MYTH #1: Flossing is good for the heart.

Flossing is beneficial, there’s no doubt there, but when it comes to protecting you from heart disease or stroke, flossing isn’t your answer. Flossing helps keep food out of the spaces between your teeth, preventing plaque buildup. This can reduce your risk of getting gum disease to an extent, but that’s it.  

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MYTH #2: If my gums bleed, I should stop flossing.

Some bleeding is natural when you floss believe it or not. If you do bleed a lot, make sure your approach isn’t too harsh. Also, check your gum line for inflammation as this may be a sign of the early stage of gum disease.

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MYTH #3: I don’t have to floss while I have braces.

This is a bad idea. You may have braces on for anywhere from 6 months to 2+ years. Going that long without flossing could have seriously detrimental effects on your oral hygiene. Food and bacteria get stuck in teeth no matter if they have braces on them or not. Yes, it does take a considerable amount of effort to floss when you have to navigate through braces, but it will all be worth it once you get your braces off and you have healthy teeth.

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MYTH #4: Flossing will loosen my fillings.

No matter the condition of your teeth, flossing is just as important as brushing. Whether you have crowns, fillings, cavities, or anything else, it’s important to floss. Not flossing can lead to more fillings if you’re not careful and keeping up with it as a daily habit.

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MYTH #5: Flossing will hurt because my teeth are too close together.

If done properly, flossing will not hurt and it will just work to dispel the stubborn food particles between your teeth. If you are still worried about flossing separating your teeth or causing pain, there is thin floss that you can purchase at any drug store.

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MYTH #6: Mouthwash can work as a replacement for floss.

Definitely false. Mouthwash can help decrease the number of bacteria in your mouth yes, but a swirling of this in your mouth is not enough to displace stubborn plaque between your pearly whites. When you use floss, you mechanically reach into the places where food gets stuck and dispel it. Mouthwash can’t do that. Its main purpose is to keep your mouth smelling fresh and eliminating some of the bacteria on your tongue and on the surfaces of your teeth.

Flossing is a great daily habit to develop and being able to differentiate the facts from the myths is extremely important. While this list isn’t all-inclusive, it will definitely help you better understand the information about flossing that you need to know. Incorporate these facts into your oral hygiene health routine today!