Good oral hygiene practices are crucial for a healthy mouth — and a healthy mouth is important for good overall health. Brushing your teeth and flossing are important parts of a good oral hygiene routine. Yet which one is more important? Is it OK to skip flossing as long as you brush regularly? Does flossing mean you can be a bit lax with your brushing routine? Here’s a closer look at brushing and flossing and the oral benefits they offer.
The Benefits of Brushing Your Teeth
Dentists recommend that you brush your teeth a minimum of twice daily for two minutes. It’s even better to brush your teeth after every meal. Brushing with a good toothbrush and toothpaste helps to remove food particles and plaque buildup on your teeth.
Eliminating plaque buildup on your teeth can prevent tooth decay and keep teeth looking whiter. However, you need to make sure you’re brushing all the surfaces of your teeth. You should also brush where your teeth meet the gums.
What Are The Benefits of Flossing?
Brushing is important for removing plaque from the surfaces of your teeth, but you can’t reach between teeth or underneath gums with a toothbrush. That’s why flossing is also important. It lets you get to the hard-to-reach areas where some of the most destructive microbes are found. Flossing not only helps prevent plaque buildup in hard-to-reach areas that can lead to tooth decay, it offers other advantages. Taking time to floss reduces your chance of gum disease, since it’s more effective at removing plaque from beneath the gums. Flossing helps prevent periodontal disease, which is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. Thus, flossing regularly can reduce your risk of these serious diseases, too.
How To Floss Correctly
To take advantage of the health benefits of flossing, it’s important to make sure you’re flossing correctly. Wrap floss into a “c-shape” to ensure it covers as much of the tooth’s surface as possible. Move floss up and down under gum tissue and the outer surface of the teeth. Don’t just pop floss in and out between your teeth. You need to scrape teeth firmly to eliminate the plaque. Make sure you’re flossing at least once a day for the best results.
Proper Brushing and Flossing
When you reach for your toothbrush, make sure you’re also grabbing the floss. You shouldn’t choose between brushing and flossing — you need both for healthy, beautiful teeth and gums. Not only will brushing and flossing improve your oral health, following great oral hygiene habits can improve overall health, too.
Along with regularly brushing and flossing, make sure you’re also visiting your dentist for routine cleanings. If you still have concerns about the appearance of your teeth, talk to your dentist about teeth whitening to find out if it’s a great option for you. If you have any questions, please call our office at 916-738-3911. We’re happy to help you in any way we can!