Christmas is a memory and New Year´s resolutions are fast diminishing their importance as 2013 sees the near end of its first month. Many of our good intentions are quickly flying out the window as time slips by as if it were collecting triple air miles on some exclusive airline. Where is January going? And why is it travelling so quickly?
If one of those resolutions you made with very good intentions was to floss daily, then that is one resolution to keep. If though, you seem to be finding every excuse under the sun not to floss, then I am sure we have heard them all and we can also give you a way around them all.
Do you say that your gums bleed when they floss? Chances are you have gingivitis, something for which you really need to be flossing, or maybe you have the floss too long and it is snapping between the teeth instead of you guiding it with a shorter piece. If you say that the floss shreds when you floss perhaps you have a broken tooth or you have an ill fitting crown. Then you need to see your dentist. If you feel you don´t have time to floss then think of it as part of your daily hygiene. You wash your face and brush your teeth before getting into bed, then add an extra 1-2 min for flossing. What will you do with the 1-2 min you saved otherwise? If you don´t think that food gets between your teeth then you are mistaken, unless your teeth are so spaced that you can see between them. As your tooth brush doesn’t get between the teeth then you need to floss. The micro particles left after eating and drinking need to be flossed away as otherwise they become plaque. Plaque is what causes tooth decay over time, or inflamed gums or periodontal disease.
There are a host of other excuses people use for not flossing, but if research from the prestigious Emory University is to be believed then, “Periodontal disease is a serious health problem that is not just isolated to the mouth and gums,” says Dr. Steven M. Roser. “It can become a portal for infection to enter the body and cause other serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. It has also been proven to affect pregnancy, increasing the risk of low birth weight similar to that of smoking.” And if that is still not enough then, Michael F. Roizen MD states in his book “New Age” that “flossing can add 6.4 years to your life”.
Now what do you think of that extra minute?