Why Is Flossing Important?

 Many patients ask us why flossing is so important. That’s a good question. Flossing is so important because when you brush your teeth you are only cleaning about 20% of the teeth surfaces. So without flossing, 80% of your teeth are not being cleaned and that can mean big dental health and overall health problems.

 Flossing daily removes plaque and food particles between and below the gumline. Plaque is a sticky, colorless deposit of bacteria that is constantly forming on teeth. Saliva, food, and fluids combine to produce these deposits that collect on teeth where teeth and gums meet. Plaque buildup is the primary factor causing periodontal (gum) disease.

Gum disease is a chronic infectious disease and is the reason most people lose their teeth. If plaque isn’t removed daily, there is a slow progression of the infection from the gums into the bone. Eventually the bone that holds the teeth in the jaw is destroyed and teeth are lost.

As if the concern of losing teeth to gum disease isn’t enough, there is a greater danger to your overall health when gum disease is present. Much research has revealed that there definitely is a connection between gum disease and heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, kidney disease, and the list goes on. Basically if you don’t completely remove plaque with daily flossing, you are at risk of the inflammation and infection of gum disease being spread throughout your body by your blood stream. 

Doesn’t that sound like a good reason to floss?

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