Many people understand the importance of brushing their teeth and visiting their dentist, but they tend to sleep while flossing. Some people think brushing their teeth every day is enough, while others know flossing is important but simply don’t like to do it.
As any dentist will tell you, flossing your teeth every day is crucial to your dental health. If you haven’t been flossing every day, here are eight reasons to start.
1. Flossing Helps Clean Every Surface of Your Teeth
A tooth has five surfaces, and brushing only cleans three of them. That means you miss 40 percent of the plaque that builds up on your teeth. If you want to clean every surface of every tooth, you need to floss at least once a day.
2. Flossing Reduces the Risk of Cavities
Plaque on your teeth generates acid, which can eat away at the enamel of your teeth and cause cavities. Since flossing is the only way to remove all the plaque from your teeth, flossing regularly will help reduce the risk of developing cavities.
3. Flossing Helps Prevent Gum Disease
Plaque can also damage your gums and cause gum disease. If gum disease is left untreated, it can cause a more severe condition called periodontitis that can loosen your teeth and create an inflammatory response throughout your whole body. Proper flossing can remove plaque along your gum line, protecting your gums and preventing gum disease or periodontitis from taking hold.
4. Flossing Prevents Bad Breath
Food particles that get trapped between your teeth can decay and give you bad breath. The only way to reliably remove these particles is with dental floss, so start flossing if you’ve been concerned about your breath.
5. Flossing May Help You Look Younger
The bacteria that damage your gums can also damage the bones that support your teeth and the lower third of your face. This damage can have the effect of making you look older, making regular flossing something of a fountain of youth.
6. Flossing May Be Good for Your Heart
According to a 2019 study, those who practice good oral hygiene had a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular issues such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure. This could be because those who regularly brush and floss their teeth are likely to be more health-conscious overall, but there may be a connection between oral hygiene and heart health.
7. Flossing Prevents Tartar Buildup
When plaque is left on your teeth for too long, it hardens into a brown substance called tartar. Plaque is relatively easy to remove with brushing and flossing, but tartar can usually only be scraped away by a dentist. If you want to prevent plaque from forming into tartar, it’s ideal to remove it from between your teeth with some dental floss.
8. Flossing May Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Gum disease can significantly raise the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Since gum disease is so closely related to plaque buildup due to a lack of flossing and brushing your teeth, you might be able to prevent type 2 diabetes and many other health conditions simply by flossing your teeth every day.
As much as you might not like to floss your teeth, there are some very good reasons to do it regularly. Remember to floss at least once a day, and don’t hesitate to speak with your dentist if you have any questions about flossing or your oral hygiene.
Published by: Holy Minoza
