Is flossing necessary? Do you really need to floss? Only a few are well-informed on the need to floss regularly and why it is important. A visit to your dentist, he or she would recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day. But what about flossing? Patients are recommended to floss once a day.

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The question is: Why should you consider flossing when you’ve already brushed your teeth? Brushing can only do so much in keeping your mouth clean and healthy; however, flossing contributes to optimal mouth care and teeth cleaning.

A toothbrush is designed with soft bristles made to physically remove a sticky, bacteria-laden film called plaque on the sides of your teeth while toothpastes contain fluoride, which helps reduce bacteria in your mouth. But even with these tools combined, they can only clean your mouth up to a certain degree because the bristles of your brush can’t adequately clean in between the teeth. But with flossing, it does the trick.

Dental floss is a special oral hygiene tool designed to remove plaque in between the teeth and corners of your mouth where bristles find it hard to reach. For over-all, total health care, it is highly advisable to brush and floss daily.

While flossing plays a major role in good oral hygiene, it is also a more gentle way of cleaning the teeth since our teeth are positioned in the gums and jaw. The roots of each teeth are held firmly by the jaw, and the roots and bones are covered by the gums, which is composed of soft, sensitive tissues.  The space between gums and teeth are most delicate; it is where small bits of food get stuck. Overtime, plaque forms and hardens, becoming tartar, which is a thick, disgusting film that covers the surface of our teeth if we don’t observe proper oral hygiene and that dentists scrape out using special tools. Tartar may lead to gingivitis — red swollen and sometimes bleeding gums. If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to severe gum diseases such as periodontitis.

Without proper oral care, a person can develop tooth and gum diseases that go beyond discolored teeth, bad breath, bleeding gums. Bacteria in the mouth, if not properly addressed and eliminated, can cause other health problems like diabetes, heart ailments, and respiratory illness, which can affect your overall health in the long run. And did you know, according to research, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.? What’s more, about 25 million Americans have diabetes.

But the good news is all these can be avoided, whether it’s a simple tooth problem or a complicated gum disease. Prevention is the best key to optimal good health. Thus, it is highly important that you brush and floss regularly. Flossing only takes a few minutes a day. It’s a small, simple step that contributes to your long-term health; an easy price to pay for optimal oral health.

Fight bacteria and other oral concerns by finding a trusted oral physician. Alpenglow Dental houses highly skilled and professional Salt Lake dentists. Get in touch with us at (801) 878-1700 to achieve and maintain beautiful, healthy teeth!