Your Los Angeles dentist, Dr. Les Latner, strives to help patients achieve optimal oral health. The Westside Dental Associates team helps patients develop at-home care routines to remove bacteria, prevent tartar, and keep smiles healthy and naturally beautiful. While many patients assume the building block of excellent dental health is twice daily tooth brushing, flossing may just have the upper hand when it comes to removing hard to reach, stuck-on plaque and preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Find out more about essential oral hygiene habits from the Dentist Los Angeles residents rely on, Dr. Les Latner. Call Westside Dental Associates to find out more today.
Flossing Basics from the Dentist Los Angeles Prefers
When it comes to flossing, consistency is key. Unlike brushing, the positive effects of flossing may not be readily apparent, but the cumulative results of flossing daily could save your smile. To floss thoroughly, follow a few simple steps:
- You’ll need about 18 inches of floss to begin with
- Wind the majority of floss around the middle finger of your dominant hand
- Leave 2 to 3 inches of floss to start with, and wind an anchoring piece around your opposite hand
- Pinch floss between thumb and pointer finger
- Slide the floss gently between teeth
- Curve the floss around the front and back of each tooth in a “C” shape
- Gently shift floss back and forth making sure to reach below the gum line
- Wind floss to expose clean sections
- Repeat for both sides of every tooth
The Dentist Los Angeles, CA Loves – Patients Fight Bad Breath by Flossing Daily
It may seem apparent that flossing removes plaque from places that brushing alone doesn’t reach. You’ve probably heard that from dentists since childhood, but what if we told you that flossing could actually cure most cases of halitosis (bad breath)? Or that flossing is one of the best ways to prevent tooth loss? This may sound like a stretch, but it’s actually 100% true. Here’s how it works:
- Our mouths naturally produce nearly 1000 types of bacteria that aid in digestion.
- When mixed with sugary or acidic foods, these bacteria themselves become acidic and attack tooth enamel and gum tissue.
- Saliva is the body’s natural defense against these “acid attacks,” but high levels of sugar in the diet work to counter balance neutralizing, alkaline saliva.
- When this happens, the acidic bacteria and sugar/acid combination bonds to tooth enamel or gum tissue fibers forming a sticky, protective coating referred to as biofilm or commonly plaque.
- As this acidic plaque sits in hard to reach spaces between teeth and gums, it breaks down food into sulfuric gases. These gases release the rotten egg smell most associated with sulfur itself, and are the leading cause of halitosis.
When we floss, plaque is removed from between teeth and gums before it has the opportunity to harden into tooth decaying tartar, or breakdown foods beyond their energy-providing amino acid state. Without regular flossing, the plaque remains between the teeth, trapping food particles that have been converted to amino acids, and further reducing them to their gaseous state causing bad breath.
Other Benefits of Flossing Include
- Decreased risk of tooth decay
- Aids in preventing gum disease – the leading cause of tooth loss in US adults
- Saves money that could be spent repairing teeth by preventing dental issues
- Improves or cures dry mouth
Call the Dentist 90064 Trusts
Call the dentist 90064 residents prefer to find out more about how to improve your at-home oral hygiene routine, or schedule an appointment with our Los Angeles dentist and team today.