Recently, it was all over the news that the U.S. has announced that it’s no longer necessary to floss. Since 1979, the government has recommended daily flossing in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The law requires that any recommendations included in this document must be based upon scientific evidence.
The AP’s Request for the Flossing Research
Last year, the Associated Press requested that evidence several times but received no answers. This year, the government issued the latest revision of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Flossing was nowhere to be found.
The AP received a letter stating that there was no research on the effectiveness of flossing so that flossing could no longer be included in the “Guidelines” or recommended by the government. There has been some speculation that the research that the original flossing recommendation was based upon in 1979 had indeed existed, but they simply couldn’t find it. There’s no way to know.
Not Everyone Flosses
Only a minority of Americans floss daily. Regular flossers do tend to have better oral health than those who don’t, but then regular flossers are often more health-conscious overall. Some studies have discovered that many people do not floss correctly. This may be part of the reason behind the “flossing doesn’t help” theory. Flossing correctly gives the most benefit, states a Dentist in Attleboro MA.
Why Should You Floss?
The primary reason for flossing is to remove bits of food and plaque from between the teeth that were not removed by brushing. Plaque contains bacteria, and these tiny bits of food encourage the growth of more plaque and bacteria. Plaque is instrumental in the formation of cavities and gum disease. In short, the less plaque, the better.
Does flossing remove these tiny bits of food?
Anyone who flosses has seen “stuff” stuck to the floss and spot it when rinsing. In fact, when people were asked why they didn’t like to floss, one of the reasons given was that it was “gross” to see the “contaminated” floss. Actually, that proves the floss was doing its job.
Everyone will make their own decision as to whether or not to floss, but dentists see those who do and those who don’t and almost uniformly recommend flossing.
Atwill-Conroy Dental Associates provide a wide range of high-quality dental services for the entire family. Each Dentist in Attleboro MA is committed to providing excellent care. Get more information here.
