{"id":13,"date":"2021-08-19T12:53:01","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T12:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2021-11-24T13:42:51","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T13:42:51","slug":"why-is-flossing-important","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/why-is-flossing-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Flossing Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-1024x506.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-423\" width=\"768\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-1024x506.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-300x148.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-768x380.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-1536x759.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-2048x1012.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/flossing-cartoon-672x332.jpg 672w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There is one single reason for the importance of flossing in your dental hygiene routine \u201c plaque. Plaque is the soft, sticky and colourless deposit that collects on and around the teeth during the day. It contains a massive 400 different species of bacteria in every milligram. When plaque combines with saliva and the starch and sugars that enter your mouth through food and beverages, the concoction causes the bacteria to thrive and multiply producing an acid that attacks the teeth and gums and over time erodes tooth enamel. If you brush your teeth as directed, at least twice daily, then plaque does not have the chance to build up. However, flossing is just as important an activity in keeping plaque at bay. To really remove all of the plaque in the mouth it is vital that you clean the spaces in between the teeth and flossing is the only way to do this properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flossing has many benefits, first and foremost, keeping the plaque between the teeth to a minimum. Furthermore, because of the flexibility it can get right down beneath the gum line where plaque causes most damage, doing a much more thorough job of cleaning the teeth. The process of flossing also massages the gums, increasing blood circulation and making the gums healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When plaque is left to accumulate it can lead to a huge number of problems, and not just for your teeth. Below are some of the major problems that come with the build up of plaque; problems that with daily flossing would most likely never arise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Dental caries<ul><li>Dental cavities, or caries, are usually the first dental problem to arise with the accumulation of plaque. The production of plaque acids, which increases along with the accumulation of plaque and consequential erosion of tooth enamel, can very easily lead to tooth decay and dental caries which can be extremely painful and problematic.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Gum disease<ul><li>Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease caused solely by the build up of plaque around gums and between teeth. However, this mild form of gum disease can develop into periodontal gum disease if left untreated, a much more serious problem. Periodontal gum disease is extremely painful and can have major consequences for your dental health. Flossing is your best defence for preventing the onset of gum disease.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Halitosis<ul><li>The bacteria in dental plaque will thrive when it is left in the mouth to interact with starch and sugars. These bacteria will produce a nasty odour, just as bacteria on food do. This odour will grow in strength simultaneously with the amount of bacteria, leaving you with a less than fresh breath.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Tartar build-up<ul><li>Tartar is basically hardened dental plaque. If dental plaque is not removed then it will harden into a yellow or brown deposit that cannot be removed with brushing and flossing alone. The only way to remove tartar is through a professional dental cleaning. This, nevertheless, does not mean that tartar is not a reason to floss. Tartar is a major cause of gum disease and should not be ignored. It also encourages the accumulation of further plaque, leading to a vicious circle. Effective brushing and flossing will dramatically slow down the formation of tartar meaning that less tartar will have chance to form on the teeth between dental cleanings.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Higher risk of heart disease<ul><li>It may seem crazy to suggest that plaque can have any effect on your heart. However, there is scientific evidence linking plaque and heart disease. Plaque build-up leads to bacteria formation and problems such as gum disease which cause infections and cause bacteria to enter the bloodstream. Any bacteria that enter the blood stream are then transported around the body leading to major organs such as the heart and it has been proven that plaque can eventually lead to such serious problems as heart disease. Regular flossing will stop the plaque in your mouth from getting anywhere near to this stage.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Complications for diabetics<ul><li>There is also scientific proof that plaque build-up can cause complications for people with diabetes. One way in which this can happen is due to the weaker immune system of a diabetic. We have already established that plaque accumulation leads to gum disease and infections and because of the weaker immune system a diabetes sufferer will develop these problems more easily.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I think you&#8217;ll agree that this is a rather significant list of consequences of plaque, something that can often seem so trivial. Nevertheless, the fact is that this is the reality of leaving plaque to fester in the mouth. It is also a fact that practising a good dental hygiene routine which includes regular and effective flossing will most certainly prevent these problems from ever having the opportunity to develop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is one single reason for the importance of flossing in your dental hygiene routine \u201c plaque. Plaque is the soft, sticky and colourless deposit that collects on and around the teeth during the day. It contains a massive 400 different species of bacteria in every milligram. When plaque combines with saliva and the starch and sugars that enter your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalfloss.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}