A report from Statistics Canada just a few years ago discovered just over a third of Canadians Floss their Teeth at least once a day, a statistic that means, unfortunately, two-thirds do not bother. Flossing is essential for maintaining good oral health in Oshawa, but as the figures show, many people fail to add it to their daily routine.

Here is why it’s important to floss every day and make this a habit. The good news is that once you begin to floss daily, it will soon become part of your normal routine, and you won’t want to skip this step.

Why Do I Need to Floss?

Daily flossing protects your mouth from common Dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease. Each time you eat, food particles remain trapped between your teeth and attract the bacteria in dental plaque. Dental plaque is a sticky biofilm that builds up over your tooth surfaces every day. Regular brushing removes most dental plaque, but your toothbrush cannot reach between your teeth. Flossing before or after you brush your teeth helps remove these food particles and dental plaque from between your teeth and around the gumline, protecting your oral health.

What Happens If I Don’t Floss

The bacteria in plaque feast on the food particles, leaving you more risk of dental problems. In just a couple of days, plaque hardens into tartar or calculus, and the presence of calculus makes it easier for more plaque and bacteria to build up over and between your teeth. These bacteria produce toxins and acid that weaken your tooth enamel, eventually causing cavities. The toxins attack and inflame your gums, initially causing mild gum disease called gingivitis, but without professional dental care, this can quickly develop into periodontitis.

Periodontitis, or advanced gum disease, is far more serious as the gum inflammation spreads to the bone supporting your teeth and the ligaments holding your teeth in their sockets. Ultimately, advanced gum disease in Whitby can lead to tooth loss and has been linked to other serious health problems like dementia, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases and diabetes.

How to Make Flossing a Daily Habit

If you want to begin flossing daily, set up reminders, such as putting a sticky note on your bathroom mirror or an alert on your phone. Brushing and flossing your teeth only takes a few minutes, but if you get bored quickly, try listening to music or a podcast while you clean your teeth. You could also set up a reward system for yourself, where you perhaps treat yourself to a specialty coffee or indulge in a weekly Netflix binge.

What to Do If You Struggle to Floss?

Here at Margolian Dentistry, we know many people find flossing in Ajax tricky, especially if they have never learned the proper way to floss, and this is when we can help you. Next time you visit our dental practice, ask our dentist or hygienist for help and advice. We can provide a practical demonstration of the proper way to floss and can suggest a suitable brand of floss to try. For example, if you have tightly packed teeth, you may benefit from using dental tape or a thinner dental floss that is easier to slip between your teeth. If you can’t cope with using floss, there are lots of other things to try. These include interdental brushes, like small toothbrushes that you insert between your teeth, or treat yourself to a handheld water flosser that will squirt water between your teeth and make this daily task quick and effective.

The post Are You a Daily Flosser? Here is Why This Habit is Essential appeared first on Margolian Dentistry Family Cosmetic Implant Dentistry.