Do you ever sit around thinking “Man, my teeth just don’t feel as clean as they could be?” No? Only me? Well goodness gracious, you need to start thinking about your teeth more!
Maybe you brush every morning and night. Maybe you even use mouthwash. But the fact of the matter is that brushing only cleans 60 percent of the tooth and mouthwash doesn’t clear out plaque or strengthen you gums the way that floss does.
Pretty much everyone hates when the dentist asks if you’ve been flossing. Maybe you flossed vigorously for the week leading up to the appointment, but a dentist knows when you’re neglecting your gums and teeth.
The health benefits of flossing are numerous! Floss helps strengthen your gums—which should be about as tough as your skin, as in if you poke it with something, they shouldn’t start bleeding. Floss cleans out plaque where a toothbrush can’t reach, and I’m not just talking about in between each tooth—I’m talking about in between the teeth and gums.
The thing about flossing is that if you start to do it, you really do get used to it. Your mouth feels different after you’ve been flossing. The habit isn’t easy to develop.
But Madi, I don’t have time to floss!
Well that is just plain silly. If you have time to brush, then you have time to floss. And if you don’t have time to brush you best make time because your dental hygiene is no joking matter.
But, Madi, my teeth just shred floss!
There’s a floss for that! If you have issues with the kinds of floss you’re using, they have all different kinds for all different mouths! There’s waxless floss, and thin floss.
There are tons of different flavors of floss and if you’re not into that, there’s flavorless. They even have floss for people who have braces!
But Madi, my gums bleed every time!
Well, if you continue flossing, they should heal up and be strong enough not to bleed after about a week. If you’re sawing into your gums, then you’re going to bleed. That just ain’t how you floss. If your gums continue to bleed after a few weeks of proper flossing, you might need to talk to a dentist.
But Madi, I don’t know how to floss properly!
Well, friend, it’s easy! You just dip the floss in between your tooth and gums on one side and then the other. Don’t do any sawing motions or anything like that. Just up and down. There are all kinds of diagrams that will show you how it’s done. Or better yet, ask your dentist! They’ll be more than happy to show you.
But Madi, I don’t want to floss!
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! That is not what I want to hear! That is a terrible excuse and is also just bad for your health. Some people can’t be helped. If you have resigned your life to unnecessary time under the drill at the dentist’s office, then fine. Don’t floss. I’m not your mom.
Just know that I haven’t heard complaints from my dentist in years. And also that clean feeling you get after the dentist? It doesn’t have to be temporary. A huge part of it is cleaning between your teeth and strengthening your gums.
So do you wanna feel good? Or feel like a pile of poo? It’s up to you.
