Dental Care at Home
Flossing—One of the Easiest Things You Can Do to Live a Longer, Healthier Life
It's no secret that you're supposed to floss every day. But sadly, two-thirds of American adults choose not to floss, despite the fact that their dental hygienists have been actively encouraging the flossing habit for over 80 years.
Here's the bottom line: When you don't floss, it can be compared to having a shower but not washing 30 percent of your body, or vacuuming your car, but ignoring the corners and crevices. And you wouldn't do either of these things, would you?
If you consider yourself to be an "anti-flosser," check this out:
Michael Roizen, M.D., author of Real Age: Are You As Young As You Could Be? says that daily flossing is "one of the twelve easiest things a person can do to live longer and younger." He adds that adding an age-reducing behavior to your life—and he counts flossing among these behaviors—can make you look and feel up to 6.4 years younger than your actual age. Flossing daily can help you keep your heart healthy by helping you avoid periodontal disease. People with periodontal disease are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, and 3 times as likely to suffer a stroke.Diabetics who also have severe periodontal disease have trouble maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels. Harmful bacteria from periodontal infections can enter your bloodstream from the open sores on your gums associated with periodontal disease. These bacteria have been linked to ulcers, pneumonia, premature births, and the often-deadly infective endocarditis. Flossing and brushing can help you lose weight by giving your mouth a clean, fresh feeling that you don't want to spoil by eating. And...regular flossing can help to keep your breath smelling fresh. Who doesn't want that? Avoiding periodontal disease, even if it didn't put you at risk for a host of other ailments, is reason enough to get into the flossing habit. Periodontal disease causes red, swollen gums. It makes your gums bleed and eventually pull away from your teeth, producing an unattractive, uneven gum line. It gives you a persistent bad taste in your mouth, and foul-smelling breath. It causes your body to produce enzymes that break down the bone and connective tissue that hold your teeth in place (this damage is irreversible). And eventually, if it's allowed to progress, periodontal disease will cause you to lose your teeth.
Now...where did you leave that roll of floss?