Our mouths are one of the most high-maintenance parts of our bodies and, strangely enough, one of the most neglected. Many people learn from a young age to brush twice a day, and that sweets cause cavities. We’re also aware that flossing should be part of our daily regimen, but how many of us actually do it enough, if at all?
Despite what we profess to our dentists every six months, most of us could stand to floss more. If you understand just how much flossing impacts your health, you’ll be less inclined to avoid it. Not only does it keep our teeth bright and cavity-free, but it just might save our lives.
The Perils of Plaque
When you think about it, the mouth is a pretty foul area. It’s filled with food bits and loads of bacteria, both good and bad. The bad bacteria is what makes our breath unfavorable and our teeth susceptible to decay. Toothbrushes clean only about 75 percent of our teeth. That’s a start, but we need floss to clean between them, where our toothbrushes can’t reach. Otherwise, nasty stuff gets into our gums and feeds the bad bacteria. When that string of floss isn’t there to stop the bad bacteria from multiplying, a host of issues arises.
An influx of bacteria leads to plaque buildup, which causes dental diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis, also known as gum disease, is extremely common and makes gums swell and bleed when brushed or flossed. People mistakenly believe that bleeding gums mean they’re flossing too much and should stop, but the bleeding actually signifies that they’re not flossing enough. A 2006 study conducted at New York University and published in the American Journal of Periodontology monitored pairs of twins as one twin brushed and flossed twice a day and the other merely brushed. By the end of the study, the flossing siblings had improved their gum health by more than 40 percent. The other group had actually experienced a 4 percent increase in bleeding gums.
If gingivitis is left untreated, it can lead to periodontitis, an infection of the gums that actually deteriorates bone and gum tissue. Gumlines that recede noticeably, turn bright red or purple, and are tender to the touch indicate periodontitis, as do loose teeth and an overall icky taste in your mouth. Like gingivitis, periodontitis causes gum inflammation and contributes to cavity formation. Even scarier, it can make your teeth fall out.
The Mouth Is Only the Beginning
As if bleeding gums, bad breath, and potential tooth loss weren’t enough to worry about, the plaque that forms because of a lack of flossing is connected to respiratory diseases and numerous cardiovascular conditions, such as heart disease and stroke. When plaque makes a home along your gumlines, it gets into your bloodstream and clogs up your arteries. It can also enter your lungs and take up residence in lung tissue, leading to possible respiratory infections. A healthful diet and plenty of exercise are often touted as the best ways to boost our immune systems and stave off diseases, but habitually poor dental hygiene can be just as destructive as frequent fast-food binges or couch-potato sessions.
Oral infections have also been known to exacerbate diabetes, as they can cause blood sugar to spike, requiring the diabetic person’s body to produce more insulin and potentially rendering insulin medication less effective. Diabetics should be just as diligent with flossing as they are with monitoring sugar intake, just as people who care about their health need to make flossing an everyday affair. Unfortunately, because the connection between the two ailments isn’t obvious, too many people fail to prioritize oral hygiene.
Small Sacrifice of Time = Big Health Reward
Flossing requires only five minutes of your time. One quick session at the end of the day, either before or after brushing, will prevent a great deal of oral issues—not to mention cardiovascular and respiratory ones. And regardless of what some commercials imply, mouthwash is not a substitute for flossing. Case in point: In 2005, dental floss manufacturer Johnson & Johnson took Listerine to court because Listerine’s ads claimed its mouthwash was as effective as floss is in preventing plaque buildup. Judge Denny Chin ruled that nothing could rival the hygienic benefits of flossing.
