(HealthDay News) -- Flossing is an important part of good dental hygiene to help prevent gum disease and tooth decay. Here are suggestions on how to floss properly, courtesy of the American Dental Hygienists' Association:

• Using about 18" of dental floss, wrap each end around your fingers until about 2" remains between your thumb and index finger.
• Gently slide the dental floss around each tooth, pulling the floss tight.
• Use a back and forth motion, and be sure to guide the floss around each tooth. Never force the floss between two teeth as you may damage gums -- gently ease the floss between teeth.
• Unwrap and rewrap the floss so that there is clean floss used on each tooth.