A recent report has surfaced which is good #News for people who don’t like to floss.
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The federal government has recommended flossing since 1979.
For years dentists have told patients that they have to use dental floss as part of their routine when taking care of their teeth.
The AP also pointed out that the government quietly dropped flossing from its dietary guidelines this year.
President of the BSDHT, Michaela ONeill, said that though the effectiveness of flossing hasn’t been scientifically proven, one major problem with the research so far is that it makes certain conclusions that can’t be applied to each and every patient, as everyone has different needs.
There is one study that credits flossing with a slight reduction in gum inflammation. For example, one study cited by floss-backers looked at only 25 people after a single round of flossing.
Local dentist Dr Nelson Wong Chi-wai agreed that floss was still effective to remove plaque – and prevent gum disease.
Representatives of the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) acknowledged the weakness of published evidence pointing to flossing’s benefits, but they largely stuck to their existing advice.
Well, lucky for those who can’t keep promises to their dentist to rid the excess plaque from between our pearly whites, flossing has been found to be “weak” and “inconclusive”. The floss should move up and down not in a sawing motion hitting the gums.
A 2011 Cochrane “oral health” review of 12 studies on the effects of flossing found that they “were of poor quality and conclusions must be viewed as unreliable”.
“Your toothbrush bristles can’t remove the food that is tightly between two teeth that are touching”, Peck said. The ADA tells the AP it doesn’t profit from the evaluations, but the AP notes that companies are allowed to design their studies.
“I can nearly guarantee that dentists will tell you to continue to floss regularly”, she said. “It’s not going to harm your teeth or your gums”.
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One ten year old girl admits she never thinks about flossing and nearly never does it. Though frequency is unclear, floss can dislodge bad bacteria that invade the bloodstream and cause unsafe infections, especially in people with weak immunity, according to the medical literature. “We know there’s a possibility that it works, so we feel comfortable telling people to go ahead and do it”.
