At Hanin Dental Surrey, our dentists often get asked about flossing. Patients wonder why, if they brush their teeth thoroughly twice daily they still need to floss. Here are a few of the reasons why flossing is an important part of a great hygiene routine.

To keep your smile healthy and looking its best, regular visits to your dentist for checkups and cleanings and a good at-home dental care routine are essential. 

At-Home Dental Hygiene

To keep your teeth healthy between hygiene cleanings at your dentist's office a strong at-home routine is key. Brushing your teeth thoroughly for two minutes twice a day, and flossing once a day will help you to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Our Surrey dentists know that some of our patients who do a great job brushing their teeth, neglect to floss because they think that brushing is sufficient. But flossing performs a function that your toothbrush just can't achieve.

Approximately 1/3 of each tooth's surface is difficult to reach with your toothbrush. If you skip flossing, those hard to reach places aren't getting the cleaning that they need to stay their healthiest. Flossing daily will help you to remove plaque and bacteria from those tight spaces between your teeth, and at your gum line where your toothbrush doesn't clean as well.

Plaque

Throughout the course of each day a sticky film of plaque, builds up on your teeth. When plaque isn't removed from your teeth each day it can quickly turn into tartar. In fact, the process can take as little as 36 hours! 

Tartar

Once plaque has hardened into tartar it becomes much more difficult to remove from your teeth and may lead to dental health issues such as tooth decay and periodontal disease. Tartar typically needs to be removed by a dental professional during a hygiene cleaning appointment.

Just by flossing your teeth daily you can help to prevent plaque from building up in the tight spaces between your teeth and hardening into tartar. Less tartar means less scraping the next time you visit your hygienist, and less chance of developing tooth decay, cavities, or gum disease.

Flossing every day is a quick and easy way to keep your smile healthy and to save time the next time you head to your dental clinic for a cleaning.