There has been a of discussion recently about the benefits or otherwise of flossing your teeth with suggestions that the research is weak at best.
Here is the Appletree take on the flossing discussion and it is quite simple.
Consider the following questions…..
1. Do your gums bleed sometimes when you floss or ‘tepe’? If so…
2. Have you noticed that bleeding reduces (corresponding to a reduction in inflammation) when you have been flossing daily for approximately one week?
3. Do you ever get chunks of debris/food particles from the remote parts of your mouth and wonder ‘how long has that been there?’
4. What does the debris smell like?
If your answers were
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Disgusting…..
Keep flossing! Or tepe-ing/both- as your dentist/hygienist prescribes. It makes our job easier, although that’s not the reason you should proceed as normal.
We suggest that the vast majority of our patients will continue in spite of today’s “Flossgate” headlines.
The last point on this is that we rely heavily on the feedback from patients.
An overwhelming proportion of those following our advice return after only a few weeks and say “I can see, feel (and smell!) the difference.”