You can hide the fact that you're not flossing consistently from your dentist for a while, but she will eventually be able to tell.
What you should really be asking yourself is, why am I not flossing?
Your dentist or hygienist may not notice right away if you're not flossing regularly. Especially if you start flossing regularly again about a week before your appointment, the dentist may not notice any problems for some time, because it takes about a week of flossing for gums to stop bleeding when they are cleaned.
In addition, just being young, healthy, and having a nutritious diet (all of which have an effect on your gum health) will also decrease the outward signs poor oral hygiene for a time.
But this won't last forever!
Think of it like this: if you stopped consistently exercising and eating a healthy diet, the negative effects would not be obvious at first. You would continue to look, and maybe even feel, just about the same as before for some time.
But these lifestyle changes would catch up with you eventually, just like not flossing would.
The foundation of good oral health is prevention and maintenance — not treatment. Making good oral hygiene a part of your daily routine will prevent problems from developing in the first place.
What will happen if I don't floss enough?
Not flossing means that food debris can stay stuck between your teeth for longer periods of time, which in turn allows bacteria colonize in those tight spaces, eventually leading to tooth decay.
Your dentist will then certainly be able to tell your oral hygiene routine is lacking!
In the end, we’ll leave you with these questions: What are the actual benefits of fooling your dentist into thinking you’re flossing regularly when you’re not? What's the point? Why not just floss regularly instead?
