Benefits Of Flossing

Benefits Of Flossing Your Teeth

 AMY TRIBE MARCH 11, 2018

How many times have you been to the dentist and been asked whether you

 floss regularly? And how many times have you been able to answer
truthfully

 that you do? Probably not very often. In fact, a recent study found that
only 

half of Americans floss daily, and as many as 18.5% don’t floss at all –
that’s 

nearly one out of every five people!

The American Dental Association recommends flossing your teeth every
 day,

 in addition to brushing them twice a day. But what benefits does flossing 

actually give you? Especially if you are already brushing your teeth twice
 a 

day, as recommended by dental professionals. We are going to discuss the 

benefits of flossing your teeth and how you can make it easier and less
painful

for yourself.

Table Of Contents [show]

Flossing Your Teeth Removes And 

Prevents  Dental Plaque

Flossing in between your teeth means you are cleaning the areas that your 

toothbrush (yes, even your smart electric toothbrush) cannot reach. This
 prevents

the build-up of plaque, which is a sticky coating which forms on your teeth.
Plaque

 is made up of bacteria and sugars. It is constantly forming, and it is
colorless, so it can quickly build up without you realizing.

As plaque is colorless, it is easy for you to assume that simply brushing
your teeth twice a day is enough. Why would you do more if your teeth are 
fine as they are?

 But the problem is that if you leave plaque, it will harden and turn into tartar,
 which is a yellow or brown color. Once you have tartar on your teeth, you
 will only remove it by visiting your dentist for a scale and polish.

Different people make plaque at different rates, so therefore tartar will form 

at different rates too. Even if you cannot see the plaque, you can notice that 

after flossing, your smile appears brighter and cleaner.

As tartar builds up, it can cause gingivitis, which is the swelling of
 your gums, which is the first stage of gum disease. The plaque and 
tartar can easily travel downbelow  the gum line, where the bacteria
 they carry can cause severe gum disease, which is

 also known as periodontal disease. Gum disease might not mean
 much to you, but it can become very painful, and will eventually lead
 to tooth decay and  eventually tooth loss.

Flossing Prevents Gum Disease

By removing plaque from between your teeth and along/below
 the gum line where your tooth brushing cannot reach, you are
 reducing your chance of gum disease. Periodontal disease affects
 as many as half of adults, and while some people are more prone
 to it than others, it can affect anyone.A study on twins in 2008
 compared the effects of flossing and not flossing associated with
 periodontal disease. The study found that the group which flossed
 their teeth had significantly lower numbers of bacteria associated
 with gum disease than the group which did not floss.

Good Oral Hygiene Keeps You Healthy

Keeping your mouth healthy is an important part of keeping yourself
healthy overall. Periodontal disease has been linked to many chronic
 illnesses, in particular, chronic heart disease. In fact, it is thought
 that those who have periodontal disease are nearly twice as likely
 to have heart disease.There have been a number of studies 
looking into
 the links between gum disease and heart disease. It is thought 
that the bacteria causing gum disease can enter the bloodstream,

 where it attaches to fatty deposits. This can cause bloodclots 
which can then cause heart attacks or stroke. It can also cause
 swelling in the blood vessels, causing them to harden, which
 means your heart has to work harder to pump theblood around
 the body, meaning you can get raised blood pressure.Gum
 disease has also been linked to other illnesses, although the

 causes have not all been determined. Patients with diabetes may
 find that it is harder to control their blood sugar level if they have
unhealthy gums than those who havehealthy gums,and the bacteria
 in gum disease can cause or exacerbate lung conditions, particularly

 in elderly people. Poor oral health in pregnant women has also been
linked to premature births, meaning babies are born with lower birth
weights.

So it is not just your teeth you are looking after when you brush and floss, 

it is your overall, long-term health, and potentially that of your unborn child. 

Surely spending an extra minute or two a day on your tooth care routine is 

worth it!

Flossing Makes Brushing Your Teeth More Effective

The combination of brushing and flossing your teeth is far better
 than just brushing them. Ideally, the best time to floss your teeth, 
as recommended by dentists, is before you brush them.This is
 because it will not only loosen and remove plaque but also remove
 food debris from between your teeth that would otherwise block the
action of the toothbrush. By removing these from your teeth and gums
 before you rush, it also enables the toothpaste to reach more areas
 within your mouth, so the fluoride can have a greater effect on
 strengthening your tooth enamel.This goes for using mouthwash too.
 After you have flossed and brushed your teeth,

 you can use a fluoride-based mouthwash to finish off your teeth-
cleaning routine.

 This will give your teeth a little more resilience against cavities,
and it has an 

antibacterial action to reduce germs in your mouth which can cause
 plaque build-up.

Flossing Can Save You Money

By ensuring you floss and brush your teeth regularly, as
 recommended, as well as having regular dental check-ups,
 you are doing all you can to prevent gum disease

 and tooth decay. This will save you a huge amount of money,
 as the cost of one filling along can be in the $100s!

Flossing takes very little time or effort and can easily form part of
 your daily tooth

 ritual. An extra minute or two per day will be well worth it when
 you don’t have to pay for painful fillings or tooth extractions.

You can make it even easier for yourself by getting a water flosser,
which is a great

 alternative if you don’t like using traditional dental floss. If you
would like to know

 more about water flossing and see our reviews of some of the
best water flossers around, take a look at our buyer’s guide.

Flossing Keeps Your Smile Clean!

This is probably the most obvious one. Many people only think
 to use floss when we have something stuck in our teeth. Flossing
 is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of stubborn food 

debris from between our teeth. It is great for people with braces
 too,  although flossing with regular dental floss is harder when
 you have to navigate around braces. Other methods of flossing
 are better for this, such as water flossing,
How Else Can I Keep My Mouth Healthy?

Maintaining good oral hygiene practices is the most important
 way to ensure your mouth is healthy. By ensuring dental
 bacteria and plaque build-up is kept to a minimum, you will
 be well on the way to having a healthy mouth. But there are 

other lifestyle considerations which you should take on board too:

• Low sugar diet – the bacteria that cause plaque love 
• sugar as it helps them to respire. Try to limit your sugar
•  intake, as well as cutting down on particularly
•  starchy or sticky foods. Eating a well-balanced diet will
•  boost your immune system and give your body the best
•  resistance against bacteria.
• Limit acidic foods and drinks – acidic products such
•  as orange juice
•  and sodas 
• weaken the minerals in your tooth enamel, causing cavities
•  and tooth decay.
• Stop smoking – smoking causes tooth staining, tooth decay
•  and bad breath. 
• Smokers produce more plaque which causes a greater build-up
•  of tartar, meaning they are more likely to get gum disease.
•  Smoking also puts you at higher risk of oral cancers.
• Manage stress – stress is proven to negatively affect
•  your body in many ways. Stress can cause gum disease
•  to be harder to treat as it weakens your immune
•  system and therefore lowers your resistance to illness.
• In addition to these lifestyle factors that you can actively
•  manage, it is good to be aware that certain times your body
•  will be less resistant to gum disease.
•  Hormone fluctuations such as during puberty, pregnancy
•  or the menopause can put you at higher risk because
•  they can affect the composition of your saliva. Some
• medications can also cause changes in your mouth,
•  such as reduced saliva, which means it is easier for
•  plaque to build up.Reduced immunity caused by other
•  diseases or treatments can also make you more likely
•  to get gum disease, for example, if you are going through
•  cancer treatment or taking anti-resistance drugs after an
•  organ transplant.
• Conclusion
• You should now have more of an understanding of why
•  flossing your teeth is so important and how you can 
• maximize your oral health. If you are interested in buying 
• a water flosser, take a look at our reviews of the products
•  we feel are the best devices around.
• Below copy and paste to browser: Monkeys that Floss.
• https://youtu.be/YfiB88WmaII
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