Milford Dentists Stress The Value of Daily Flossing

If you really want to keep your hygienist happy you should do exactly what she says and make sure you floss on a daily basis, and Karen Hobbs, Dental Hygienist/Therapist at Milford Dentists is someone who is always very happy when she sees her patients adhering to her simple rule of daily flossing. As she explains, your tooth brush cleans the outer and top surfaces of your teeth but does not clean in between the teeth. Dental Floss reaches the areas a tooth brush can't reach, so if you don’t floss you’re not cleaning food debris and bacterial dental plaque off all the surfaces of your teeth - It’s as simple as that.

If you brush your teeth but do not floss your teeth you are leaving bacteria in the gaps in between your teeth to multiply and cause gum infection gingivitis, which can then lead to periodontal disease and eventually premature tooth loss. The places where the gums and teeth meet are where flossing plays its major role. Tiny particles of food can get lodged here and bacteria that live in the mouth eat this food, establishing a complex gloopy colony called Dental Plaque. Dental Plaque, which is a bit like cottage cheese in consistency, gets so stuck onto teeth after 24 hours that it cannot be removed with a tooth brush or floss.

Dental Plaque then hardens and fuses to the tooth over time to form tartar/calculus, a thick deposit that only the hygienist or dentist can remove with a scraper. Tartar build-up can lead to gingivitis: red, swollen gums that are the first stage of gum disease. It is also a cause of bad breath. If left unchecked, the bacteria-laden tartar and plaque can spread even deeper below the gum line, causing periodontitis:  gum disease characterized by severe inflammation. The bone and gum that supports a tooth is eventually destroyed leading to the tooth becoming wobbly and falling out. There is also a direct link between gum infection and cardiovascular disease so, to summarise, it is really important to keep your teeth and gums healthy and it is all about mechanically removing bacteria and food from them. If you do this perfectly every day you will have healthy gums for life.

For further information on Milford Dentists’ dental services please visit the Milford Dentists website at http://www.milforddentists.co.nz .