I guess I'll be a devil's advocate on this one.
I floss every other day, not every day. And, I don't floss for a few days after an adjustment if my teeth are bothering me. When I went for my cleaning, the assistant said that this was better than not flossing at all!
I think this is another case where people are different.
Best advice is to follow what your dentist and/or ortho tells you about your particular case.
How important is it to floss, really?
Moderator: bbsadmin
-
anotherbraceface
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:33 pm
oh, i have a few reasons which may convince you.
You can see them by clicking <a>here</a>.
Here's another... you notice how awkward and difficult it is to eat when your teeth hurt? Imagine how difficult and awkward it'll be to eat hard foods when you don't have any teeth to tear in to the food.
You can and more than likely WILL lose teeth if you don't floss. It's not even a question of whether, it's a question of WHEN (and if you're a smoker or at genetic predisposition, it could be sooner than later).
Your bone erodes, as do your gums, exposing the root (ouch, any?) and the surgery is extremely expensive and painful. Sure, if the bone gets eaten away, they can just cut a flap of your gums and put in bone grafts, or to fix the recessions, you can have gum grafts (i'm told this is extremely painful) which they take from the top of your palate and graft to the receding gums, but do you really want them to have to?
Oh and one more... think about how expensive your braces are. Now think about how expensive it will be to:
-replace missing teeth
-have surgery to restore your gums
-scaling and planing your teeth
-fill cavities between your teeth
Anyways, I hope this worked. ;o) good luck!
You can see them by clicking <a>here</a>.
Here's another... you notice how awkward and difficult it is to eat when your teeth hurt? Imagine how difficult and awkward it'll be to eat hard foods when you don't have any teeth to tear in to the food.
You can and more than likely WILL lose teeth if you don't floss. It's not even a question of whether, it's a question of WHEN (and if you're a smoker or at genetic predisposition, it could be sooner than later).
Your bone erodes, as do your gums, exposing the root (ouch, any?) and the surgery is extremely expensive and painful. Sure, if the bone gets eaten away, they can just cut a flap of your gums and put in bone grafts, or to fix the recessions, you can have gum grafts (i'm told this is extremely painful) which they take from the top of your palate and graft to the receding gums, but do you really want them to have to?
Oh and one more... think about how expensive your braces are. Now think about how expensive it will be to:
-replace missing teeth
-have surgery to restore your gums
-scaling and planing your teeth
-fill cavities between your teeth
Anyways, I hope this worked. ;o) good luck!
-
anotherbraceface
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:33 pm
oops. my link didn't work.
http://images.google.ca/images?svnum=10 ... um+disease
or just google gum disease on images.google.com
http://images.google.ca/images?svnum=10 ... um+disease
or just google gum disease on images.google.com
I'd advise not to look at these images while you're eating!anotherbraceface wrote:oops. my link didn't work.
http://images.google.ca/images?svnum=10 ... um+disease
or just google gum disease on images.google.com
-
BraceFace12
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2005 5:47 am
Okay, I'll just put this out there. I never floss and I never have. My dentist and orthodontist have never complained and my teeth seem to be in good condition so I am just going to continue to be lazy and not floss.
Top Braces-8-12-04
Oral Surgery-6-3-05
Bottom Braces-11-15-05
Braces Off-8-22-06!
No smile is as beautiful as the one that struggles through the tears.
Oral Surgery-6-3-05
Bottom Braces-11-15-05
Braces Off-8-22-06!
No smile is as beautiful as the one that struggles through the tears.
What I tell patients (not my original comment, many others use it) is that you should only floss the teeth that you want to keep. As others have mentioned flossing cleans those hard to reach areas between your teeth and below the gumline.
There are people out there that have very hard enamel and they are not prone to any plaque buildup even without flossing. There are also people that smoke 2 packs a day for 40 years and never develop lung cancer. But the great majority of those smokers will develop cancer, just like those that don't floss will ultimately develop severe cases of gingivitis, periodontitis, or dental caries. It is possible to clean well enough with a brush or other techniques, but it is VERY difficult and the results are not typically consistent.
They are your teeth and you only have one set. If you take care of them they will serve you well for a very long time. It is your mouth and what you chose to do with it is your business. But if you do not floss and develop problems down the road, you have no right to complain about the cost, hassle, or time associated with trying to correct it. As always, YMMV. But it is important to floss if you want to keep your teeth. If you need a literature search of some examples I am happy to oblige.
Regards,
Rory
There are people out there that have very hard enamel and they are not prone to any plaque buildup even without flossing. There are also people that smoke 2 packs a day for 40 years and never develop lung cancer. But the great majority of those smokers will develop cancer, just like those that don't floss will ultimately develop severe cases of gingivitis, periodontitis, or dental caries. It is possible to clean well enough with a brush or other techniques, but it is VERY difficult and the results are not typically consistent.
They are your teeth and you only have one set. If you take care of them they will serve you well for a very long time. It is your mouth and what you chose to do with it is your business. But if you do not floss and develop problems down the road, you have no right to complain about the cost, hassle, or time associated with trying to correct it. As always, YMMV. But it is important to floss if you want to keep your teeth. If you need a literature search of some examples I am happy to oblige.
Regards,
Rory
