Seriously folks. If you brush twice a day and floss once it goes miles in dental health. When you first start flossing it’s going to be a pain in the ass. A month later you will do it without thinking about it.
I feel bad because the only way I can keep the flossing habit up is to use those disposable plastic flossers. I need to find a reusable one – where it’s just a handle that i can replace/rethread the floss, instead of contributing to plastic pollution…
Seriously, consider switching to a water flosser. They’re very thorough cleaners of both the bits between your teeth and the bacteria in the gum line. It has vastly improved my oral health and once a day is plenty. Initial price is higher as you would expect, but it’s rare to replace any parts at all. The model I use is a basic Waterpik that I’ve had for about 8 years was $40 US when I got it. Think it now costs $60 (inflation sucks).
This ist me in the picture. And then the question ‘do you floss regularly’ followed by awkward silence.
My go to is “not as often as I should” because it seems that no amount of flossing would please the bone vampires anyway
During my last dental cleaning the hygienist asked “you said you floss every day?” and I said yes, because I do, and she said most people lie on that one but she could tell I actually did because it made her job a LOT easier. Less/no blood and less plaque to scrape off. If you start flossing every day you’ll start feeling nasty if you don’t do it so it’s easier to remember and follow through.
Flossing once every day before bed has given me easy perfect dentist checkups for years now. I used to not floss, but then I got an ebook reader and I just set it up while flossing. Instead of feeling like I’m just doing a boring task, I get to read my book for a little while.
If you don’t floss daily, you’ll get gingivitis. Then, your dentist will use a really tiny power washer between your teeth and gums that sort of has a “nails on a chalkboard” feel to it.
Biggest change I made to flossing was getting a water flosser. It’s super fast and easy and makes my teeth feel great, highly recommend
yep, although they’ll probably tell you it isn’t real flossing, it’s most definitely a lot better than only brushing
I do not have a water flosser, and asked this exact question to my dentist about two weeks ago.
Turns out, I could’ve asked you! As your answer was EXACTLY what they told me.
My dentist recommends the water pick over flossing, probably because people are far more likely to use that than floss. It may be less effective than regular flossing, but I’m certain it’s more effective than rarely flossing.
She also recommended I upgrade to an electric toothbrush, but all the ones I tried tickled my cheeks, gums, and lips so bad it was unbearable. Turns out most of them just vibrate, but there are ones with rotational heads similar to what dentists use when cleaning your teeth. I snagged an Oral-B 1000 Pro on sale for under $40 and it’s a game changer - no tickling, teeth feel ultra clean, and it’s dirt cheap for a quality electric toothbrush.
Best advice I got was to floss while driving using floss sticks. Ideally paired with a nice fantasy audiobook to really set the mood for the upcoming workday.
Okay this is a GENUINE question: Why. Don’t. We. Floss.
I know I’m supposed to, I see the memes, I hear the dentist and dental hygienists advice. I want to, I mean to. Why don’t I??? Why!
Probably because it’s a long, tedious, repetitive task. Brushing teeth only take a minute or two, maybe three if you’re getting really thorough, whereas flossing thoroughly or consistently adds much more time to that. At least that’s my excuse
My old dentist suggested keeping floss wherever you sit to relax (his example was wherever you sit to watch TV). That way, you can spend as much time as you need to floss thoroughly, without it feeling like flossing is taking up a bunch of time out of your day. It’s not a perfect solution, but it has been helping me.
Tbf there is only really anecdotal evidence regarding the benefits of flossing, anyway: https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/08/06/flossing-isnt-backed-by-science/
Don’t be like me, I didn’t go for 20 years…
I went in for a broken tooth and they were gonna crown it but ended up as just a filling. Went back a few weeks later for full exam and X-rays… no cavities. Could’ve been worse but at least my anxiety about my teeth is gone.
You might be fine, but you also might not be. Best to go soon.
I was super afraid of the dentist so I didn’t go for about the same length of time. I also picked up a habit of drinking sodie pops.
I cracked a tooth 2 years ago and had to get a root canal. They did a checkup and found 8 cavities so over the course of a year I got them all filled.
I am not sure if the technologies have gotten better or it was just my fear as a child but the dentist visits were very painless and stress free. The root canal hurt for a second when the roots were drilled out and that was it.
It feels fantastic to not have any tooth pain or agitation of something getting stuck in a cavity.
The sooner you do it the easier it’s gonna be. Just bite the bullet and get it done, and schedule your 6 month follow up visit before you leave. I went more than a decade and getting back to normal - multiple deep cleanings - was rough. But once you get back to normal, just take it easy on the sugary sodas, brush twice a day, and floss or water pik more often than never and those visits are quick. I go every 6 months and it’s still just as uncomfortable, but they’re done in a couple minutes instead of 10-15.
I’m actually looking forward to my cleaning later this month because I flossed almost everyday since my last appointment. If my hygienist doesn’t say something, I’m going to be really disappointed.
