Do I Need to Floss? Really? I mean REALLY??

Hey readers! I apologize for the long lag between posts. I'm finding out that planning a wedding is an all consuming affair. I have a slow morning today patient-wise, though, so between looking for wedding venues, planning the guest list, and about a million other things, I've decided to tackle a truly interesting, cutting-edge, sexy dental topic...Flossing!

I know, I know, there's nothing cool about flossing. Or so you think.

• Did you know that floss has been found among the remains of our pre-historic ancestors? 
• Did you know the first "modern" floss thread was invented by Levi Spear Parmly (a dentist, naturally) in 1815 and was made of silk? 

Crazy stuff! Now that I've got you interested in this fascinating spool of dental thread let me tell you why you should use it...

Wait...

I can just feel you nodding off at the thought of that...

Quick fact: The second best selling game of all time is Jenga. Jenga is a Swahili word, meaning "to build."

Do I have your interest again? Great. Let's begin. The purpose of floss is to rid the tight spaces between your teeth of plaque. And since plaque is basically a naturally forming slime of hostile bacteria, removing it on a regular basis will improve your oral health immensely in two major ways. First, this plaque can contain the type of bacteria that causes tooth decay, and unless it is cleaned regularly it can and will cause cavities between your teeth. Second, flossing along with proper brushing will prevent gingivitis.

"Hey doc, I've always wondered. What exactly is gingivitis?"

Well, I'm glad you asked!  Gingivitis is an inflammation (redness and puffiness) of your gums caused by, you guessed it, dental plaque. On its own gingivitis is not that bad. However, left untreated it greatly increases a person's risk for periodontitis, or the inflammation of the bone beneath your gums. Periodontitis is a much more difficult "itis" to treat, is tougher to reverse, and will cause this tooth-supporting bone to disintegrate over time. If too much of this bone is lost, a person's teeth will get looser and looser until they literally wiggle right out of the mouth.  Surprising? Well, it's true and all too common.

"But doc, I never floss and I haven't had cavities in years. I think I'll hedge my bets?"

I understand your reasoning, but as a dentist I can honestly say that cavities often come in bunches.  You can go years without one and take your oral hygiene for granted until a dentist tells you eight cavities are brewing between your teeth or worse, these teeth begin to hurt.  Furthermore, periodontitis is a slow, silent disease that tends to truly manifest itself in the second half of a person's life.  By this point, though, much irreversible damage has already been done.  Yet all this damage could have been prevented years earlier by flossing for 20 seconds a day.

So floss everyday! If it hurts your gums to floss and you see bleeding, that's OK. It just means your have some gingivitis. Grit your teeth and get through it. After a week of flossing, lo and behold, the pain and bleeding will be gone. That means you've cured yourself of gingivitis. That means you are a go-getter, a problem solver. I trust fixing the economy, the oil spill, childhood obesity, and pollution should be no sweat for the likes of you. Go get 'em tiger!

-DRS