Is Flossing a Waste of Time?

We are taking a common dental hygiene question, for which you might have heard conflicting answers, and setting the record straight, once and for all.

A few months ago, there were several news articles published with information on flossing, which is odd considering you would not think of it as the “newest and hottest” dental beauty and hygiene treatment in the game. 

Well, it is not, because it has been a thing long before many of us were even born! But the efficacy of the waxy string, meant to dislodge your leftover meatloaf (kale chips, popcorn, etc) from between your teeth, has been of majoring questioning by many over the last year when a news article hit the internet. Basically, it brought up that there’s little evidence that flossing is super important. This raised quite some confusion. So, we want answers. 

So here is our burning question...

Is flossing one big myth and is every floss publicist under the sun having a panic attack? 

And the answer is...

No! Flossing is worth doing. The American Academy of Periodontology released a study recently saying that while, yes, there is little evidence, they still recommend flossing every day. Likewise, many dentists agree that it is a great habit to keep. 

Flossing daily is necessary for healthy gums because it dislodges food that is stuck between the teeth where a brush cannot reach. The food debris that is left unattended can cause bad breath, along with other problems. Most of the bacteria that causes tooth decay and gum disease lives in the ‘hard to get to’ areas between the teeth. A brush simply will not reach those areas and rinsing is not powerful enough to dislodge the stuck food. The only way of physically removing this plaque creating food debris from between the teeth is to floss. 

Flossing also removes plaque and tartar, which helps to reduce the chances of developing inflammation of the gum tissue or Periodontitis. For your information, if the latter is left untreated, it can cause bone and tooth loss!

If you want to know what is considered an acceptable flossing practice and who wouldn’t after all that confusion that was caused, then read on.

It is ideal to floss once a day, though after every meal is better, and how you do it is equally as important. Run the floss along the tooth structure in the shape of the letter C, rather than just snapping quickly between each tooth. 

Apparently your pearly whites will thank you. 

Source: Instyle Magazine. http://bit.ly/34ufNwU