3 Health Benefits of Flossing Your Teeth

Grandview Dental | March 24, 2014

While flossing may seem like just an extra thing to do to keep your teeth and gums clean it is actually a highly essential part of your dental health. Unfortunately many of us neglect doing it and don’t realize the negative impact of letting food and plaque sit between our teeth. While as a child the effects of this bad habit may go unnoticed as we travel through adulthood the negative consequences begin to show more clearly. Below are the top 3 reasons you should floss each and every day.

A Bright White Smile

A whiter smile is one of the first benefits of flossing people seem to notice after starting to floss regularly. While this benefit may be more cosmetic than anything, having a white smile is important to many—after all, it is one of the first things people see. Flossing has also been shown to keep gums from receding and keep the teeth in position.

Maintain Oral Health

Cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay are three words no one wants to hear their dentist say. But when teeth aren’t being flossed regularly a breeding ground for plaque and bacteria begins to form, which is where the aforementioned come into play. Excess plaque can also lead to halitosis or chronic bad breath and/or calcify into tarter which causes inflammation around the gums. While plaque can be taken care of at home, tarter is something that needs to be removed by a dentist.

Prevent Heart Disease

While the prevention of heart disease isn’t something you would usually think of when you hear flossing, there has been research that shows a strong link between build up in the arteries and gum disease.  Bacteria in the mouth can cross through very easily into other places of the body so to decrease the likelihood of such bacteria reaching your bloodstream, flossing is necessary.

Of course these aren’t the only reasons to start flossing everyday but hopefully they have inspired you to start. To reap the benefits of flossing it must be done consistently every day. Luckily it only takes a minute or two to do each day and pointers from your dentist are always available! If you are flossing everyday and still not seeing results, feel free to contact Grandview Dental Care in Grandview, Ohio or contact your local dentist.