Flossing your teeth each day, in addition to brushing twice daily, is an essential step in your dental hygiene routine. Everyone knows that their dentist always says to floss every day, but you may be wondering what the benefits are of flossing. Not only can flossing make a drastic improvement to your smile, but there are numerous other benefits, including:
- Combats Plaque: Regularly using dental floss removes and prevents the build-up of plaque. Not flossing allows harmful plaque and bacteria to grow and build up in the mouth, leading to other oral health issues such as cavities, gingivitis, or gum inflammation. Plaque starts to harden within hours after you eat, and after 48 hours, it will be firmly stuck on your teeth. Your biannual professional cleaning can remove it, but it is much better if you floss each day to prevent build-up.
- Your Gums Will Stop Bleeding: Many patients say that they are hesitant to floss because when they do, their gums bleed. Regularly flossing will remove bacteria from your gum line, so your body will have to send fewer blood cells to your gums to fight off the infection. So, the more you floss, the less your gums will bleed!
- Improves Your Overall Health: The health of your mouth and smile affects the overall health of your entire body. When you have a clean and healthy mouth, you reduce your risk of developing severe health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, and more, which are all linked to gum health.
- Prevents Gingivitis: Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease where your gums become swollen and bleed more easily. Flossing combats plaque which also prevents the signs and symptoms of gingivitis and gum disease.
Flossing takes only a couple of minutes a day to improve your oral and overall health, so it can be an easy addition to your oral health routine. We encourage all our patients to add flossing to their daily routine and schedule a biannual cleaning and checkup appointment with Chestnut Ridge Dental!
