You can blame the rumors on the Associated Press. In 2015, the AP published an article stating that the scientific evidence about the value of regularly flossing your teeth was weak. The news organization challenged the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture to prove that flossing was actually beneficial for oral healthcare.
Apparently, the federal government’s research was minimal on the topic, and the AP story spread like wildfire.
The dental community, however, has found this kind of attack on brushing and flossing to be wreckless and damaging to people of all ages. The American Dental Association (ADA) holds firm on encouraging people to clean between their teeth daily with floss as part of the ADA’s daily oral hygiene recommendations.
Let’s be honest. No one has ever said that flossing your teeth was harmful. In fact, it is a simple, quick and effective way to safely keep your mouth and gums clean, and there probably isn’t a dental expert on the planet who would tell you to skip the floss.
1. Risk Of Tooth Loss.
That’s right. Flossing is serious business when you consider that gum disease at all levels can create several problems. The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) says that dental floss can get into every tiny nook and cranny between the teeth and under the gum line to remove plaque.
Plaque is full of bacteria sticking to the surface of your teeth, and gum disease can quickly develop when plaque builds up. Teeth become loose when gums are inflamed, and that eventually can lead to tooth loss.
2. Cardiovascular Connection.
Poor dental habits can develop into gingivitis and periodontitis, but the link continues. Studies show that the bacteria that invade the gums from unflossed teeth continue to travel to blood vessels elsewhere in the body. This, in turn, can result in blood vessel inflammation and damage. Small blood clots, heart attack and stroke may develop.
3. Stinky Breath.
Bad breath is something that most of us don’t ever want to experience, and it can become an embarrassing situation during social interaction. No one desires food particles sticking around in their teeth that transfer to the gums and tongue.
Flossing is excellent at removing the debris and maintaining a cleaner mouth. The small oral care step is quick and easy to do.
One study conducted on 1,000 adults in Kuwait who never flossed tell the story. These participants had bad breath often, and if they smoked and avoided brushing their teeth, the halitosis was pretty potent.
4. Tooth Decay.
Having a painful cavity is no fun, but flossing twice a day can make a major difference. When you don’t floss, plaque, that nasty, sticky film of bacteria, isn’t going anywhere and starts to accumulate.
Plaque is the enemy and begins to destroy the tooth’s surface by eating away at the enamel. Sooner than later, you can end up with a cavity (or hole) in the tooth surface.
5. Kick In The Wallet.
Any kind of dental and orthodontic treatments or procedures are not cheap. These people are professionals, and dental or gum care is not considered a commodity.
Dental insurance will not be very protective if you need a lot of work done such as a root canal. Then, there are the costs from dental labs used to make crowns and dentures.
Your teeth are really a lifetime investment, and dental experts believe that the simple, quick act of flossing can save you from expensive repairs and/or extractions down the road.
Flossing your teeth will never harm you, so why not get into the good habit of doing it and banishing the millions of bacteria that invade your teeth, gums and tongue on a daily basis.
Besides, dental floss flavors now come in options like cupcake, banana, bubble gum and bacon.
