Some people believe that brushing is sufficient for a good oral hygiene routine and don't bother to floss. But flossing is an important part caring for your teeth and gums. Here, our Surrey and Delta dentists explain why it's important to take the time to floss daily.
Healthy teeth and gums require a combination of a good at-home oral hygiene routine and regular visits to your dentist for cleanings and checkups.
Your Oral Hygiene Routine
A good oral hygiene routine includes brushing thoroughly for 2 minutes twice a day and flossing once a day.
Many people who do an excellent job at brushing their teeth believe that brushing is sufficient for keeping their teeth and gums healthy and skip flossing. But flossing is important too!
Your teeth aren't really clean if you skip flossing. Approximately 1/3 of your tooth's surface is hard to reach with a toothbrush alone.
Flossing gets into those hard to reach spaces between your teeth and allows you to remove plaque and bacteria that you just can't reach with your toothbrush.
Removing Plaque
Plaque is an invisible film of bacteria that develops on your teeth every day, and is the leading cause of gum disease (periodontal disease).
Plaque can harden into tartar in just 36 hours. Once hardened it needs to be removed by a dental professional.
If you floss just once day plaque won't have an opportunity to harden into tartar, and that means less scraping the next time you visit the dentist for a cleaning.