Flossing your teeth is just as important as brushing, but few people do it regularly. According to CNN, one third of Americans don’t floss their teeth at all. Less than a third of Americans report flossing daily, even though it’s essential for good oral health. Because most people don’t think about flossing as much as brushing, not everyone knows all of the facts about flossing. Here are three important truths about flossing your teeth:
The type of floss matters.
You can choose between waxed and unwaxed floss, wide and regular floss, and flavored and unflavored floss. Each type has different pros and cons, and some people may benefit more from a particular type. If your teeth are all closely spaced together, waxed floss may be the most beneficial type of floss for you as it slides in between the teeth more easily than unwaxed floss. Waxed floss can sometimes leave a flavor in your mouth, though, so some people prefer unwaxed floss, which doesn’t leave any taste in the mouth. Unwaxed floss is also thinner and easier to maneuver.
Flavored floss, which most commonly comes in a mint flavor, is ideal for people who need more motivation to develop a flossing habit. It can freshen the breath and create a nice taste in the mouth, and it functions exactly the same as unflavored floss. Flavored floss can also help convince children to floss more frequently.
There are alternatives to dental floss.
While using traditional dental floss is usually the most foolproof way to clean in between your teeth thoroughly, there are a variety of alternatives that you can use in place of floss. Many people opt to use flossers, which are Y-shaped pieces of plastic with a piece of dental floss strung in between. These can be easier to use than dental floss because you can hold onto the plastic instead of wrapping dental floss around your fingers, and they are small and easily portable.
You could also use an interdental brush, which are designed to clean in between your teeth. They can work just as effectively as dental floss, and many people find them easier to use. For an even easier product to use, you can try a power flosser, which is similar to an interdental brush but is battery-powered.
Some dentists, including Thomas P. Connelly in his Huffington Post article, recommend using a water irrigation device instead of floss. A water irrigation device is a battery-powered or electric tool that shoots a stream of water through the teeth to clean them. These are often more gentle on the teeth and gums than dental floss, and they remove the same amount of plaque.
The simplest alternative to dental floss is a standard toothpick. Toothpicks can be used to clear food and plaque out from between the teeth. They don’t work as effectively as floss or many of the other alternatives, but using a toothpick is better than using nothing, and most people already have a box of toothpicks in their home.
Not flossing can lead to serious health problems.
Not flossing can cause plaque to turn into tartar, which results in the gums receding away from the teeth. If the gap between the gums and the teeth becomes infected, it can lead to tooth decay and tooth loss. Most people are aware of the damage not flossing can have on your oral health, but it can also cause health problems that seem completely unrelated to oral hygiene.
“Gum disease often occurs as the result of not flossing, and it has been linked to heart disease and diabetes,” said Empire Dental Group. Researchers are unsure of whether gum disease actually can cause these other diseases or if the diseases just share a common factor, but people with gum disease are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes than people without.
Some researchers have often found a correlation between gum disease and kidney failure, mouth cancers, and HPV infection, although they are not sure if gum disease actually increases the risk of these illnesses. Flossing at least once a day can greatly reduce your risk of gum disease, which in turn may reduce your risk of other illnesses.
