Why Flossing is So Important

It’s easy to maintain good oral hygiene when you floss daily.flossing

Flossing is a necessary evil and yet you wouldn’t imagine how many people don’t floss their teeth often or at all. If you’ve never put much stock in flossing then you may just want to think again. Flossing is an important part of your daily routine and our Greensboro, NC, dentist, Dr. Michelle Mottinger, is here to tell you why.

Every time you eat or drink anything, a sticky bacteria known as plaque develops on your teeth. This plaque, when combined with food and drink, creates acid, which eats away at tooth enamel to cause cavities. Of course, brushing is the best way to remove plaque from the front and back surfaces of teeth. But what about the spaces between teeth? Plaque can still form in between teeth and needs to be properly dealt with but toothbrush bristles cannot get into these tight spaces. This is why flossing is imperative if you want to be able to completely remove plaque from between teeth.

If you don’t floss your teeth you’ll end up leaving two surfaces of your teeth prone to plaque and tartar buildup, which can lead to cavities and gum disease. Gum disease, a chronic inflammatory gum condition, can not only cause tooth loss but also bone loss. By flossing and brushing regularly you can prevent gum disease from happening to you, which can protect you from a variety of other oral health issues in the future. Now you can see why flossing is so important.

So, how often do you need to floss in order to get your teeth fully clean? Flossing once a day is all you need to do to maintain good oral hygiene. Ideally, you should floss at the end of the evening right before bedtime to remove all the plaque that has accumulated throughout the day. Of course, while nighttime is the ideal time to floss, our Greensboro general dentist will tell you that as long as you floss daily it doesn’t matter which time of day you decide to do it. The key is really to make sure you floss once a day, no matter what time of the day or night works best for you.

Do you need to schedule your six-month dental checkup? Do you have questions on how to properly floss your teeth? Whatever your needs may be, call our Greensboro, NC, dental office today.