It’s common to go six months to a year before visiting a dental office near me in Mill Creek. Between that time, you need to care for your teeth. This means brushing and flossing.
You understand the importance of brushing, but what about flossing? Why is this so important for your overall health of your mouth? Why does your dentist want you to put focus on it every day? Here’s why flossing is something you should do to help your dentist.
Food and Debris Builds Up Between the Teeth
Brushing gets rid of the food and debris building up on the face of the teeth. You’ll be able to see the benefits of brushing twice a day. You’ll also feel it as you run your tongue along your teeth. Flossing works on in between the teeth before visiting a dental office near me in Mill Creek.
Food and debris will build up within the teeth. You have these small gaps at the top near the gumline. You need to make sure these are cleared out on a daily basis. The debris will cause problems for the gums, leading to gingivitis and gum disease. You’ll be able to see it as the gums become red and swollen.
Even if you don’t see the debris, it is there. Allowing it to build up does the same thing as if you allowed it to build up along your teeth. It will stick to the teeth and harden, making it much harder to remove.
Your Gums Will Bleed a Lot
If you don’t floss, your dental office near me in Mill Creek will know. This is clear from the way your gums will bleed when they’re cleaning. You could trick your dentist by flossing now and then in the run up to your appointment, but this isn’t protecting the health of your mouth.
The debris in between your teeth will get into the gum line. This causes the gums to become swollen and damaged, and your gums will bleed a lot more because of this. As you’re brushing your teeth, you’ll catch the gums and can see some blood. When you floss, you’ll see even more. It takes around a week of continuous flossing to stop the bleeding from happening if you’re only just starting out.
Over time, you can see more than just blood coming out. There can be some pus as the debris causes infections within the gums. You can end up with abscesses that are painful around the teeth, causing problems for eating and drinking. Dentists can drain abscesses and then offer antibiotics to help get rid of the infection, but the best thing you can do is floss to prevent the problem in the first place.
There’s no excuse not to floss anymore. Water flossers are making it so much easier, and they’re affordable for the majority of homes. The water flossers will help to push out more debris from between the teeth and are highly recommended by dentists. Before you go to your dental office near me in Mill Creek, consider getting one for your oral health.
