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Flossing Your Teeth Daily doesn’t just keep your teeth and gums healthy; it also influences your entire health. At Dental Express in San Diego, CA, our professional team teaches our patients the best way to care for their teeth at home. There is evidence that periodontal disease can increase one’s risk of other health issues, such as heart disease, stroke, and infections. This makes it important to maintain an efficient oral hygiene routine of brushing and flossing from home.
Benefits of flossing daily
While periodontal disease isn’t necessarily the main reason for pulp necrosis, the death of cells and tissues in the pulp chamber, unhealthy gums can lead to an increased risk of tooth loss or the need for a tooth root canal. Brushing twice a day is good; however, brushing alone cannot protect you from developing gum disease. For those who suffer from bleeding or sensitive gums, you may think that you don’t need to floss often. However, when you don’t floss, you allow both plaque and tartar to accumulate, which leads to gingivitis, the first stage of periodontal disease, and causes this bleeding and sensitivity of the gums. Flossing at least once daily helps keep your gums healthy day in and day out.
When is the best time to floss your teeth?
Any time is a good time to floss your teeth. Pick a time that is most convenient for you so that you never skip flossing, even during a busy day. If you have children, they need to floss as soon as they have two teeth that touch. Gently floss their teeth for them so you don’t damage the tissue between their teeth.
The proper way to floss
To floss the best, we suggest the following technique:
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You can use either dental floss or a floss pick. If using floss, break off about two feet and hold the floss with most of it wrapped around your middle fingers.
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Place the dental floss or a floss pick between two teeth. Glide it up and down gently rubbing against the sides of each tooth. Never glide it into the gums.
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Curve the floss or floss pick at the base of the tooth being treated to form a C shape. This allows you to enter the space between both the gums and the tooth, which removes the most food particles and plaque.
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Repeat these steps until you have flossed your entire mouth.
How flossing affects your health
More than half of all Americans have periodontal disease. This gum inflammation disease occurs when bacteria in plaque below the gum line is left in the mouth. This can lead to tooth loss and even gum recession. Gum disease is associated with many medical conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. The connection between periodontal disease and overall health is very clear.
The bacteria that is left in your mouth can end up in your bloodstream, which can lead to more serious health issues. This makes it important to maintain a good at-home oral hygiene routine that includes daily flossing. Regular dental exams in San Diego, CA and routine dental cleanings are also important as they can detect dental issues early on as well as properly clean your teeth and gums. While flossing removes debris that contains harmful bacteria that can lead to gum disease, flossing alone cannot prevent gingivitis from progressing.
Flossing also improves the breath and is one of the easiest ways to keep fresh breath. Halitosis is common and, while some people joke about it, it may signal a serious oral health issue.
Learn about the long-term benefits of flossing
At Dental Express in San Diego, CA, we pride ourselves on promoting good oral hygiene routines. While our professional team provides comprehensive dental exams and routine dental cleanings, our patients must maintain their oral hygiene at home in between these visits for optimal oral health. Flossing removes bacteria, plaque, and food particles from between the teeth and reduces the chances of developing periodontal disease. It also reduces the chances of tooth decay development. To schedule a comprehensive examination with one of our professional general dentists, call our office today.