We once asked a patient if she flossed daily. Her response was quite interesting… We noticed we had put her in a spot. The truth is most of us would get lost in that question. Toothbrushing has been our routine daily but most times forget that flossing is as important to the teeth as toothbrushing. Asides penetrating interdental spaces where your toothbrush can’t reach, there are certain other reasons why you should floss daily.
Why It’s Important to Floss Daily
1. Cleaning In between the Teeth
The major habitat for germs and tartar are those tiny spaces in between your teeth. Your toothbrush is supposed to do a good job by sweeping the surface of your teeth, however the shape and nature of toothbrush brittle would not totally help in doing a good job with cleaning your interdental spaces. The only way to totally clean those interdental spaces is by flossing. By flossing you can remove stuck food, bacteria plaque as well as tartar. If you don’t floss your interdental spaces, you are welcoming a degrade on your enamel as well as cavities and gum disease.
2. Help Prevent Gum Bleeding
From past history, patients who don’t floss believe that flossing caused their gums to bleed. This is not true. If you floss the right way, you shouldn’t bleed while flossing. In fact daily brushing and flossing can help you win over gum bleeding. If you have gums that bleeds after practicing daily flossing and brushing, kindly contact your dentist as soon as you can. To speak to a dentist, kindly click here.
3. Helps Prevent Gum Disease
Gum disease is one of the most common oral hygiene problems in the world. So, if you do have gum disease, do not panic, it is treatable. Research has proven that once you practice good oral hygiene habits such as flossing, you are 50% winning over gum disease. This is based on the fact that flossing and brushing massages the gum and helps with blood flow in the gum.
If you notice that you have gum disease, we advise that you do not leave it untreated. Gum diseases have proven to lead to more general health complications that could lead to death.
Uncertain about the healthiness of your gum, contact us today and let’s have all your questions answered.
4. Secure Your Life
Oral diseases and general health are mostly intertwined. Aforementioned, gum disease has proven to have connections with heart disease, diabetes, dementia, stroke and the rest of them. In fact, people who have gum disease are likely to have heart disease. By flossing, you might be saving your life from other life threatening diseases.
5. Improve your general health
At first, while giving flossing a try, you may likely bleed, however, if you consistently floss well, you wouldn’t notice any bleeding at all. Ideally, you are expected to floss before sleeping for three minutes or more. However, even if you practice flossing for 60 seconds, you would notice major oral benefits. The trick is ensure that you make flossing a habit just like dressing, bathing, exercise, brushing and all other daily routines.
How To Floss
According to the America Dental Hygienist Association (ADHA), the key elements to flossing properly are categorized into four –
- Wind: Wind 18 inches of floss around middle fingers of each hand. Pinch floss between thumbs and index fingers, leaving a one- to two-inch length in between. Use thumbs to direct floss between upper teeth.
- Guide: Keep a one- to two-inch length of floss taut between fingers. Use index fingers to guide floss between contacts of the lower teeth.
- Glide: Gently guide floss between the teeth by using a zig-zag motion. DO NOT SNAP FLOSS BETWEEN YOUR TEETH. Contour floss around the side of the tooth.
- Slide: Slide floss up and down against the tooth surface and under the gum line. Floss each tooth thoroughly with a clean section of floss.
So, now you can decide, is there anything satisfying or rewarding that comes from flossing your teeth? The final decision to floss your teeth is ultimately up to you, but the benefits of taking that extra couple minutes in front of the mirror could do wonders for your oral health and your overall health. Make flossing a part of your routine and schedule a routine checkup with a Smile 360 dental clinic today.