Recently, flossing has made the news. The U.S. departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture
recently removed their recommendations on daily flossing, stating that there
wasn't enough evidence to support flossing and prevention of dental
diseases. But your Dentist recommends
flossing every day, so what gives?
Federal recommendations on daily flossing showed up in 1979
by the Surgeon General and made it part on the National Dietary
Guidelines. But when members of the
Associated Press recently asked for more evidence on flossing and its reduction
in dental diseases, there wasn't much.
The few studies that were conducted concluded that there is some
evidence that flossing regularly did reduce gingivitis, compared to brushing
alone. But most trials were too short to conclusively say that flossing has an
impact on tooth decay and gum disease.
So basically, there really aren’t any scientific trials or
recorded studies stating flossing is good or bad for you. Since no one has formally studied flossing,
the U.S. department of Health and Human Services can't recommend for or against
flossing your pearly whites.
So yay! I don't have to floss anymore!
Not so fast.
All of us at Stadsklev Dental have seen what happens when
patients don't floss. If you look at
plaque under a microscope it is very much alive, multiplying, gunking up the
space between your teeth, causing bad breath and infection. The longer that bacteria stays in your mouth
the more adaptable and resilient it becomes.
This does not bode well for a person's mouth or their overall health.
So get it out of there!
We can show you the easy way to floss; it takes less than 20
seconds.
Or don't floss, I have a feeling
