All dentists recommend that you floss at least once a day, if not more, to ensure good dental health. Are they all part of some global conspiracy, or is there some merit to this advice?
Unfortunately, they aren’t lying; flossing every day is a crucial preventative measure to reduce the chance of getting gingivitis, cavities, and tooth decay – all serious dental issues that you would not want to have. It can even keep your breath fresh, and your significant other will thank you for it.
Though there are various models of toothbrushes that are capable of doing an excellent job at keeping surfaces of teeth clear of plaque, as well as many hard to reach areas relatively clean, the bristles simply do not compare to the reach that dental floss can provide.
One of the top reasons that dentists recommend their patients floss daily is because everybody eats, and eating food will cause food particles to get sandwiched between your teeth. There’s simply no way around it. It doesn’t matter if you only had a small snack, or if you don’t “feel” anything between your teeth.
The human jaw is powerful enough to obliterate lots of foods, and the food particles that get released are often not cleaned out by just brushing alone. If these particles remain for too long, they can result in tooth decay. If you do not floss every day, you are certainly at risk.
Some people have argued that you do not need to floss every day and that there are other ways to achieve healthy gums and teeth. These same people claim that having a few gap days when one doesn’t floss is acceptable.
They exclaim that their gums hurt when they floss, so they do not want to punish themselves any more than they need to. It’s true that flossing only two to three days a week is still better than no flossing at all. However, dentists won’t budge on their position: flossing every day is still the best way to ensure that one’s oral hygiene is sufficient.
There are many ways you can get serious about flossing, and eventually incorporate it into a daily routine. Some people have dental floss close to their bedside tables or couches. This encourages them to floss whenever they are watching TV or about to sleep at night.
Some people resort to sticking notes on their bathroom mirror reminding them to floss. Others even bring dental floss to work with them.
Fortunately, there is a better way to floss if you simply cannot deal with string flossing. It has been proven in studies that water flossing can clean 50% more plaque and food particles than string flossing can, and with a shorter time to boot.