Do you floss your teeth every day or only when you can feel something trapped between them? It is an important question often asked by dentists, who can always tell who flosses regularly. Unfortunately, many people fail to floss daily because they find the habit too tricky or time-consuming or uncomfortable. However, merely brushing your teeth isn’t enough to remove plaque and food debris trapped between your teeth, helping prevent cavities and gum disease in Oshawa. If you want a healthy smile, here is why you need to floss each day.
Your Toothbrush Can’t Reach All Tooth Surfaces
Each tooth has five surfaces, but your toothbrush can only clean three of these surfaces. The other two are in contact with the teeth on either side, and food and plaque often get stuck in these areas, creating the perfect environment for bacteria in plaque to thrive. Dental floss or another interdental tool enables you to clean these contact areas thoroughly, removing far more dental plaque.
Protecting Your Gum Health
When you don’t floss your teeth each day, plaque quickly begins to build up. The bacteria in plaque can multiply quickly, producing toxins that irritate your gum tissue. Unless dental plaque is removed, it soon hardens into tartar, and the presence of tartar makes it easier for more dental plaque to stick to your teeth. Eventually, the toxins created by the bacteria in plaque and tartar cause gum disease, a condition that results in puffy, red gums that bleed easily. Without treatment, gum disease in Whitby can result in tooth loss. Regularly flossing helps prevent this condition.
Protecting Your Teeth
The bacteria that create toxins also produce acid. The acid weakens your tooth enamel, and repeated exposure eventually causes lesions that develop into cavities. When you floss regularly, your risk of cavities decreases. Additionally, a buildup of plaque and tartar can discolour your teeth, so flossing each day helps them look their best.
Protecting Your Overall Health
Failing to floss greatly increases the risk of gum disease in Ajax, a condition where your gums bleed easily. Bleeding gums allow harmful bacteria in your mouth to migrate directly into the bloodstream, and from there, they can travel easily around the body. The bacteria that cause gum disease have also been associated with other serious health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and respiratory illnesses. People who already have these conditions may find they worsen with poor oral care while neglecting to take care of your teeth and gums increase the risk of developing these diseases. Flossing protects not only your teeth and gums and your general health.
What to Do If You Hate Flossing?
If you hate flossing or find it awkward, then don’t worry but do ask us for help at your next visit to Margolian Dentistry. We can review your flossing technique with you, and one common mistake is to use a short piece of dental floss. Ideally, you need a length of about 45 cm, and there are several techniques you can use to manipulate this length of dental floss more easily. Some people like to tie the ends together to create a large circle. Others find it more comfortable to wind the ends around their middle fingers. We can help you find a suitable technique. Another option is to look at other tools entirely. There are several tools on the market that you may find much easier to use, such as interdental brushes. These tiny brushes fit between your teeth and are very easy to manipulate. Or think about purchasing a water flosser.
