At American Dental, we encourage all our patients to follow a regular oral health routine. By brushing twice per day, flossing once per day, using mouthwash, and visiting the dentist every 6 months for a checkup, you can keep your teeth healthy throughout your entire life. Unfortunately, we find that many of our patients skip flossing. If you consider flossing to be an optional part of your oral health routine, we would like to share with you 5 benefits of flossing every day to show you just how important it is to clean the areas between your teeth.
Flossing Reduces Bad Breath
The bacteria that live in your mouth are at the root of most oral health issues, including bad breath. These bacteria multiply throughout the day, and by brushing your teeth regularly, you can get rid of most of them. Of course, if you’re not flossing, you’re missing the areas between your teeth and along the gumline. Over time, the bacteria in those areas can build up, giving you bad breath and causing other issues as well.
Flossing Improves the Appearance of Your Teeth
When bacteria build up on your teeth, they create a film called plaque. If it’s not removed, plaque will calcify over time and become tartar. While daily brushing will remove plaque from the tooth surfaces, it won’t get in between the teeth. That can make those areas appear yellow or brown. If you want to have the whitest smile you can, be sure to floss every day.
Flossing Can Prevent Cavities
Your mouth bacteria produce harmful byproducts that eat away at your tooth enamel. If you don’t remove plaque every day, you can end up with a cavity that gets worse and worse until it creates serious problems. Brushing will prevent cavities on tooth surfaces, but if you want to prevent cavities in between your teeth, you will need to break out the floss at least once a day.
Daily Flossing Can Help Prevent Gum Disease
If left unchecked, tartar buildup along the gum line irritates and eventually will cause the soft gum tissue to withdraw from the tooth roots. This condition is known as gingivitis and over time, it can progress to full-blown periodontitis, also called gum disease. Gum disease can cause tooth loss and is connected to a host of other conditions, so it’s best to remove plaque from between the teeth every day by flossing.
Flossing Reduces Risk of Other Health Issues
Gum disease is related to several other conditions. The medical community has observed that poor oral health can worsen health issues like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more. If you have any of these conditions, or if you carry risk factors for developing them, maintaining an oral health routine that includes flossing can slow their progression and help you keep them under control.
You can find one of the best Dentists in Chicago when you give us a call!
If you live in the Chicago area and have questions about your oral health or want to know more about the benefits of flossing, the team at American Dental is waiting to hear from you. Get in touch with us to schedule a dental checkup or if you need orthodontics in Lincoln Square. Call (773) 900-6972 or click the “Make an Appointment” button to find out which one of our 7 locations is best for you and schedule your appointment today!