Dublin dentist Dr Maher Kemmoona, who specialises in gum disease, said it was more important how people cleaned between the teeth than what they used.
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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.
Flossing has been a popular oral health recommendation for decades, even the USA government has recommended flossing.
Dentists still advise patients to floss to prevent gum disease. But no. We’re busy people with little to no time for much more than brushing our teeth let alone flossing.
“You can’t just make a blanket statement that flossing doesn’t work”, said dental periodontist Dr. Paul Towfighi, who specializes in gums.
The US government have dropped flossing guidance due to lack of scientific basis and the NHS is considering whether it should still be recommended in the UK. The request was sent to the departments of Health and Human services and Agriculture.
The AP reports that when the federal government issued updated dietary guidelines this year, it had quietly removed the flossing recommendation.
After promoting the practice for decades, the United States federal government quietly dropped the flossing recommendation from its latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans released early this year, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
One review conducted in 2015 said: “The majority of available studies fail to demonstrate that flossing is generally effective in plaque removal”.
At Smiles 4 Keeps in Scranton, Dr. Wezmar admits it would be challenging for research to focus on the effectiveness of flossing.
Here’s an interesting conversation to bring up the next time you see the dentist. It also said that flossing cleans the areas of the teeth where toothbrush can not reach.
Walmsley is also a scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, and his claims will no doubt send shockwaves through the profession.
Flossing can also occasionally cause harm, with a poor technique leading to damaged gums and teeth.
“It’s low risk, low cost”, he said.
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Cutler told us that most people run into problems when they don’t brush their teeth for two minutes in the morning and before bedtime.
