‘Are you flossing on a regular basis?’ Or ‘Are you also one of those who hate flossing?’
Around a month ago, I was the one who used to despise the sensation of moving a piece of floss between my teeth. That’s why I always skipped flossing as part of my daily oral hygiene practices until I got to know that brushing alone isn’t always enough to eliminate plaque and prevent cavities.
Let me tell you why is flossing important? And how it helps you keep a healthy smile by maintaining your teeth and gums and preventing you from other ailments.
Trust me! After knowing the importance of flossing, you’ll have no choice but to add it in your dental care routine.
Let’s start!
Table of Contents
Is Brushing Not Enough?
There are five surfaces to a tooth. But your toothbrush can only reach three of them.
The other two undisturbed tooth surfaces are so close to the sides of other teeth, food can easily become lodged between them. When food gets lodged between the teeth, it produces a breeding habitat for bacteria, which leads to plaque formation.
Floss comes to help here! Because, as an interdental cleaning instrument, it can penetrate into these small places and remove up to 80% of plaque.
Get to know about brushing mistakes you might be making.
Importance of Flossing for Dental Health
Reading above why brushing isn’t enough, there’s no denying that not flossing puts your smile at risk. Flossing, in addition to making your teeth and gums look and feel better, has a number of other advantages.
Let’s take a closer look at these advantages and see why is flossing important.
1- Gets Rid of Plaque
Flossing on a regular basis can help eliminate food particles from between your teeth as well as plaque buildup. What is plaque? It is a whitish, sticky film that forms around, between, and along the gumline of your teeth.
According to the top reviewed dentist in Karachi, Dr. Amena Tahir “When germs in your mouth come into contact with starchy or sugary meals and drinks, plaque builds on and around your teeth. These bacteria produce acids that aid in the digestion of carbohydrates. “
Now let’s see how not brushing and flossing can cause damage to your teeth and gums?
1st: If you don’t brush or floss your teeth, bacteria, acids, and carbohydrates can combine to produce a plaque film on and around your teeth and gum line.
2nd: Plaque bacteria can produce acids that eat away at your tooth enamel. If these acids aren’t removed through brushing and flossing, they can cause cavities over time.
3rd: Furthermore, plaque can solidify and harden into tartar, which collects along the gumline. According to the American Dental Association, tartar buildup increases the risk of gum disease.
2- Helps Prevent Gum Disease
Plaque on your teeth not only stains them, but it can also lead to gum disease.
Periodontitis, the advanced type of gum disease, develops when the disease affects your soft gum tissue as well as the underlying ligaments and bone. Periodontitis, if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss.
Flossing, on the other hand, removes plaque from between your teeth and helps you avoid:
- Gums recession
- Bleeding gums
- Tooth and bone loss
Find out about the best foods for strong and healthy teeth.
3- Reduces Bad Breath
Halitosis aka bad breath is a prevalent issue. Flossing, on the other hand, is one of the techniques you can employ to keep bad breath at bay.
When food becomes lodged between your teeth, it begins to rot slowly. It is possible to have foul-smelling breath if you do not eliminate the food particles.
In addition, plaque buildup around or between your teeth as a result of not flossing can also create cavities and gum disease, which contribute to bad breath.
Learn about the best foods to fight bad breath.
4- Prevents Tooth Decay
Another factor highlighting the importance of flossing is prevention of tooth decay. Let me tell you how!
After a few days, sticky candies or dry fruits caught between your teeth can cause cavity-causing plaque, which can lead to tooth decay. Flossing is the magical solution here as it eliminates plaque from between teeth.
Flossing between your teeth as least once a day can help remove food particles and plaque accumulation from between your teeth, reducing your risk of tooth decay.
5- Good for Your Heart Health
Importance of flossing is not just limited to your teeth and gums but may also be beneficial to your heart health. Surprised to hear this?
Yes! Scientifically it is proven that participants in a research study who maintained a high quality of oral hygiene had a lower risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
However, according to the AHA, the link between oral and heart health may be more of a link between the health of your mouth and your overall health.
The bottom line is flossing your teeth is a low-cost and easy technique to improve your oral hygiene and overall health.
How Often Should You Floss and When?
Brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day and flossing at least once a day are recommended. Also flossing your teeth before brushing them is preferable.
And when should you floss? Some people floss as part of their morning ritual, while others like to clean their teeth one last time before going to bed. It’s totally up to you!
Some Tips to Floss Properly
Now that we have answered the question ‘why is flossing important?’, let’s see how to floss properly? Well, it will take practice to become a proficient and speedy flosser, just like any other skill that must be practised until it is perfected.
To learn the proper flossing techniques, you can consult with the best dentists near you. You can make an appointment via Healthwire.pk.
Here are some tips that I follow:
- Cut the floss into 18 to 24 inch lengths.
- Wind each end of the floss around your middle fingers to hold it correctly, leaving only 1 to 2 inches for your teeth.
- Place the floss between two teeth using your forefingers and thumbs.
- Now gently glide the floss up and down to eliminate any remaining food particles.
- Curl the floss at the base of the tooth to make a C shape, which will allow it to penetrate the gap between your gums and tooth.
- Repeat the procedure for each tooth, making sure to floss on both sides of each tooth, including the last tooth in each arch.
