For decades, dentists have been encouraging patients to floss their teeth. But over the last several years, flossing has become a little bit controversial. During an interview for an upcoming podcast about foster kids and their access to dental care, some general dental health questions surfaced. So I took a little time to get some answers about whether or not you should floss.
"We had some instances of floss in the media, which I refer to as "Floss Gate," says Dr. Elise Sarvas, a clinical associate professor in pediatric dentistry in the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. "Flossing removes the plaque and bacteria that are in between your teeth."
She says that if you have space in between your teeth and can adequately access it with a toothbrush, then you may not need to floss. But if you don't have space between your teeth, floss provides a way for you to reach the tight nooks and crannies. Not cleaning between teeth could allow plaque and bacteria to grow and potentially cause problems, such as cavities. She says the decision about whether or not to floss depends on individual risk.
"We have some evidence that flossing works," says Sarvas. "For one person it might really help them, especially if they've been getting cavities in between their teeth. For the individual who never gets cavities between their teeth and has never started flossing, the evidence just isn't quite there."
In addition to helping to keep your teeth clean, Sarvas says flossing has other benefits, such as reducing gum inflammation and preventing bacteria from moving from the mouth through the blood stream to other parts of the body. She recommends people floss after eating stringy foods, or foods that tend to stick in between your teeth.
Follow the Health Fusion podcast on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
For comments or other podcast episode ideas, email Viv Williams at vwilliams@newsmd.com. Or on Twitter/Instagram/FB @vivwilliamstv.
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July 01, 2021 at 07:02AM
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Health Fusion: Do you really need to floss your teeth? - Park Rapids Enterprise
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