Find out why you shouldn’t skip this crucial part of your oral care routine.
While we know that flossing isn’t the most fun habit to adopt, it’s certainly one that you will want to do each and every day if you want to maintain cavity-free teeth and healthy gums. Our River Forest and Chicago, IL, dentists, Drs. John, Sheila and Frances Lynch, are here to tell you why flossing is necessary for everyone and why not flossing your teeth could actually hurt you.
Everyone knows what flossing is but not everyone knows why it’s so important for healthy teeth and gums; however, flossing is important because it’s the only way to effectively remove food and plaque from between teeth and along the gumline. While you may think your toothbrush is able to get into those little crevices between teeth, think again. Floss is the only tool that can glide along the sides of a tooth to thoroughly remove plaque and other debris.
Sure, brushing your teeth is also a necessity, but it only thoroughly cleans the front and back surfaces of your teeth. Without flossing you are actually leaving a large percentage of your teeth’s surfaces unclean. Take a moment to look at the coffee mug or teacup from which you are currently drinking.
You may notice a few coffee or tea stains on the outside of the mug. Perhaps you even have a little lipstick imprinted on it. After you are done with your beverage you wouldn’t just wash the inside of the mug but not wash the outside, right? The same rule should apply for your teeth. All surfaces need to be cleaned in order to maintain a healthy smile.
While only our River Forest and Chicago general dentists will be able to remove tartar from teeth (your at-home toothbrush won’t be able to remove this hardened form of plaque) this means that it’s important that you also come in at least every six months for routine cleanings to prevent tartar from wreaking havoc on your smile.
Besides preventing plaque from hardening into tartar and causing cavities, flossing is also important for healthy gums. Flossing removes plaque from along the gumline, as well, and can keep gums safe from gum disease. Since gum disease has also been linked to more serious long-term systemic health issues like heart disease and stroke, flossing just once a day could be all you need to keep both your oral and overall health under control.
Lynch Dental Center in River Forest and Chicago, IL, is here to provide you with the quality dental services you need. Whether you need to schedule a routine cleaning or you want to find out the best flossing techniques we are here to help!
