If you weren’t taught to start flossing at a young age, it can be quite difficult to get started as an adult. However, the benefits of flossing can truly make a difference regardless of what age you begin. When picking the right floss, your dentist in Waco says you need to make sure it feels comfortable going in between your teeth. You’ll also want to pick a floss you’ll actually feel inclined to use.
Once you have, read this post so you know what you’ll be preventing.
Reducing Bad Breath
If you’ve been told to chew some gum or asked when you brushed your teeth last, you probably had bad breath that needed addressing. Before you can, you need to understand where bad breath comes from and how to treat it.
Bad breath starts with oral bacteria that’s constantly moving, developing, and eating the same foods you love to eat, especially sugars and starches. After consuming them, bacteria begins releasing acids into your mouth, which eventually turn into dental plaque. While bacteria is also part of this plaque, it’s a large part of where bad breath comes from (besides your tongue.)
When you only brush, you’re missing about 40 percent of your teeth by not flossing the sides. Even interdental brushes can’t reach into the deep pockets between your teeth, but floss can. Flossing helps you remove this bad-breath causing bacteria from the sides of teeth, giving you a full cleaning that you need.
Preventing Tooth Decay
Dental plaque doesn’t only contribute to bad breath. The main reason dentists implore patients to floss is to reduce plaque’s effects on teeth. Without removal, the millions of bacteria inside plaque will keep producing acid, which eats away at enamel. It can also harden and turn into tartar, a calcified form of plaque that only your dentist can remove.
Without removing plaque from your teeth, and not just the chewing surfaces, cavities will begin to form. The next time you go to your dentist and you’re surprised the dentist found cavities, he just might ask you if you floss daily.
Stopping Gum Disease In Its Tracks
Keep in mind that bacteria always finds a way into the many crevices inside your mouth. The gum line is no exception. When plaque builds up around the gum line, it can:
- Irritate the gums
- Cause gums to turn red and inflamed
- Make gums bleed while brushing or eating
- Develop into gingivitis or more serious forms of gum disease
To prevent a permanent form of gum disease from developing, stop cavities, and keep your breath smelling fresh, you need to floss at least once a day. According to your dentist in Waco, a great time to do this is before bed. Since your mouth is at higher risk of drying out throughout the night, removing bacteria right before bed will reduce your chances of gum disease and cavities from developing.
To learn more tips or techniques on flossing, schedule an appointment today!
About the Author
Dr. Rick Cofer has been attending Texas Advanced Dental Seminars and Seattle Study Clubs for five years now. By doing so, he’s able to stay at the forefront of dental technology and techniques, allowing him to bring patients the best care possible. To learn more about his practice, contact him through his website.