Get a Date — Don’t be Smelly Nelly!
NOT flossing leads to halitosis or bad breath. If for no other reason, do it for you. Bad breath can put a damper on your love and social life.
With the recent controversy over the need to floss, our office has been bombarded with questions from our patients regarding the effectiveness of flossing. Despite the weak evidence against flossing, as dental professionals with many years of experience, we have seen the positive effects of flossing.
As tempting as it may be, weak evidence against flossing should not be the deciding factor on whether you toss that floss. We challenge you to try a simple experiment at home. Up for the challenge? For several days, brush as usual without flossing. Take an 18 inch piece of dental floss and see-saw it between the teeth. Make a letter c around the tooth, scrape up and down against the tooth surface 2-3 times. Remove the floss from your mouth. Notice the odor and build up of particles stuck to the floss. Yuck! Imagine over time how many layers of build up will accumulate and this leads to gingivitis (infections of the gums).
Why Floss?
- There are 5 surfaces to the tooth and the toothbrush can only reach 3 of those surfaces. The surfaces between the teeth collect food particles and plaque. Flossing is one way to clean the inter-proximal surfaces.
- When plaque is not removed even within one day, it will harden into tarter. Tarter can only be removed by a dental hygienist or a dentist.
- If the inter-proximal surfaces are not cleaned, overtime the tarter buildup will lead to cavities, bleeding gums, gum and bone disease.
Flossing can benefit your teeth, gums and overall health.
- If gum disease goes untreated you could be at a risk of losing your teeth. Not to mention increasing your chances of developing heart disease and diabetes.
- It is recommended to floss right after a meal to remove any food particles between teeth. If you are a once a day flosser, the best time to floss is before bedtime.
Think twice before you toss that floss!
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