Dentists say to always use an up and down motion while flossing between teeth, not a sawing motion.
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The AP filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting evidence from the departments of Health and Human Services on the benefits of flossing. In a letter to the AP, the government acknowledged the effectiveness of flossing had never been researched, as required.
According to a new piece by writer Jeff Donn, the years of medical evidence that regularly encourage dentists to recommend the practice is as flaky as the plaque it supposedly removes.
At some point in your life, your dentist has probably told you that you need to floss every day to prevent gum disease and cavities. “They are typically avid flossers”. Now, the federal government has removed flossing from its dietary guidelines, sparking a nation-wide argument.
“Flossing helps remove plaque that is located between your teeth and can not be reached with a toothbrush”, the group said in a statement. The AP says that when pressed spokesmen for the dental association have admitted that the evidence supporting flossing is weak, and one spokesman called Matthew J. Messina blamed study participants for not flossing correctly.
Scientific advisor to the British Dental Association, Professor Damien Walmsey, has stated the health benefits associated with flossing had not been proven.
Her patients who don’t floss often have red, puffy gums that are ripe with bacteria and prone to more serious dental problems.
After promoting the practice for decades, the U.S. federal government quietly dropped the flossing recommendation from its latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans released early this year, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
“But if someone has narrow gaps between the teeth, than electric toothbrushes or floss should be used”.
“That doesn’t mean, per se, that they’re bad studies but it does raise questions of bias”, he says.
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If it’s any consolation, there is some evidence that flossing does reduce bloody gums and gum inflammation known as gingivitis. “We know that people who floss retain their teeth, so why research it?”
