Most people know how important it is to brush your teeth, but a lot of people don’t bother with flossing. What a lot of people don’t know is that there are a lot of health benefits to flossing your teeth.
Brushing vs. Flossing
Brushing cleans the surface of your teeth. You need to floss in order to clean out the gaps between your teeth, where bacteria often reside. If you don’t floss, you’re more likely to have plaque build-up, which can lead to cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. But brush and floss correctly for maximum results.
Below are 10 reasons why it’s a good idea to floss your teeth along with brushing to help keep yourself healthy.
1. Improves Immunity
You may not know that flossing your teeth can help with protecting you from infection and germs far beyond your gums. When you have a lot of bacteria accumulating on your gums and teeth it can travel to other places in your body. If you don’t floss, it may be why you are having so many infections.
2. Prevents Obesity
If you’d like to lose weight, you might want to try flossing. A Swedish study released some facts according to which oral health issues and obesity might be much closer linked that it was thought until now. The study appeared in the BMC Journal of Oral Health.
3. Lowers Stroke Risk
Oral health has been linked to the health of the heart. Patients with gum disease and tooth decay often have strokes. When you floss, it’s going to help keep your heart healthier.
4. Flossing Saves You Money
Dental preventive care now can pay significant dividends down the road. Professional dental procedures are highly advanced, and can repair even severe medical problems. But ask any dentist what the most effective, cost-efficient tools are for protecting oral health, and you’re likely to receive a free toothbrush and box of floss.
5. Helps with Managing Blood Sugar
People with diabetes often suffer from gum disease. When you have diabetes, high blood sugar can take a toll on your entire body — including your teeth and gums. Besides this condition, studies have shown that the diabetics who are regularly brushing and flossing have levels of blood sugar that are easier to manage.
6. May Help With Arthritis
A German study published in the Journal of Periodontology showed that people with arthritis had more gum disease than people without arthritis — in fact, the arthritis patients had eight times the odds of developing gum disease. Doctors don’t know for sure how gum disease and arthritis are linked, but the diseases have inflammation in common, which may explain the connection.
7. Protects Your Gums
Tartar buildup can lead to gingivitis: red, swollen gums that are the first stage of gum disease. If left unchecked, the bacteria-laden tartar and plaque can spread even deeper below the gum line, causing periodontitis: severe gum disease.
8. Prevents Tooth Loss
Each morning you have a bacteria layer when you wake up upon your teeth known as plaque. When tartar and plaque are under your gums, they can lead to gingivitis. If it’s not treated, it can cause periodontal disease. When you floss, it can remove that bacteria and then reduce your chance of tooth loss.
9. Helps Freshen Breath
When you are flossing your teeth, you are going to have fresher breath. You are going to have a higher amount of self-esteem and you are going to feel much better about yourself.
10. Prevent Recession of Gums
When your gums are unhealthy because of gum disease or tartar buildup, your gums will start receding and expose more of your teeth. Your teeth look longer and they are more sensitive. The space in between your teeth also will accumulate food particles and make your teeth look horrible.
American Dental Assoc. Tips for Flossing Right
- Use 18 inches of floss. Wrap most of it around the middle finger of one hand, the rest around your other middle finger.
- Grasp the string tightly between your thumb and forefinger, and use a rubbing motion to guide it between teeth.
- When the floss reaches the gum line, form a C to follow the shape of the tooth.
- Hold the strand firmly against the tooth, and move it gently up and down.
- Repeat with the other tooth, and then repeat the entire process with the rest of your teeth.
- Use fresh sections of floss as you go.
Dental Floss Facts
- Dental floss was invented in 1815 by a New Orleans dentist who advised his patients to use thin thread to clean between their teeth.
- Johnson and Johnson patented dental floss in 1898; at the time, it was made out of silk.
- Manufacturers began to use nylon instead of silk in the 1940s.
- Some people falsely believe that you can’t floss if you’re pregnant, nursing, or wearing braces. In reality, there’s a technique and material for everybody who wants to floss their teeth. Talk to your dentist about proper flossing techniques if you have any concerns.
What a lot of people don’t know is that there are a lot of health benefits to flossing your teeth. As you can see, there are a lot of great reasons to floss your teeth. It’s important to floss because it makes your smile look great. But it also helps you to be healthier in the long run. Yes, flossing helps to protect your teeth. Flossing will also help you with avoiding having serious and sometimes life-threatening illnesses. So take some extra time and floss your teeth every day. You will be glad that you did.
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