Everyone knows that nobody actually flosses their teeth every day (or ever…) like we’re expected to do, but we all mutually lie when asked if we’ve been keeping up with our flossing in hopes to avoid a lecture from the dentist.
Little have we known, that’s a trick question our dentists are setting us up for; here’s why your dentist will know that you’re actually lying, and why as tedious as it sounds, flossing is actually worth the additional two minutes of effort every day.
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It all comes down to your gums; if your gums bleed during your regular teeth cleaning, your dentist will know you aren’t flossing.
The main cause of gum bleeding is gingivitis. This is when your gums become inflamed due to bacteria growing in between your gums and teeth that could be prevented by flossing.
And even though this may not seem like a huge deal, untreated gingivitis actually can cause serious complications and you may need to get surgery to fix your teeth. Also, the growing bacteria in your mouth can lead to diseases, discolor your teeth and weaken your immune system, and is overall pretty gross.
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Basically, the only way to trick your dentist into believing that you floss is by flossing for a solid week in advance of your next appointment. After flossing for a week, your gums won’t bleed during your cleaning. If you wanna give up on flossing after that, it’s totally your call, but it’s not a bad idea to just keep up the flossing.
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As much as we all hate flossing, it really isn’t as pointless as we all like to believe it is, and flossing regularly will help keep you healthy and avoid problems in the future. And if that isn’t enough motivation for ya, remember that if you floss regularly, you’ll be avoiding that dreadful lecture from your dentist the next time you’re getting your teeth cleaned, which at least would be a nice change.
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