The Truth is More Complex Than Simply Stating That Flossing Doesn’t Lead to Better Dental Health
Maybe you heard in recent news reports that flossing is no longer necessary for dental health, thanks to studies that report the evidence supporting the need for flossing is weak.
To be clear, in case you only read the top of this blog post, we at Downtown Dental Associates of Portland want you to know that we heartily recommend flossing as well as other forms of interdental cleaning.
The widely cited article from the Associated Press that put the damper on flossing failed to be clear on certain points. We’re not judging the journalism. That’s not our area of expertise, but we do have something to say about science, particularly when it comes to good dental health.
So in the interest of healthy mouths everywhere, we’ll explain.
Put simply, the AP article failed to mention how incredibly rare studies are that have control subjects not flossing for years at a time in order to compare them to subjects who floss daily. Think about that. No ethical dental professional would risk the health of a patient over such a study.
Then there’s common sense to consider.
We all know that plaque and tartar aren’t healthy things on teeth and that can become a breeding ground for bad bacteria. So it makes sense to routinely rid your mouth of food that becomes lodged between teeth before it turns a few of those bad bacteria into a thriving colony.
So with all that in mind, we recommend flossing at least once a day to disrupt the bacteria in your mouth, to keep your gums healthy and your breath fresh.
Now that we’ve sold you on why you should floss regularly, we’d love to show you how to do it properly or answer any questions you might. We care about your dental health at Downtown Dental Associates of Portland, and we want you to have the healthiest mouth possible.