The Importance of Flossing
Many people believe that as long as they are brushing their teeth on a daily basis, they are doing everything that they need to in order to have great oral health. However, they are often surprised to find out that this isn’t the case.
Instead, it’s also important that you are flossing every day as well, especially if you want to have the best oral hygiene possible. The dentists at Mint Dental recommend that you spend anywhere between two and four minutes brushing multiple times a day. But while this is a good start, it’s also highly recommended that you take the extra minute to floss your teeth. Here are some reasons why floss is so important.
It Gets Those Hard To Reach Places
No matter how much you brush your teeth, the truth of the matter is that you simply are not going to be able to reach certain parts of your mouth. Most likely these places are going to be down near your gum line, and also back where your molars are. Luckily, floss will help you easily reach those areas, as well as in-between teeth throughout your mouth. If you let certain parts in your mouth go unattended to for too long, bacteria and plaque can build up. However, floss will help to avoid that by continually cleaning those areas.
It Protects Your Gums
While brushing your teeth may be ideal for cleaning the surface area of your teeth, your gums are just as important a part of your mouth. Because of this, you want to make sure that you are doing what is necessary to keep your gums clean and strong. Floss will help reach your gums by cleaning between your teeth. It will also knock away bacteria and other tiny particles that may get stuck in-between your teeth near the gum line. If you don’t take the necessary precautions to clean your gums, you could be looking at problems associated with gingivitis and gum loss.
Fights Other Diseases
Along with gingivitis and gum loss, flossing has also been shown to help combat other diseases as well. Most commonly, this includes diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and even some respiratory illness. In addition, if you suffer from halitosis, then flossing could be exactly what you need to have fresher and more inviting breath. Heart disease kills more American every year than any other disease. Therefore, anything you can do to help protect you is certainly worth the time; especially if it’s just flossing once a day.
Adding Flossing To Brushing Adds Even More Care
It’s important to remember that flossing alone is not the best way to go. Just like brushing alone is the best way to go either. Instead, you are going to have the best oral care if you combine both brushing and flossing together. Studies have shown that those who both floss and brush will be able to clean much more of their mouth than just one method on its own. Keep in mind that brushing your teeth is great for removing plaque from your teeth, while the floss is the part that will go in-between teeth and really do the dirty work. Having both efforts when cleaning your teeth is truly best for overall oral health.
It Will Save You Money
Buying a roll of floss is not going to put a dent in your monthly budget. In fact, floss is typically one of the least expensive oral care products that you can buy. However, that little roll of floss is going to save you a lot of money in the future. Buying floss will help you avoid damage to your teeth, which could come with big bills in the future as you have to pay for serious dental work. You can think of flossing as any other investment. It might take a bit of money and a bit of time, but it’s certainly going to be worth it in the long run if you want to avoid having damage to your teeth and gums.
Your dentist cares about you and your oral health. It may seem like they are continually telling you things that you need to change in order to make your oral health better, but they wouldn’t be telling you these things if it wasn’t true. If you are looking for some ways to improve your dental health, be sure that flossing is a part of the routine. It’ll keep you healthy and be worth the investment over time.
