The most important thing, when it comes to oral health and caring for your teeth, is flossing. Each time you go to a dentist, one question you’re almost definitely going to hear is something related to how often you floss. People tend to make a strong point of brushing their teeth maybe 2 to 3 times per day, but the effort when it comes to flossing is severely lacking. What most people don’t realize is that flossing plays a vital role in oral health. A toothbrush cleans the top and outer area of the teeth and gums, but it cannot clean tight spaces. That’s where the floss comes in; it is made to clean tight spaces between teeth and gums. Some believe mouthwash is good enough to remove any bacteria that the toothbrush doesn’t get, but what about tiny particles that stick on the sides of teeth?
Regular flossing can do so much for your oral health. Brushing your teeth often is good, but not enough; small particles can easily lodge themselves between your teeth and, over time, plaque will develop and possibly cause diseases. Floss is made specially to tackle those hard to reach spots in the mouth. Dentists advise that flossing should be done before brushing because it makes brushing even more effective due to less plaque being left between your teeth and the fluoride in the toothpaste can do its job and clean those areas. If you take a look at a photo or diagram of how the mouth and the teeth are laid out, you will get an understanding of how the spaces between the teeth are setup and the tiny spots that pieces of food and easily lodge. Now imagine food from last week that’s stuck in the root of your tooth, rotting away. Terrible to think about, isn’t it?
The area where teeth and gum combine is where flossing is needed the most. Small particles of food get stuck and plaque will harden and accumulate to form tartar. Tartar is a thick deposit that only a dentist can remove with a scraper. If this tartar is allowed to build up, it will lead to gingivitis. Gingivitis is an infection that causes swollen gums, if left unchecked it will grow and spread then lead to periodontitis. Periodontitis is an extreme gum disease that can lead to tooth and bone loss. No thanks.
We all know flossing is important. Yet it is something many still choose not to incorporate into their daily routine. Hopefully, this will give you some motivation to do so. Want to jump-start your oral hygiene, and make sure your mouth is in good shape? Call us today to schedule a full cleaning and X-ray examination:(850) 542-4428.