When it comes to flossing our teeth, we all seem to have an excuse to refrain from doing so. Whether it’s due to bleeding gums, lack of time, or the difficulty of flossing, we often look for any reason to skip it. While you might consider these reasons viable excuses, flossing is always a must, and there are plenty of alternatives to using dental floss, putting many of these excuses to rest. Simply put, there’s a reason your dentist always asks how often you floss: flossing is crucial to the health of your teeth and gums. So when you ask why flossing is essential, the answer is floss reaches areas of your mouth a toothbrush simply can’t.
Here at Quality Dental Care, we strive to ensure our patients’ teeth are free of cavities and their gums healthy. Of course, we can’t make sure you floss every day, so we’d like to tell you just how important flossing is. Combat cavities and avoid future issues with flossing—it’s a must!
What Your Toothbrush Can’t Accomplish
Though brushing your teeth is effective and necessary, brushing is really only useful in removing plaque from the surfaces of your teeth. This leaves the gaps in between your teeth untouched, filled with food debris and plaque. Plaque forms on our teeth when the always-present bacteria in our mouths combine with sugar and acids in the foods we eat. This plaque, a sticky film, wears down tooth enamel and can harden into tartar if not addressed appropriately. This is where flossing comes in.
Why Flossing is Essential
Not only does flossing work to remove harmful plaque from the gaps between your teeth, it also cleans the gums surrounding them. As mentioned, a common excuse for avoiding dental floss is bleeding gums, which actually means you’re not flossing enough—as bleeding gums are often a sign of gingivitis and gum disease. Overall, flossing is necessary to thoroughly clean your entire mouth, in conjunction with brushing. If you struggle with flossing, for any reason, consider trying any of the several alternatives.
Alternative Ways to Floss
Whether flossing is a struggle due to big hands, lack of coordination, or orthodontic appliances, you can find a number of alternatives to dental floss. Proxy brushes, which are shaped like a Christmas tree, are perfect for patients with braces who need to reach under wires and between brackets. You can also ask your dentist for Y-shaped flossers, which allow you to reach farther back in your mouth. Also, consider purchasing a water flosser to replace your dental floss. Water flossers use a pressurized stream of water to flush out plaque and debris, making them a great option for any patient.
As you can see, there’s no excuse to skip flossing. We recommend every patient flosses twice a day in conjunction with brushing. In fact, some experts even suggest flossing before brushing teeth, as this could allow the fluoride in your toothpaste to reach more areas of your teeth.
If you need to schedule an appointment with Quality Dental Care in Omaha, NE, you can contact us here or give us a call at 402.431.8844. Remember to keep those teeth clean and floss everyday!