Flossing: To Do Or Not To Do

More often than not, we find that patients at our Valencia dental office aren't flossing like they are advised to, despite our best efforts to remind them of flossing’s importance. Because of this, we decided to sit down and ask ourselves, “What is it that turns people off about flossing?” and to come up with reasons why flossing is just as important as brushing.

Contrary to popular belief, flossing is a significant factor to not only your oral hygiene, but your overall health as well. Here is the mystery with flossing: there is a strange connection between flossing and heart health. We dentists don’t know why this connection exists; we just know that it does. When you floss, you are removing bacteria from under your gums that can cause problems to heart and immune health. We bet you didn't think flossing can actually keep you from getting sick, did you?

Often, patients also believe that if they brush their teeth twice a day and use mouth wash, they've done a sufficient amount of work to keep their mouths healthy. Sadly, this isn't true. While mouth wash and brushing your teeth are extremely important, they only clean the surface of your teeth. Flossing gets all the bacteria and tartar that’s stuck in-between your gums and your teeth.

Many patients refuse to floss their teeth because they claim it causes bleeding. There is a little bit of irony in that statement. The bleeding is actually caused by not flossing and is called gingivitis. When you don’t floss, your gums become week and in turn, are more likely to bleed. As you floss more and more, you gums’ health will improve and you will be less prone to the bleeding.

To make sure you floss right later tonight, here are some expert tips:

• Nylon or PTFE are the best types of floss to use
• Use 18 inches of floss per flossing
• For support, wrap one end of the floss around your right thumb and the other end around your left pointer finger
• Floss in a back-and-forth motion for best results
• Make sure to get in between your gums
• Visit your your Valencia dentist regularly