps of oral hygiene can benefit dental health, Dr. Mike Wei, DDS, of New York City ...

As long as you're flossing once per day, you're already one step ahead, Dr. Edmond Hewlett, consumer adviser for the ADA and professor at UCLA School of Dentistry, told me.