Glory Tuesday

We’ve all heard it: for healthy teeth and gums you must brush twice a day and floss. While most people have no problem with the brushing part, not a lot of people bother with the flossing. We either forget or think that it’s not that important. After all, if we brush our teeth twice a day, that should be good enough, right? Unfortunately, no. Flossing is an important and integral part of keeping your teeth and gums healthy. Without flossing food can stay lodge in between teeth for days, eventually causing cavities and tooth decay. This, of course, can lead to expensive trips to the dentist. But tooth decay is not the only reason to floss on a regular basis. There are other health benefits that come from regular flossing.

Avoid gum disease

You don’t have to be enrolled in dental assistant school to know that when you don’t floss regularly, you aren’t giving your teeth a good cleaning. Brushing can take care of the surface of your teeth, but what about those in between and hard to reach places? Food can gather and stay there, creating a build up of tarter that in turn can spread bacteria. This bacteria can cause infection in your gums, leading to gum disease. With gum disease your gums can become swollen, painful and bleed and your teeth can become loose. It can be expensive and time consuming to deal with, requiring regular visits with a specialist.

Don’t get sick

If you are a diabetic, or have immune issues, it’s especially important that you floss and keep your teeth and gums healthy. Gums and teeth can get infected when you don’t floss regularly, and this could lead to bigger health issues for those with diabetes or immune disease. A small infection in your mouth could lead to a bigger infection elsewhere. And even if it doesn’t, people with diabetes and immune disease take a longer time to heal from infection.

Stay heart healthy

There have been medical studies conducted that have shown there is a link between flossing and heart disease. The American Academy of Periodontology says that those who suffer from periodontal (gum) disease are “Almost twice as likely to have coronary artery disease.” The connection between the two is quite simple: gum disease is caused by bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria doesn’t always stay in the mouth, though. It can travel throughout the body causing inflammation in other areas, including your arteries. And it’s not just heart issues that you have to worry about. Gum disease can also increase your chances of having a stroke.

Lower stress levels

Having issues with your teeth and gums can be stressful. Not only do you have to worry about getting in to see a specialist and getting work done, but you also have to worry about other health issues that could arise and paying for the work you have to get done. All of this can add to a massive amount of stress, which isn’t good for your health. By flossing every day and keeping tooth decay and gum disease at bay, you’ll be saving yourself from unnecessary stress.

Flossing your teeth daily doesn’t take a lot of time or a lot of effort, yet most people can’t be bothered. But the benefits to flossing go beyond simply avoiding a cavity. You also avoid getting gum disease, which can lead to a slew of other issues. So take five minutes a night before you go to bed and make flossing part of your routine. You’ll teeth and gums will be healthier.

Do you floss regularly? If no, why not?

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