Some people believe that if they brush their teeth thoroughly they don't need to floss. While brushing twice daily is essential for good oral hygiene, brushing alone may not protect you from gum disease. Here's more about why flossing is important to your oral health.
In order to keep your teeth and gums healthy you need to combine a good at-home oral hygiene routine with regular visits to your dentist for checkups and cleanings.
Your Oral Hygiene Routine
Brushing your teeth thoroughly for 2 minutes twice a day and flossing once a day, are essential to a good oral hygiene routine.
However, it's not unusual for people who do an excellent job brushing their teeth to believe that brushing is sufficient for keeping their teeth and gums healthy. These otherwise diligent folks will often skip flossing altogether, or floss infrequently.
Flossing is key to keeping teeth and gums in tip top condition!
The fact is, your teeth just aren't thoroughly clean if you skip flossing. About 1/3 of your tooth's surface is difficult to reach with a toothbrush.
Those hard to reach areas are where flossing comes in! Flossing allows you to remove the plaque and bacteria that your toothbrush just can't get to.
Removing Plaque
Plaque is the leading cause of gum disease (periodontal disease), but what exactly is it? Well, plaque is an invisible film of bacteria that develops on your teeth throughout each day.
Within just 36 hours plaque can harden into tartar, at which point it can only really be removed by a dental professional.
By flossing just once a day you can prevent plaque from hardening into tartar. That means less scraping the next time you visit your dental professional for a cleaning!
