Why do I need to floss my teeth? Flossing is effective at removing food, bacteria, and plaque between your teeth and along the gum line where the toothbrush cannot reach. While tooth brushing removes bacteria and food debris on the outside surfaces of the teeth, the toothbrush cannot remove plaque and bacteria that is between the teeth.
BENEFITS OF FLOSSING
- Removes bacteria between the teeth
- Removes food and plaque that can be stuck and caught between your teeth and along the gum line
- Can help improve your breath and decrease likelihood of halitosis, bad breath. Food and bacteria between the teeth can cause halitosis.
- Helps prevent cavities between your teeth.
- Helps prevent gingivitis (bleeding gums) and periodontitis and the possible need for deep cleaning
- Can help your teeth remain whiter by removing foods that can cause extrinsic stains
- If someone is currently undergoing orthodontics (braces), brackets and bands can act as an annoying food trap. Flossing will help remove such food and bacteria stuck between the teeth.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T FLOSS
- Increased risk of tooth decay
- Increased risk of gingivitis, gum bleeding, and bone disease
- Increased risk of halitosis (bad breath)
- If someone is currently undergoing orthodontics (braces), if one does not floss, this exponentially increases one's risk of gingivitis and tooth decay.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I FLOSS?
Studies have shown that daily flossing is efficient at removing bacteria, food, and plaque between the teeth. Along with twice a day brushing, daily flossing is an effective method at keeping your teeth and gums healthy and vibrant.It's debatable whether one should floss before or after tooth brushing, but as long as the flossing is done daily, that's the important thing!
HOW SHOULD I FLOSS?
- Start with approximately 18-20 inches of fresh new floss each time. Waxed floss is a good choice as the wax may flossing easier go between the teeth.
- Wind most of the floss around each of your middle fingers, leaving about an inch of floss in between the middle fingers
- Hold the floss tightly between the thumb and index finger, and slide it up and down between the teeth gently
- Very gently curve the floss at the end base of the tooth. Make sure the floss gets underneath the gums. Try not to force the floss down as this may injure or bruise the gums.
- Use clean sections of the floss as you move tooth to tooth.
- When done flossing, dispose of the floss and wash your hands with water and soap.
- Repeat steps 1-6 daily.
Warm Regards,
Peter Chien, DMD, MPH
www.bellevuefamilydentistry.com
425-615-1600
I agree that flossing is very important. Like you said, it is an effective way to remove food, bacteria, and plaque between your teeth. If people flossed more, they would make their dentists very happy.
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I love how you talked about the importance of flossing, and the risks someone takes if they choose not to floss. I know that I have a hard time flossing, because I feel like after I brush my teeth, I don't really need to. But I really do not want to have to deal with tooth decay and gum disease when I am older because of me not flossing. I will make sure I start constantly doing this. Thank you so much for giving me this information. http://www.greggmond.com/
ReplyDeleteNobody in my family has been very good about flossing their teeth regularly. That's something that we're going to have to change in the coming weeks. The last thing I want is for me or my kids to end up dealing with gingivitis or tooth decay. Hopefully we can start to get in the habit of flossing regularly before the next time we need to schedule a visit with a dentist.
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I knew a lot about the advantages to flossing before, but I had no idea that it helped get rid of bacteria between your teeth. I didn't even know that was an issue that people had to deal with. I think that anything we can do to get rid of that is worth looking into. Hopefully we'll all be able to figure it out, and stay as healthy as possible.
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I used to floss quite a bit when I was growing up, but I've stopped recently. I didn't realize how many health benefits came along with it. It's good to know how to properly do it, too, so I can get the best results possible. The article has really made me want to start flossing regularly again. http://www.southgatedentalcentre.com/services.html
ReplyDeleteMy dentist has been getting after me to floss for forever, and I've gotten pretty good at it in recent months. Like you say, I think my breath has improved. I've definitely noticed that my gums seem healthier--they don't bleed like they did when I first started up! I'm convinced now that flossing is important.
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I've never actually seen a method for flossing laid out like this. I think something like this would be extremely beneficial to the way that everybody approaches this kind of situation to say the very least. I never flossed as a kid, and the biggest reason was that I didn't know how to. I would try occasionally, but I never felt like I was doing it right. Hopefully people will be able to find more information like this so that they don't have the same problem I did. it can make life a lot easier.
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I Read Your blog and really nice blog. i like BENEFITS OF FLOSSING topic thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for explaining why flossing is so important. I liked your explanation for what happens of I don't floss. I've noticed that my breath hasn't been as fresh as it used to be recently, so it must be because I haven't be flossing. Having fresher breath and knowing that my risk of developing gingivitis and tooth decay are great incentives for flossing, so I should pick up the habit again.
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Thanks for your article about why you should floss your teeth. You make a great point about how flossing can greatly reduce your risk for tooth decay. If you only brush, 30% of the surface of your teeth are not being cleaned. It also doesn't help to lie to your general dentist about your flossing habits. They will know if you've been flossing or not. http://www.riverdalenydental.com/Dental_Procedures_Dental_Emergency_Riverdale_NY_Services.html
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