How Flossing Can Prevent Gum Disease and Safeguard Your Overall Health

A regularly-maintained routine of dental care is the best way to prevent all the problems that can affect your teeth and gums. Cavities, periodontal disease, gum disease and more – dentists have seen them all. Oral hygiene education emphasizes regular brushing and flossing to minimize such problems. Most people are aware of the need to floss as well as brushing their teeth, but are floss picks effective?
Studies have found that they are effective in cleaning both teeth and gums, removing the causes of cavities and periodontal disease. By preventing gum disease, they also play a role in safeguarding your overall health.

Are floss picks effective?
Studies have found that while brushing your teeth does only about 70% of the cleaning required, flossing is necessary to complete the job. It only adds a small amount of time to your daily routine, but makes a big difference to your overall health.
Further, regular use of flossers and floss picks not only keeps your teeth cleaner, it also contributes to gum health by removing the bacteria that can cause inflammation.

Gum disease poses risks to your overall health
Researchers are only just beginning to make the connections between gun health and overall health, and finding that people with chronic periodontal disease are also at risk of serious diseases like heart disease and strike. That’s because a chronic state of inflammation in your gums lowers your overall resistance, and makes you much more susceptible to illness and infections.
Gum disease is very common and is estimated to affect more than 75% of the population in the U.S. Large numbers of people also have cavities and periodontal disease. While there’s a great deal dentists can do today to help people with cracked or damaged teeth, prevention is the best cure.

Start them young
Even though people are aware of the importance of a regular regime of oral care, it’s not always easy to keep up. The best way to achieve this is to start young. In fact, the ADA recommends that you take your child to the dentist by their first birthday, or within six months of the appearance of the first tooth. And once a baby has two teeth that touch, it’s time to begin flossing.
Children should be evaluated for orthodontics at an early age. Many schools offer dental health education and even programs for oral care. Some school-based dental health programs provide for dental sealants, which can reduce the incidence of tooth decay by up to 60%. Dental sealants are effective for about five years.

In fact the best way to answer the question “are floss picks effective?” is to try it for yourself! After just a few days, your mouth will feel cleaner and fresher. Over time, your regular visits to the dentist will become easier, as the potential causes of problems like cavities and gun disease are removed. Especially for older people, regular flossing helps prevent gum disease and the risks of associated infections and illnesses like heart disease and stroke.