Floss the Teeth You Want to Keep

Written By Laura

It’s the start of a New Year and many of us make New Years resolutions

why not start with our oral health!?

We all know that we should be flossing more and according to the Canadian Dental Association only 28% of us are flossing the ideal five times a week!😲  We are always told about the benefits of flossing and why proper oral health is so important but how many of us need a reminder as to what these benefits are?

Brushing your teeth only cleans only about 60% of the tooth’s surface.

Flossing helps us get to those hard to reach areas in-between our teeth and under our gums. Here are a few reasons why flossing is such an important thing to add into your oral health routine this New Year.

Flossing helps remove the harmful bacterial that we can’t see in-between our teeth. If these bacteria are left to sit in these hard to reach spots it could lead to tooth decay

Flossing may help brighten your smile by removing unwanted plaque and debris build up around your teeth and gums.

Poor oral health and plaque build up has been linked to other conditions such as heart disease making it super important to clean all that harmful bacteria away.

Flossing can help prevent bad breath caused from the bacteria sitting on your teeth and around your gum.

When plaque sits on our gums it causes irritation that leads to swelling, bleeding and painful gums making it very important to properly clean it all away.

‘Floss the teeth you want to keep.’ ~dentist, quoted by Nick Crocker

These are only a few reasons as to why flossing is such an important thing to add into your daily routine.  

If you want to start a habit, Leo Babauta, on his blog Zen Habits writes

Floss just one tooth. This is an old idea, but it works well. Start your habit by just flossing one tooth. It’s so remarkably easy that you won’t be able to say it’s too hard, or you don’t have the time. It will feel a bit ridiculous, but just do it. On day two, floss two teeth. Slowly expand every 1-3 days until you’re flossing all your teeth. Sure, you won’t get the full benefit of flossing all your teeth at first, but the key is not to get the full benefit but to create a habit that lasts. -- Leo Babauta

He has many more tips on how to start a flossing habit on his blog post here.

Talk to your dental hygienist to learn more about starting a flossing habit. There are so many different options out there and there is something for everyone.  Lets start the New Year off right and make a difference with our oral health!