Keep your mouth happy and healthy by flossing daily.

We all know that brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each time is important to keep your mouth healthy. But flossing is just as important as brushing—if not more so—to the health of your teeth and gums. The team at Farless Dental Group, your friendly dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina, is here to provide tips for making flossing easy and a part of your daily routine as well as highlight the benefits of flossing to your oral health.

The Important Benefits of Regular Flossing

The reason why dentists push daily flossing is because it helps prevent cavities and gum disease. It accomplished this by removing bacteria from all the places your toothbrush simply cannot reach.

The acids produced by plaque are what break down the enamel and cause decay, and untouched bacteria below the gumline turns into hard tartar, creating chronic inflammation that can develop into gum disease. Daily flossing cuts down on this plaque accumulation between the teeth and beneath the gumline by disrupting the buildup and removing leftover food particles. So by maintaining great flossing habits, you reduce your chances of cavities forming between the teeth and irritation affecting the gum tissue.

Benefits of Flossing for Overall Health

Daily flossing isn’t just good for your oral health—it is good for your overall health too. Flossing stimulates the gums and encourages blood flow to the oral tissues. 

But daily flossing doesn’t just help keep your oral health in great shape. Along with proper brushing, it helps keep the level of harmful bacteria in your mouth down. Too much of this bacteria can cause cavities, gum disease, and other oral infections. And the microbes responsible for gum disease (periodontitis) have been linked to other diseases that affect your overall health, like endocarditis and cardiovascular disease. It can also have pulmonary implications. 

Excellent dental hygiene, including regular brushing and flossing, helps prevent these bacteria from entering the bloodstream and negatively affecting the rest of your body.

How To Floss Properly

Since flossing is so key to your oral and overall health, it is important that you are flossing correctly.

With traditional dental floss, the first thing you want to do is break off a piece that is about 18 inches long. Wind the majority around your middle fingers and hold the section in the middle firmly between your index fingers and thumbs. 

Slide the floss gently between your teeth and gently rub up and down the surface to wipe away plaque and debris. When you get to the gums, make a “C” shape with the floss and gently rub it under the gumline. Repeat this process for the other side of the tooth.

When you are finished with those teeth, slide the dental floss out and wind the used portion down on your nondominant hand to bring about a fresh piece of floss. Repeat the flossing process for the remainder of your teeth.

If limited dexterity prevents you from being able to use traditional floss, there are alternatives. You can try a water flosser, which uses a stream of pressurized water to clean between your teeth. There are also dental flossers, which have a small piece of dental floss attached to a handle for easy flossing. If you’re still experiencing difficulty flossing, ask the team at Farless Dental Group for more tips and tricks. 

Don’t forget your preventive cleanings.

To make sure your dental health stays in great shape, remember to visit the team at Farless Dental Group at least twice a year for preventive dental evaluations and professional cleanings. Regular dental care helps prevent oral health issues and keeps your teeth in top form. Request your appointment today.