29 Dec Flossing 101: Back to the Basics
You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again, flossing is vital towards keeping your oral health in tip-top shape. As much as everyone knows this fact, still not enough people floss daily along with their twice daily brushing routine. According to the American Dental Association, only about half of Americans floss every day and nearly 20% don’t floss at all! The following is a list of reasons why you should take the extra couple minutes a day to commit yourself to better dental hygiene, and be sure to visit Prescott Dentistry for all of your dental services in Prescott, AZ.
1. Gum Disease is worse than you think.
There are many studies that have been and still are being conducted examining the connection between gum disease and an amplified risk of premature births, stroke, respiratory diseases, diabetes and heart disease. There has yet to be any totally conclusive evidence, however, it can’t hurt to take an extra minute to floss to hedge your bets against some of these terrible diseases. Gum disease itself isn’t a fun one to deal with either!
2. There are plenty of flossing products and options on the market.
Holding floss isn’t always the easiest task. Luckily for our generation, there are tons of new alternatives that can be found at pretty much any grocery store! A popular item are the floss sticks which are basically just small plastic pieces that suspend a short piece of floss between the two ends. These are especially helpful for those of us who have teeth that are very close together or crowded. Another common alternative is a interdental cleaning device that looks sort of like a tiny pipe cleaner.
3. Dental Plaque is bacteria.. and it’s not pretty.
If you’re squeamish at all, this one should be a good motivator. The plaque than infects your teeth, causing cavities and gum disease consists of millions of microscopic bacteria. If that doesn’t make you want to grab a nice length of dental floss and go to town on your mouth, we’re not sure what will! If you are a sucker for keeping things clean and washing your hands to avoid germs – don’t forget about your mouth!
Has it been awhile since you’ve pulled out the dental floss? Don’t wait any longer and contact Prescott Dentistry today to schedule any needed dental services in Prescott today!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (12/29/2015) angela n. (Flickr)