How important is flossing your teeth
A floss a day keeps the dentist away
Flossing is something that is overlooked by many, but so important to your oral health. Learn how important flossing is and why you should floss here.
A floss a day keeps the dentist away
Be honest, do you floss your teeth? Given the fact that you’re reading this very article, it’s likely that the answer is either “No” or “Erm, sometimes…” Well, today we’re going to explore the often-overlooked but crucial aspect of oral hygiene: flossing!
Many of us diligently brush our teeth twice a day, but flossing tends to be the forgotten step in our oral care routine. In this friendly and informative blog, we'll delve into the significance of flossing, its benefits, and why it's a vital practice for maintaining a healthy smile.
The Basics of Flossing
Flossing is the act of using a thin, flexible piece of string called dental floss to clean between your teeth and along the gumline. This process helps to remove food particles, plaque, and bacteria that your toothbrush might miss.
Dental floss can be made of nylon or Teflon and comes in various types, such as waxed or unwaxed, flavoured or unflavored, in different thicknesses, and even in pressurised water form (we’ll get to this later) to cater to individual preferences.
The Importance of Flossing
Imagine your teeth as a set of interconnected pearls on a necklace. While brushing effectively cleans the outer surfaces and chewing surfaces of your teeth, it cannot reach the tight spaces between each pearl. These interdental spaces are where flossing plays a crucial role.
If you neglect to floss, plaque can accumulate, harden into tartar, and lead to various dental issues, including:
Cavities: Plaque and food particles trapped between teeth can create cavities, which can be painful and require costly dental procedures to fix.
Gum Disease: When plaque is left to thrive, it irritates and inflames the gums, leading to gingivitis. Untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, a more severe form of gum disease that can cause tooth loss.
Bad Breath: The presence of food debris and bacteria can result in persistent bad breath, also known as halitosis.
Discolouration: Stains from food, drinks, and tobacco can easily become trapped between teeth and contribute to unsightly discolouration.
The Right Way to Floss
Traditional string floss may be tricky to grasp the hang of at first, but with a little practice, it becomes an easy and effective habit. However, if you are struggling then “floss picks” might be a better option for you because they have a little handle to make things easier, and even further, water flossers are becoming incredibly popular.
Here's a step-by-step guide to proper flossing (if you’re using floss picks or a water flosser then you can skip step 1):
1. Start with Enough Floss: Cut about 18 inches of floss and wind the ends around your middle fingers, leaving a couple of inches of floss to work with.
2. Slide Between Teeth: Gently slide the floss between your teeth using a sawing motion. Avoid snapping or forcing the floss, as this may damage your gums.
3. Form a "C" Shape: Curve the floss into a "C" shape around each tooth and carefully glide it under the gumline. Be gentle to prevent injuring the sensitive gum tissue.
4. Use a Clean Section: As you move from one tooth to the next, use a clean section of floss. Reusing the same segment can redistribute bacteria.
5. Be Thorough Yet Gentle: Make sure to floss both sides of each tooth and along the gumline, but do so with a light touch to protect your gums.
Flossing Tips for Success
To make flossing an integral part of your oral care routine, consider these helpful tips:
1. Floss Once a Day: Aim to floss at least once a day, preferably before bedtime, to remove accumulated debris and plaque from the day's meals.
2. Choose the Right Floss: Experiment with different types of floss until you find one that suits your teeth and gums. Whether you prefer waxed, unwaxed, flavoured, unflavored or water floss, the right choice is one that encourages you to floss regularly.
3. Flossing Tools: If traditional flossing is challenging for you, consider using floss picks, dental sticks, water flossers or interdental brushes to clean between your teeth effectively.
4. Make it a Family Affair: Encourage your family members, including children, to floss regularly. Lead by example, and make flossing a fun and interactive activity for everyone.
A floss a day keeps the dentist away
As much as we love to fix our patients' dental problems, we also love to prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place.
Aside from brushing and regulating your sugar intake, flossing is another key thing that can help you prevent future dental issues; saving you time, money and TEETH!
A lot of people overlook flossing, but it is such an important component of oral hygiene. By taking a few minutes each day to floss, you can enhance your smile's appearance and safeguard your teeth and gums for years to come.
If you feel as though your teeth are due a professional clean or if you’d like some advice or assistance then book in with us today and we’ll be happy to help.
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10 Easy Ways to Boost Your General Health
How to Make 2019 a Healthy Year
How to Make 2019 a Healthy Year
The New Year is coming and with it all the opportunity for change and growth that you could ever want. It’s normal to make resolutions at this time of year, promises that will improve your life, your relationships or your work. While you’re setting these resolutions, make sure to base some on improving your general health as well. And if you’re struggling to find resolutions that will help, here are some that will make 2019 a happy and a healthy year for you.
1. Eat the Rainbow
You probably already know that you need to eat more fruits and vegetables, but did you know that you should be eating a rainbow? Fruits and vegetables of different colours contain different phytonutrients, all of which are essential for good functioning. So if you eat the rainbow every day, you’ll be much closer to getting all the nutrition you need.
2. Laugh More
Laughter does more than make you feel happy. It also boosts your immune system, eases pain and can help fight allergies. This is a habit that children indulge in, but forget as they grow up. So set a resolution to laugh more each day, and seek out ways to make it happen.
3. Drink More Water
Your body is more than 70 percent water, which is why dehydration is so damaging. Water lubricates your joints, makes your skin better and even improves your oral health. So make sure that you’re drinking at least 8 glasses a day to really start seeing a difference in your general health.
4. Get Your 8 Hours
When you’re busy and stressed, the first thing to go is usually sleep. After all, what harm can it do to miss a few hours here and there? But thinking this way is a mistake. No matter what anyone says, your body can’t function at its best if you’re not getting enough sleep. This is time that your body needs to heal, to relax, and to prepare for the new day, so honour that and take the time you need.
5. Exercise Everyday
This doesn’t mean that you have to join a gym. Even a quick walk around the block every day will improve your mood and start toning your muscles. And no matter how busy you are, you can always find 15 minutes to gain these kinds of benefits.
6. Straighten Up
If you sit at a desk all day for work, chances are that your posture isn’t very good. Working at a computer tends to make people round their shoulders and hunch forwards. This can cause neck and back pain and cramps the lungs so it’s harder to breathe. Work on straightening and lifting. Not only will this improve your muscle tone, it will make you feel and look better too.
7. Get to Know Food Labels
You probably don’t really know what’s in your food. If you’re trying to lose weight and struggling, then start learning about the measurements and ingredients on labels. You’ll probably be really surprised which foods have a lot of hidden sugars in them.
8. Go to the Dentist
If your oral health is bad then it can affect your entire body. Infections from your mouth can travel throughout your system and cause heart or lung infections or even end up in your brain. So make sure you visit the dentist regularly and take care of your body from the mouth outwards.
9. Reduce Stress
Stress is one of the biggest killers in the modern world. It’s linked to heart disease, stroke and different types of cancers as well as to mental health disorders. So if you really want to improve your life, look at your stress levels and take steps to reduce or eliminate causes of stress. You can also adopt practices that reduce stress such as yoga or meditation.
10. Connect to Others
This is the big one. A recent Harvard study conducted over decades showed that the key to health and happiness is relationships. Not money. Not your job or car. It’s how connected you feel to the people and to the world around you. This is a truth that’s often forgotten in the modern world with devastating results. Loneliness or disconnection has been linked to mental health disorders as well as to a variety of physical diseases and problems. So have a look at your relationships. Do you have enough in-person relationships? How connected do you feel to those people? And if you have reasons to be concerned, then take steps to improve the relationships you have and to forge new ones. This is one change that you will never regret.
Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:
So have a happy and a healthy Christmas and New Year. And if you have a dental emergency over the festive season, contact our Emergency Dentist in Sydney. Our caring and expert staff are available 24 hours a day to help you with all your emergency dental needs.
The Dental Diet
The Tooth Friendly Foods You Should be Eating Now
The Tooth Friendly Foods You Should be Eating Now
Oral health is far more important than many people realise. It's certainly nice to have sparkly white teeth and a filling free mouth, but there are even more important reasons to make your oral health more of a priority.
The state of a person's teeth and gums can cause more than toothache (not that that is anything to be taken lightly). Numerous research studies have found that poor oral health can be directly linked to an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, celiac disease, diabetes, sinus infection, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel disease, and gastroesophageal reflux in some people. In fact, there are times when a dentist spots the signs of these serious health issues before a traditional medical doctor does.
Like any other aspect of our health, nutrition plays a key role in your overall oral health. Many are familiar with the common enemies that teeth have; sugary snacks and sugary drinks. But did you know that certain foods and beverages are actually oral health friendly, and consuming them more often will not only boost your oral health but help support your overall well-being as well?
Dental Friendly Foods
Here's a look at some of the best of these dental friendly foods and the benefits they offer your teeth and gums as well as the rest of you:
Probiotics
The term probiotics has become something of a dietary buzzword over the past few years, but the benefits of these 'gut friendly' bacteria are usually associated with improving digestive health.
However, as researchers explored that connection they discovered another possible benefit; a decrease in the risk of gingivitis and cavities thanks to the fermenting nature of these bacteria slowing the growth of bacteria in the oral cavity.
Live yoghurt is the best source of additional probiotics, and the calcium it contains can also help strengthen teeth as well.
Cheese
If you are a cheese lover, here's another reason why your preference isn't a bad one at all. In addition to the calcium it contains several studies have found that when you eat it the PH in the mouth is raised, lowering the risk of tooth decay.
Leafy Greens
You'll find leafy greens on almost any list of healthy foods you should be eating, and this one is no exception. Basically, the original 'superfoods', leafy greens - spinach, kale, Swiss chard, romaine lettuce etc. - are high in calcium, which helps strengthen tooth enamel and in folic acid, which has been shown to help prevent gum disease, especially in pregnant women.
Apples
Yes, apples are sweet and sticky. But as far as your teeth are concerned, in this instance that can be a good thing. They have a very high water content, so eating an apple can help wash away bacteria in the mouth rather effectively until you can get to a bathroom to brush your properly. Celery is great for your teeth for the same reasons, but perhaps not quite as much fun to eat.
Green Tea
Green tea is clever stuff as it has all kinds of potential overall health benefits. It can help improve oral health thanks to the polyphenols it contains that have been shown to help fight plaque causing bacteria rather effectively.
Water
Again, drinking plenty of water is almost always included in any healthy diet advice. In terms of your oral health not only is a big glass of water a lot better for you than soda or juice it will help rinse away bacteria as well.
Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:
By eating these foods more frequently you'll be healthier overall, and your oral health will get a big boost too. Couple that with regular dental checkups and you can do big things to improve your oral health in 2018 with very little effort at all.
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