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To Floss or Not to Floss

Within dentistry, #flossing has traditionally been considered helpful for removing #bacteria and preventing plaque that can lead to tooth decay, particularly in areas between teeth. It is regarded as a bedrock practice in minimizing the risk of inflammation that can lead to gum disease. The rub, the dentists say, is that a long-term, scientifically rigorous study on the efficacy of flossing has yet to be funded and conducted, although dentists and hygienists have been observing positive results from flossing for decades. Maintaining good oral health isn’t just about protecting your pearly whites. Oral health is strongly linked to overall health: Bacteria in dental plaque and inflammation from periodontal diseases can spread to other parts of the body.

 

Many dentists have said flossing can help remove plaque, food build-up between the teeth, reduce the risk of gingivitis, gum disease, and reduce the risk of tooth decay. If done improperly, flossing can cause damage to gums, teeth, and dental work, according to the AP investigation. Sometimes, flossing can also cause harmful bacteria to be released into your #bloodstream which could lead to an infection. Floss is of little value unless the spaces between your teeth are too tight for the interdental brushes to fit without hurting or causing harm. What is even more worrisome, is that bacteria left undisturbed between teeth not only multiply, they build micro-cities in these spaces, dumping smelly sewage onto your teeth and gums. Ever wondered why you wake up with jungle mouth in the morning? Bacteria also create communication highways, even exchanging DNA. As these bacteria become well established, they also become more and more harmful, not just locally to your #gums and #teeth, but also to remote parts of your body. Doctors find bacteria from the mouth in diseased joints, diseased heart valves, diseased blood vessels… And when bacteria find their way there, they can cripple… even kill you.

 

No, floss is not the only answer, but people have taken it for granted for so long. It doesn’t mean that you can ignore oral hygiene; it just means that floss is not the only tool in the kit. Teeth have both functional as well as aesthetic value, damaged teeth make chewing difficult also keep us alert all the time with abrupt sensitivity. From aesthetic point, if the teeth are blemished or not in good shape anymore, smiling turns into an embarrassment. Doctors nearly always speak out that brushing and mouth washing is not enough; that more than mere brushing, one needs flossing of teeth to maintain teeth hygiene. Brushing is known to clean the outer surface of teeth, but for inter-dental cleaning, brushing is not enough. Dental flossing maintains inter-dental hygiene. There are few tighter areas in our mouth, especially the area between two teeth. These are the areas where the bristles of tooth brush can hardly reach. Hence, flossing is necessary and the advantages of flossing make it even more essential.

 

There are number of advantages of flossing, knowing them can help us to understand why dentist compel individuals to floss their teeth daily. After long sleep, when we wake up in the morning and our teeth are covered with thin subtle white layer, which is plaque and plaque is the outcome of bacteria raid. Floss not only helps in removing the food bits that stick in between two teeth, but it helps keeping bacteria away from teeth. Brushing removes the thin layer, but the residue leaves in between the teeth never scrape out with brushing. Gradually bacterial builds up and results in tartar that affects gum in due time.

 

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Uploaded on February 2, 2018