Why Flossing is Essential for a Healthy Smile

Keep your teeth healthy through daily flossing

Have you ever wondered if the dentist can actually tell if you’ve flossed your teeth regularly when you go in for your bi-annual visit? The answer is a resounding YES! Your oral habits are obvious. The buildup of plaque is only one way that reveals your flossing habits. Others may include unhealthy and bleeding gums, bad breath, and even decreased heart function.

Flossing affects your gums, improves your smile, freshens your breath, prevents tooth decay between your teeth, and reduces your chance of developing heart disease. Flossing is an essential part of your oral and physical health. You need to floss to care properly for yourself and STAY healthy. Are you still not convinced to floss?

Flossing helps your gums stay healthy

One major reason to floss your teeth is to prevent plaque buildup. That buildup leads to tartar buildup and that results in gum disease. You need to floss and remove the bacteria that grows from food particles that are left behind that brushing alone can never reach. You will not only be removing large particles of food you can see and feel but smaller particles that attach to the porous parts of your teeth and hide in the periodontal pockets and lead to gum loss and even bone loss. The result of losing gum and bone tissue is a loss of your teeth.

Restaurants have toothpicks to get the little pieces of food that may get stuck between your teeth, but removing those larger pieces alone is not enough to help your gums be healthy, pink, and beautiful. Flossing between the teeth and removing the smaller particles you can’t see is essential to good oral health.

Regular flossing creates healthy gum tissue. Healthy gum tissue supports bone and tooth structure. When you begin to floss, you may experience some bleeding. This is because you are new to this habit and your gum tissue isn’t healthy yet. Don’t give up! Softly and gently bring your gums back to health through continuing regular, daily flossing.

Improves smile appearance by making your teeth whiter

Another key reason to floss is that it actually can help make your teeth look whiter. By removing the bacteria and plaque that begins to yellow your teeth, you will maintain a healthy, beautiful smile. This makes your teeth whiter and brighter than they would be without flossing, thus saving you time with expensive whiteners. Some floss is designed specifically to help whiten your teeth. These types of floss are coated with small, abrasive silica particles that will manually remove stains. Other whitening flosses are coated with calcium peroxide and this will whiten teeth by dissolving the excess proteins that have been deposited on your teeth by your saliva.

It is recommended that you begin flossing your teeth even on your primary teeth as a child. Most specialists recommend as soon as your child has 2 teeth that touch you should begin to encourage and help them begin a daily flossing regimen. When they become older, they can take over doing it themselves but will have this life-saving habit already in place and it will be second nature to them.

Flossing needs to be done correctly and thoroughly.  All teeth areas need to be flossed, even behind the very back molar. Take the floss and run it down the backside of your very back tooth and get down into the gum tissue and remove the plaque and bacteria that love to live and grow in there. Rinse with a good mouthwash as well, and never forget to brush your teeth and tongue. Your dentist and hygienist will most assuredly be delighted to educate you on the proper way to floss and care for your teeth and gums. They are ready and willing to help you keep the teeth that serve you daily. Teeth are essential for a beautiful, winning smile.

Freshens your breath

Who doesn’t want to have fresh breath? When your breath smells good you can keep your confident vibes going. One of the easiest ways to achieve this good smell is to floss your teeth. Getting those little pesky particles and bacteria out of your mouth is how to avoid that stinky smell. Keeping your teeth clean and your mouth fresh is what gives you that winning smile. So, stop popping mints all day long and start flossing your teeth. There are so many different floss options out there for you to choose from. 

Stops tooth decay and prevents cavities

Tooth decay and cavities are no fun. They don’t even sound fun….When you choose to floss your teeth any of the little candy slivers or other food particles caught between your teeth can be removed. If you leave those little particles in between your teeth then they can cause cavities within two days. Make sure to avoid the dental drill by flossing your teeth at least once a day. 

Reduces chances of heart disease

Your gums play an important role in your dental care and in your overall health. Gum disease can lead to breaking down your gums, teeth, and bone tissue. This can impact your heart as well. When you get bacteria in your gum tissue, then in your bloodstream, the danger is that this bacteria will travel to your heart. Your body has to use a lot of the energy you could be using playing pickleball or hiking just fighting off bacteria.  It gives you more enjoyment in life since your heart is free of bacteria, which leads to heart disease.  Researchers found that gum disease increases a person’s risk of heart disease by about 20 percent. To reduce your chances of heart disease make sure to floss between each tooth daily to keep your teeth healthy. When you keep your gums healthy it helps protect your heart.

Care for yourself

There is no way around it.  Flossing is essential to caring for your teeth and body. Now you know that your dentist knows, it’s only a matter of time before the people around you know, but most importantly, you know. You know you’ll feel better and have more energy. If you don’t believe it… try it! Put all of these reasons to the test. Just see if you can feel a difference with daily flossing. Try it for 30 days straight. Do it and do it right. Take the time to take care of yourself.

Visit Us Today

At Snodgrass-King, we know how critical flossing can be to your health. It is important to keep your mouth healthy so that you are staying healthy. We want to help you achieve the best kind of at-home oral health care that we can. If you have any questions on the best flossing practices we encourage you to schedule a visit with one of our dental specialists today. 

Our facilities have been sanitized from floor to ceiling, and we will continue to follow all ADA, CDC, and local health department guidelines. We understand the concern you may have regarding COVID-19 and want you to know that we share those concerns and are ensuring your safety in our offices. For more information on what to expect at your next appointment, visit our website at snodgrassking.com

Snodgrass-King Dental Associates has 5 locations across Middle Tennessee (Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro, Franklin, and Cool Springs). Contact us today to see if we can help jump-start and be a resource in your or your child’s healthy, dental lifestyle. We offer a variety of services for both children and adults. We can also address any orthodontic needs of children, teens, and adults. If you have any questions, call us today at (615) 771-1111.