Flossing is oh so important- not only to the health of your teeth, but to your overall health as well. Many diseases start in the mouth as the mouth is the gateway to the body. It is the only part of the body that is involved in food ingestion, digestion, breathing, speaking...and is the only soft tissue of the internal body that is constantly exposed to the outside world.
Your gums are loaded with bacteria- some good and some bad. Flossing each and every day will keep the good bacteria while getting rid of the bad bacteria. If your teeth are not flossed, even if they are brushed, bacteria can cause serious problems.
Not flossing can result in inflammatory disease throughout your body- studies have found links between not flossing and cardivascular disease (bacteria enters the bloodstream through infected gums and can cause heart disease, clogged arteries, stroke, and more), respiratory disease (bacteria in mouth can travel and settle in the lungs when you breathe), and even premature births (women with severe bacteria and inflammation in their mouth are more likely to give birth prematurely).
I know it can be hard to start, but after hearing a friend that was a dentist say that if you could only do one thing- brush or floss- he would tell people to floss, my husband and I decided to go for it. It has been over a year now and we hardly miss a day...it has just become part of our routine to go to bed!
So suck it up and try it out this week; the benefits may not be as visible as some other exercises, but your health will improve nonetheless!
Challenge: Try to floss at least 5 times this upcoming week!
Tri/Biathlon update: It is this weekend! Wish me luck on Saturday and stay tuned for pictures! :)
5 comments:
I totally floss everyday! I had braces for 3.5 years and had them removed my sophomore year of high school. With braces, it always took me like a good five minutes to floss. Once I got them off, I started flossing everyday because it took like 30 seconds.
Woohoo! Go flossing!
Man, I am so bad about flossing. I won't even tell you how bad. But I am definitely going to add it to my goals. Thanks Alex!
Alex, good luck with the biathlon on Saturday. Can't wait to hear how it goes...including the transition times...and see some pictures!
I always hated flossing at night. It is such an easy thing to skip when I am "too tired." So now I brush at night and floss in the morning. I've been doing it for a couple of years and it works really well for me. I take my vitamins in the morning, so I keep the floss near my vitamin bottles. First floss, then take the pills. It's part of the routine. For some reason, I don't hate it so much if I know that it's not keeping me from going to bed. :)
i usually only floss like 3 times a week. better than none though, right?
I hated flossing until I got in the habit...now it feels sort of gross when I don't. Ben is obsessive about brushing every time he eats and flossing every night, so my dental habits are improving quite a bit. Still had 2 cavities filled last week, but hopefully no premature baby!
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