Flossing is a crucial aspect of good oral hygiene, and its benefits go beyond just helping keep your teeth clean. Here are several ways wherein flossing can be beneficial in your oral fitness, as suggested by dental care for residents of Burlingame:
- Plaque Removal: Flossing helps remove plaque from between your teeth and alongside the gum line. Plaque is a sticky coating of bacteria that gets built up on teeth and might result in tooth decay and gum sickness if not removed.
- Prevents Cavities: By removing food particles and plaque between your teeth, flossing helps save you from cavities in these regions. Cavities frequently develop in tight spaces wherein toothbrushes won’t be able to reach efficiently.
- Gum Health: Flossing is essential for maintaining healthy gums. It helps cast off plaque and particles that could worsen and inflame the gums, reducing the hazard of gum disease, consisting of gingivitis and periodontitis.
- Prevents Bad Breath: Flossing can help remove food debris and microorganisms between teeth, which can be a breeding ground for bacteria that cause bad breath (halitosis).
- Prevents Tartar Formation: When plaque isn’t removed, it can harden into tartar (dental calculus), which can then be removed only by a dental expert. Regular flossing saves you the buildup of tartar.
- Reduces the Risk of Gum Disease: Gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Flossing, along with proper brushing, can drastically lessen the threat of gum disorder and its related issues.
- Better Oral Aesthetics: Flossing can assist in improving the appearance of your smile by stopping gum ailment and decay of teeth, which could lead to unattractive gaps or teeth loss.
- Overall Health Benefits: Some studies show that good oral hygiene practices, along with flossing, may be linked to better overall health.
To enjoy the benefits of flossing, it’s important to do it successfully and frequently. Here are some recommendations for effective flossing:
- Use approximately 18 inches of dental floss and wind a maximum of it around one finger of every hand, leaving some inches in the center to work with.
- Gently use the floss between your teeth in a sawing movement.
- Curve the floss around each tooth in a C form and slide it up and down along the perimeters of the tooth and just underneath the gum line.
- Use a clean section of floss for every tooth to avoid transferring plaque or particles from one tooth to another.
Flossing has many other benefits, and it is one of the best dental practices to include in your dental routine.