You can make excuses, or you can make progress.

Brushing and flossing are the two key components of a healthy and happy smile. But when your dentist asks you why you aren’t flossing, there are probably a million excuses that are running through your head.

Here’s the truth: flossing is an essential part of your oral care routine. After brushing, stringing a piece of floss between your teeth helps remove the plaque, food particles, and other debris that your toothbrush couldn’t reach. If you don’t remove it, this stuff will grow and begin to damage your teeth, and even cause bad breath. However, just over 32% of American never floss.

But why?! It takes just a few minutes and has such a long-lasting effect on your overall health. We can’t think of any good reasons why someone wouldn’t floss, but here are some of the excuses that people make (while the plaque between their teeth grows exponentially):

I Don’t Have Time

If you have time to binge watch the Harry Potter marathon on television, then you certainly have time to floss! You’re a busy person, and there’s a lot that you have to get done during the day. But flossing takes so little time and pays off in the long run.

Getting into the habit of flossing right when you wake up or before bed is great for your teeth.

If this isn’t possible, you can also buy some dental floss containers or bags of floss picks and keep them all around your house or your car. That way, when you’re in a particularly flossy mood while you’re stuck in traffic (or stuck on your couch), you can whip out those floss picks.

Flossing Is Painful

It shouldn’t be. If flossing is painful, and your gums start to bleed every time you try, it’s a sign that you may have some level of gum disease or gingivitis. Flossing regularly would prevent this condition, and thankfully it is never too late to start.

To get into the habit of flossing, you will have to power through the pain for a while. By doing it every day, flossing will get easier within a few weeks. Stick with it, and be rewarded with a healthy smile.

Flossing Is Too Difficult

If your teeth are too close together, it may be difficult at first to floss. Thankfully, there are all kinds of floss choices that can make it easier. You can choose from waxed and unwaxed flosses, as well as a variety of thicknesses.

If you feel like flossing is too difficult, that’s even more of a reason to start now. Your teeth get used to it. The more you floss, the easier it will get over time!

I Don’t Know How To Floss

That’s okay. We can show you! There is a proper technique to flossing, and by doing it at least once a day every day, you can get rid of up to 80% of the bacteria left in your mouth after brushing. Check out an article we wrote on the 5 Steps to Flossing Flawlessly to learn more about the proper technique for flossing.
You can also visit the team at New Generation Dentistry in Mission Viejo, where we can help you figure out the best way to floss for your set of teeth. Book an appointment to let us know that you want to stop by!