How Often Do You Floss?

According to the ADA, only 1 out of 5 people floss regularly. If you floss regularly, kudos to you, your teeth and gums are probably extremely thankful. It is common knowledge that flossing is as important as tooth brushing or dental exams, so why is there such a big disconnect for so many people? Adult patients report that the two most common reasons for not flossing is simply because they forget and that they didn’t have floss readily available when needed.

Once you become accustomed to flossing as part of your daily oral hygiene routine, you won’t want to skip flossing. In case you didn’t know, flossing helps remove plaque and food debris from the tooth surface between your teeth, and it helps keep gums healthy. If you’re not a good or regular user of dental floss, here are a few tips to help make flossing a habit.

Choosing a time of day (either morning or evening) and setting your mind to it, is a great first step. Try to start flossing just once daily before brushing your teeth or during another part of your daily hygiene routine. You can floss while showering or washing your face.  Try placing some dental floss near your face wash or in the shower. In an effort to not forget about flossing, try setting a reminder. If your Smartphone has an alarm, set a nightly or daily reminder to floss. This simple step will help eliminate the “forgetting” excuse.

If you don’t use floss that you like, that could be your problem. Try finding the right tool for the job! There are different varieties of floss; perhaps you just haven’t found the product that is right for your teeth. If traditional dental floss is too cumbersome for you to embrace, try floss picks, a Waterpick or interproximal brushes. You can avoid problematic shredding or breaking floss with other types of flossing products.

If you begin to floss daily, even several times a week the change in your dental health will be notable. Strive to be the one in five and begin to establish good flossing habits today. It’s never too late to start a good habit.