Do You Floss? If Not, Why Not ?

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Why do some people have good-looking, healthy teeth but others crooked ones, holes or none at all? The health aspect depends on a combination of genes, nutrition, and hygiene. The aesthetic one on the health system of a country. Braces are expensive. In countries where patients have to pay for them themselves, completely or partly, many will renounce the expense. In countries where the national health system is generous, you can see pretty dentures and flashing smiles. You have to accept your genes as they come, but nutrition and hygiene lie in your responsibility. Today I want to discuss the latter aspect. Do you floss occasionally? Good. Do you floss every day? Better. Do you floss after each meal? Best. Have you never flossed? Bad, very bad indeed. Why don’t you bum off a piece of floss (about 15 inches long) from a flosser and find out what it’s all about? · Get yourself in front of a mirror. Wind the floss around your middle or ring fingers and leave about 4 inches free between your fingers. · Then grasp the floss between your thumb and index finger of each hand. This may sound trickier than it is. It’s easy to learn. Insert/slide the floss between your teeth. If the gaps are narrow, use a sawing motion to get the floss in. · Move the floss gently up and down against the tooth cleaning it above and below the gum line. Do this also if you’ve got a tooth which doesn’t have another tooth beside it. · After cleaning a few teeth, unwind the floss from your fingers, move it a bit forward so that you’ve got a clean piece between your fingers and rewind it again. I bet you’ll be shocked and disgusted to see what comes out of the gaps between your teeth! You may find some remains from your meals on the mirror, you may also liberate some bad odours. How’s that? Don’t you brush your teeth thoroughly twice every day? Hopefully, this is the case, but as you’ve just seen, it’s not enough. Only brushing and flossing make for perfect dental hygiene. Dentists say that brushing without flossing is like washing only 65% of your body. But flossing is not only useful to dislodge food remains, it also helps to avoid the development of plaque which can eventually harden into a substance called tartar (which can only be removed by a dentist). Plaque causes tooth decay and can lead to gum disease. Bacteria can develop producing toxins which irritate and inflame the gums - this condition is called gingivitis, which, if left untreated, can even lead to bone loss, loose teeth and teeth which fall out. Unfortunately, even if you floss diligently, you can‘t remove plaque completely. It‘s advisable to go to the dentist every three or four months to have it removed professionally. This is what dentists laugh about: Q: “Which teeth should I floss?” A: “Only the ones you want to keep.”