While most people incorporate practices like brushing twice daily, many do not consider flossing essential. Therefore, national Flossing Day is observed on November 25 to stress the importance of flossing daily for excellent oral health.
The National flossing council launched flossing Day to increase awareness in people about flossing once daily for the betterment of their oral health.
Flossing daily is essential because it helps remove food particles and plaque between your teeth and the gum line, where you find it challenging to clean with your toothbrush despite using the tool twice daily as recommended by our Pearland dentist.
What is Flossing?
Dental floss is a cord of filaments for interdental cleaning that helps remove food particles and dental plaque between your teeth from places your toothbrush cannot reach. It is a daily task of oral cleaning designed to maintain excellent oral health.
How to Floss Teeth Correctly?
When flossing your teeth, it is essential to adopt proper techniques to ensure you benefit most from this tool. The steps you must follow include:
- Break off 18 inches to two feet of floss, winding most of the floss on both your middle fingers, leaving one or two inches of floss for the teeth.
- Hold the floss firmly with your thumb and index fingers.
- Place the floss between two teeth to gently glide it up and down, rubbing it against both sides of every tooth. Remain careful not to guide the floss into your gums because it can scratch and bruise them.
- When the floss reaches your gums, curve eight at the base of your tooth in a C shape to enable the floss to enter the space between your gums and tooth.
- Continue the process of moving from tooth to tooth using a new section of floss for each tooth.
Benefits of Flossing Teeth Daily
Removing the lingering piece of popcorn or excess spinach on and between your teeth, besides feeling good and leaving your teeth appearing cleaner, flossing also has many benefits:
1. Flossing Helps Rid Dental Plaque
Dental plaque is a sticky film collecting around and between your teeth and your gum line. Although challenging to notice because of its colorless feature, dental plaque isn’t a substance you might want lingering in your mouth for a long. Plaque releases acids to erode tooth enamel and cause cavities with time. Dental plaque also hardens into tartar within 48 hours near your gum line, increasing your chances of developing periodontal disease. Daily flossing helps remove food particles from around your teeth, including plaque building up between them.
2. Risk of Cavities Reduced by Flossing
Tooth decay results in cavities causing tiny holes in the tooth enamel. The process requires some time but indicates your chances of developing cavities increase when you have excessive dental plaque on your teeth. Flossing once daily helps eliminate food particles and plaque buildup to lower your risk of tooth decay.
3. Prevents Periodontal Diseases
The earliest stage of periodontal disease is gingivitis causing inflammation in your gums and bleeding when brushing and flossing. If you leave gingivitis untreated, the condition aggravates into periodontitis, causing severe problems with your dental and overall health. However, if you brush twice daily and floss at least once, besides getting regular cleanings from the dental clinic in 77584, you help your gums to remain healthy and prevent unnecessary health complications.
4. Prevents Lousy Breath
Halitosis is a problem affecting many and generally originating in the mouth from the food debris trapped between your teeth and decay. If you fail to remove the food particles, you start developing lousy breath, besides increasing your chances of enamel erosion and gum disease.
5. Helps Heart Health
Excellent dental hygiene doesn’t merely benefit your teeth and gums but also benefits your cardiovascular health. Studies from 2019 observed that people who maintain excellent dental hygiene have a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation. The American Heart Association also mentions a connection between oral and cardiovascular health, confirming an association between your mouth and your overall health.
Conclusion
Daily flossing is a crucial part of your dental health routine. Besides removing particles and debris between your teeth, flossing daily also provides several essential benefits. You can reduce your risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and cavities by adhering to the advice of our dentist in Pearland, TX, to benefit your overall health by investing in an affordable and beneficial tool like dental floss today.
If you intend to take the benefits of flossing daily, we at Pearly Whites in Pearland can help you achieve your goal whenever you contact them. However, with national flossing day approaching on November 25, you must prepare immediately for the celebrations by contacting our dental clinic at 77584 for more advice on daily flossing.
