Flossing Is Your Friend
From the time of your early youth, you have learned about the importance of brushing your teeth a minimum of twice daily. Did you know that using dental floss every day is just as important as brushing your teeth? Most of our patients have dental floss at home, but when asked if it is used on a daily basis, many patients admit that it is only used on occasion to remove a pesky piece of leftover food. We are here to tell you that floss is your friend and can help save your teeth from decay and costly repairs.
Why Use Dental Floss?
Many patients are surprised to learn that brushing your teeth doesn’t remove all the plaque from your mouth. It is impossible to remove leftover food and bacteria that remains between the teeth by brushing alone. Dental floss is used to remove remaining bacteria that can easily turn into plaque and tartar. The longer bacteria remains on the teeth, the better chance you have of developing decay. This leads to fillings or more extensive treatments to repair the damage to the teeth.
Dental floss also helps maintain healthy gums. Gum disease is a condition that can easily develop when the gums are not cared for properly. Bacteria that remains along the gumline can cause anything from bad breath to receding gums. If these issues are not treated in a timely fashion, it can eventually lead to tooth loss.
It’s Never too Late to Floss
One of the benefits of oral health is that it is never too late to start improving how you care for your teeth. One of the best ways to incorporate the use of dental floss is to add it into your daily routine. We recommend adding flossing to your nightly brushing regimen. This ensures that any remaining bacteria from the day is cleared from the mouth and you are able to start fresh the next morning.
If you are unsure of the proper flossing technique, be sure to ask during your next appointment. We love to share oral health tips whenever we can! We look forward to seeing you soon in our office located in Denton, MD.
