“Should I floss?” The answer isn’t that straight-forward
Several years ago, in the mid-2010s, a big splash came from the dental community when an Associated Press reporter asked the US government for evidence that flossing your teeth yields benefits to your oral health. When the response came back, it was an admission that they didn’t have any such evidence.
Of course, everyone rejoiced because they were all sick of dentists telling them to floss every day. Some of us are also tired of flossing 365 times the night before our annual dental visit.
However, the American Dental Association (ADA) implored everyone to calm down and keep flossing. Why? Do I really need to floss?
What does flossing do?
The ADA had to admit that there wasn’t compelling evidence that daily flossing prevents cavities. However, that claim has never been the ADA’s main argument for why we need to floss.
Dentists refer to flossing as interdental cleaning, and they’ve been encouraging us to do it for obvious reasons – food particles can get stuck between our teeth, and sometimes, your toothbrush isn’t enough to get them out on its own.
The longer the particles sit in place, the higher the chance of that stuck food damaging your teeth. Tooth decay occurs when bacteria in our mouths find material to eat, like sugars and starches left on our teeth. The by-product of this feeding is plaque, an acidic substance that attacks tooth enamel.
About 500 species of bacteria live beneath your gumline, and every human mouth holds about 6 billion bacteria. So, there’s no completely getting rid of them. But we can do our best not to leave food lying around for them. That’s why we brush our teeth regularly.
If you leave food between your teeth, that’s just ringing the dinner bell for the bacteria, even if you brush really well.
Enter flossing. We remove food and any plaque that might have just started building up by working some floss or another interdental cleaner down between each tooth. Regular flossing, in turn, keeps our mouths healthier.
The advent of floss picks and interdental brushes have made it even easier to clean those bacteria-harboring gaps between our teeth!
How important is flossing with braces?
Flossing is extra important with braces! While it may be tricky to navigate standard dental floss, floss picks, water flossers, or other interdental cleaners are your best friend. The brackets, wires, and bands of your braces create more hard-to-reach pockets for food to get stuck in.
Regular flossing is a key aspect of good oral hygiene and will make sure your teeth are happy and healthy when those braces come off.
The Benefits of Flossing: What You Need to Know
The original request from the AP reporter elicited something of a we-don’t-really-know response, but that’s because he was asking specifically about cavity prevention.
Cavities most often form on the chewing surfaces of our back molars. Those teeth have many topographical features on them, and we can easily miss some tiny bits of food or sugars when we brush back there, opening the door for cavities to begin forming.
It seems rather apparent that threading a piece of waxed string between your teeth would not do anything about food on top of the tooth, but the ADA never claimed it would.
While flossing can prevent cavities from forming between our teeth, that’s not a typical place for them to develop. So, asking for proof that flossing prevents cavities is like asking for evidence that a Hall of Fame quarterback knows how to knit. He might, but nobody’s claimed he could.
What does the ADA say flossing does, then? Plenty. And even if there was no science behind flossing, we all know how satisfying it is to get a piece of apple skin out from between our teeth where it’s been stuck since that morning snack break. There are definite benefits of flossing.
1. Flossing removes plaque
As mentioned above, plaque builds up quickly, and you must remove it. It will eat into tooth enamel. Once that’s gone, it’s gone for good, so we want to do our best to keep it. Regular plaque removal stands as a solid defense against decay and potential tooth loss.
2. Keep tartar buildup under control
Plaque eventually hardens into tartar, which doesn’t just brush off. Plus, it’s rough, which irritates your gums.
3. Prevent gum disease
That irritation of your gums causes inflammation as a result of gingivitis. This early stage of periodontal disease can result in bleeding gums. If you spit out blood when you brush your teeth, you probably have some gingivitis going on. Flossing regularly would have prevented the condition.
Since your dental health is connected to your overall health and wellness, it’s important to reverse gingivitis quickly (or prevent it altogether!).
4. Does flossing help bad breath?
Did you know morning breath is caused by bacteria growing and thriving as we sleep? Our saliva can break down bacteria, but our mouths are dryer asleep than when we’re awake. And, if we don’t floss, some of those odor-causing organisms take root between our teeth and give us bad breath.
Using mouthwash can help kill some of the bad-breath bacteria, as well as cover up the smell. However, only flossing can get the built-up bacteria or plaque hiding under the gumline. Good dental hygiene will prevent bad breath instead of just covering it up!
5. Enjoy easier dental visits
Dentists are usually nice people, but for most of us, seeing them is low on our list of desired activities. By flossing regularly, you help minimize the things your dentist will need to do while you’re there. You know the dental hygienist is going to ask if you’ve been brushing, wouldn’t it be nice to honestly answer “yes”?
Don’t want to deal with deep cleaning, root planing, or scaling? Brush and floss regularly! No plaque or tartar buildup means you won’t need those procedures. Daily flossing will help your dental visits be more about the checkup than deep cleaning or damage control.
How often should you floss?
Floss at least once a day, and brush your teeth at least twice daily (with toothpaste!). Curve the dental floss into a c-shape and gently slide it along the tooth and under the gumline. Then, gently pull the floss back up while hugging the tooth. This will pull out any accumulated plaque or bacteria that’s hiding under the gums. Repeat daily until it becomes another boring habit instead of a painful chore!
Can you floss too much?
With proper flossing (gently, to prevent damage to your gums), not really. While you can’t overdo it, once a day will be fine.
Why choose MD Periodontics for your periodontal care?
Two of the most trusted and respected periodontists and holistic dentists in Southern California are the board-certified husband and wife team of Dr. Abdy Moshrefi, DDS, and Dr. Nazanin Daneshmand, DDS.
At our beautiful Beverly Hills offices, MD Periodontics offers patients the best periodontic treatment that Los Angeles has to offer. Our holistic approach to dentistry ensures that your treatment utilizes the least toxic materials available, the most advanced technology, and amenities including aromatherapy to minimize discomfort and stress during procedures. You’ll experience a supportive atmosphere you would never expect to find at a dental office and results that you will love.
To schedule a consultation, click here or call us at (310) 859-9449. Your smile will thank you!
We are conveniently located for patients throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area. Our board-certified periodontists and implant dentistry experts are available at locations in or near Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. We are conveniently located near West Los Angeles, Culver City, West Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Sherman Oaks, and Encino.
Dr. Moshrefi has a passion for helping people recover their oral health and as a result, giving them great confidence and improved quality of life. He is well known among his patients for his masterful dental skills as well as his warm and confident bedside manner.
Dr. Moshrefi, a board-certified periodontist, graduated from UCLA in 1995 with Phi Beta Kappa and Magma Cum Laude honors. He graduated from USC’s Dental School in 2002 with a doctoral and specialty training in Periodontics and has a Master of Science degree in craniofacial biology.
MD Periodontics is dedicated to transparently publishing customer feedback and reviews. This policy applies to reviews submitted by patients through first- and third-party review sites monitored on this platform. We reserve the right to remove posts, comments, or reviews that violate our content policies and/or are suspected to be fraudulent.
Open Payments Database Notice
For informational purposes only, a link to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments web page is provided here. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires that detailed information about payment and other payments of value worth over ten dollars ($10) from manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and biologics to physicians and teaching hospitals be made available to the public.
The Open Payments database is a federal tool used to search payments made by drug and device companies to physicians and teaching hospitals. It can be found at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
About Good Faith Estimates
Dear Patient,
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, examinations, office visits prescription drugs, and equipment (items or services reasonably expected to be furnished by this practice).
Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one (1) business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises. To speak to our billing department, please call (310) 859-9449.
Thank you.
Your friends at MD Periodontics
HONcode Web Site Terms, Conditions of Use, and Privacy Policy
MD Periodontics (hereafter referred to as the “Clinic”) supports the HONcode initiative to improve the quality of medical and health information available on the world wide web. Learn more about the HONcode.
As a result, we pledge the following:
1. Authoritative
Any medical or health advice provided and hosted on this site will only be given by medically trained and qualified professionals unless a clear statement is made that a piece of advice offered is from a non-medically qualified individual or organization.
2. Complementary
The information provided on this site is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician.
3. Privacy
Confidentiality of data relating to individual patients and visitors to a medical/health Web site, including their identity, is respected by this Web site. The Web site owners undertake to honor or exceed the legal requirements of medical/health information privacy that apply in the country and state where the Web site and mirror sites are located.
We use Google Analytics on our website to analyze the audience of the website and improve our content. No personal information is ever collected from Google Analytics. For further information on the privacy policy concerning Google Analytics, please go to: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.
4. Attribution
Where appropriate, information contained on this site will be supported by clear references to source data and, where possible, have specific HTML links to that data. The date when a clinical page was last modified will be clearly displayed (e.g. at the bottom of the page).
The source of the medically related content are written by the doctors and medical staff of the Clinic. Authorship is attributed on the content page and all information is medically reviewed by the Clinic’s education team.
5. Justifiability
Any claims relating to the benefits/performance of a specific treatment, commercial product or service will be supported by appropriate, balanced evidence in the manner outlined above.
Please note that there are no guarantees that every medical treatment or surgery will satisfactorily cure or repair every condition, for every person, every single time.
In regard to any before and after pictures displayed on our website, the following are true:
The person in the before picture and the after picture is the same person.
The pictures were not digitally modified nor in any way enhanced.
Each surgery has unique results for each patient and that no one can ever guarantee the same result for every person visiting our website.
The Clinic has explicit consent of the patients to take their pictures and publish them on your website.
6. Transparency
The designers of this Web site will always seek to provide information in the clearest possible manner and provide contact addresses for visitors that seek further information or support. The Webmaster’s e-mail address is web@mdperio.com.
7. Financial disclosure
No third party commercial or non-commercial organizations has ever provided any economic support or services for this website.
If that ever changes, it will be clearly identified, including the identities of commercial and non-commercial organizations that have contributed funding, services or material for the site.
8. Advertising policy
The Clinic does not accept any advertising from any company or individual and never has.
If that ever changes, the source of funding will be clearly stated and a brief description of our advertising policy adopted by the Web site owners will be displayed on the site. If advertising and/or other promotional material will ever be presented to website visitors, it will be in a manner and context that facilitates differentiation between it and the original material created by the institution operating the site.
Additional Web Site Terms and Conditions of Use
1. Terms
By accessing this web site, you are agreeing to be bound by these web site Terms and Conditions of Use, applicable laws and regulations and their compliance. If you disagree with any of the stated terms and conditions, you are prohibited from using or accessing this site. The materials contained in this site are secured by relevant copyright and trade mark law.
2. Use License
Permission is allowed to temporarily download one duplicate of the materials (data or programming) on the Clinic’s site for individual and non-business use only. This is just a permit of license and not an exchange of title, and under this permit you may not:
modify or copy the materials;
use the materials for any commercial use, or for any public presentation (business or non-business);
attempt to decompile or rebuild any product or material contained on the Clinic’s site;
remove any copyright or other restrictive documentations from the materials; or
transfer the materials to someone else or even “mirror” the materials on another server.
This permit might consequently be terminated if you disregard any of these confinements and may be ended by the Clinic whenever deemed. After permit termination or when your viewing permit is terminated, you must destroy any downloaded materials in your ownership whether in electronic or printed form.
3. Disclaimer The materials on the Clinic’s site are given “as is”. The Clinic makes no guarantees, communicated or suggested, and thus renounces and nullifies every single other warranty, including without impediment, inferred guarantees or states of merchantability, fitness for a specific reason, or non-encroachment of licensed property or other infringement of rights. Further, the Clinic does not warrant or make any representations concerning the precision, likely results, or unwavering quality of the utilization of the materials on its Internet site or generally identifying with such materials or on any destinations connected to this website
4. Constraints In no occasion should the Clinic or its suppliers be subject for any harms (counting, without constraint, harms for loss of information or benefit, or because of business interference) emerging out of the utilization or powerlessness to utilize the materials on the Clinic’s Internet webpage, regardless of the possibility that the Clinic or an approved agent has been told orally or in written of the likelihood of such harm. Since a few purviews don’t permit constraints on inferred guarantees, or impediments of obligation for weighty or coincidental harms, these confinements may not make a difference to you.
5. Amendments and Errata The materials showing up on the clinic’s site could incorporate typographical or photographic mistakes. The Clinic does not warrant that any of the materials on its site are exact, finished, or current. The Clinic may roll out improvements to the materials contained on its site whenever without notification. The Clinic does not, then again, make any dedication to update the materials.
6. Links The Clinic has not checked on the majority of the websites or links connected to its website and is not in charge of the substance of any such connected webpage. The incorporation of any connection does not infer support by the Clinic of the site. Utilization of any such connected site is at the user’s own risk.
7. Site Terms of Use Modifications The Clinic may update these terms of utilization for its website whenever without notification. By utilizing this site you are consenting to be bound by the then-current form of these Terms and Conditions of Use.
8. Governing Law Any case identifying with the Clinic’s site should be administered by the laws of the country of the United States of America and the General Terms and Conditions applicable to Use of a Web Site.
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is critical to us. Likewise, we have built up this Policy with the end goal that you should see how we gather, utilize, impart and reveal and make utilization of individual data. The following blueprints are our privacy policy.
Before or at the time of collecting personal information, we will identify the purposes for which information is being collected.
We will gather and utilization of individual data singularly with the target of satisfying those reasons indicated by us and for other good purposes, unless we get the assent of the individual concerned or as required by law.
We will just hold individual data the essential length for the satisfaction of those reasons.
We will gather individual data by legal and reasonable means and, where fitting, with the information or assent of the individual concerned.
Personal information ought to be important to the reasons for which it is to be utilized, and, to the degree essential for those reasons, ought to be exact, finished, and updated.
We will protect individual data by security shields against misfortune or burglary, and also unapproved access, divulgence, duplicating, use or alteration.
We will promptly provide customers with access to our policies and procedures for the administration of individual data.
We are focused on leading our business as per these standards with a specific end goal to guarantee that the privacy of individual data is secure and maintained.
do i need to floss, how should i floss, is flossing necessary, how should i floss my teeth, floss 365 dental, how often should you floss with gingivitis, is flossing really necessary, how to floas, when should i floss, between teeth tartar broke off while flossing, should i floss, how to flosss, what does flossing do, how to do flossing, perio expertise, do you need to floss, why you should floss, flossing too deep, does flossing prevent cavities, is dental floss necessary, nose flossing, best dental floss for dental implants, do you really need to floss, do you floss, can flossing braces qualify for ada, do we need to floss, is flossing important, is floss necessary, piece of gum came off while flossing, flossing is not necessary, flossing vs not flossing, why should you floss, do you have to floss, perio floss, can you floss too much, why do you need to floss, do i need to floss everyday, what does floss do, do you need to floss in the morning, do you floss all your teeth, what does flossing do for your teeth, why do we need to floss, how far down should you floss, how to do the floss, to floss or not to floss, how often do you have to floss, flossing before and after pictures, how deep should you floss, how often should you floss, experts advice, how important is flossing, is it necessary to floss, do i need to floss in the morning, can you over floss, how to floss, does flossing do anything, does flossing create gaps in teeth, does flossing help gingivitis, flossing no longer recommended, floss man, when to floss, why do i need to floss, how often to floss, how often do i need to floss, how much floss should you use, flossing with periodontal disease, does everyone need to floss, hiw to floss, do i have to floss, is it important to floss, does flossing prevent gum disease, how do you floss, is it bad to not floss, do you have to floss your teeth, ada flossing not necessary, mouth floss, how many times a day should you floss with gingivitis, teeth clicking after flossing, how to floss bottom teeth, does flossing help gums, should you floss, i never floss, best dental floss for implants, benefits of flossing twice a day, floss less, why is flossing so satisfying, can flossing reverse gingivitis, person flossing, does flossing really help, can i floss too much, can you overfloss, how deep should floss go, gingivitis gums before and after flossing, piece of tooth broke off while flossing, how often do you need to floss, floss how to, tartar broke off while flossing, no floss, what flossing does, never floss, dental floss facts, how bad is it to not floss, how long does it take to floss, is it ok to floss twice a day, how deep to floss, flossing vs not flossing teeth, flush teeth, what is flossing, flossing twice a day, how long should flossing take, do most people floss, do you have to floss everyday, what is flossing for, floss my teeth, what happens if you never floss, does flossing help with bad breath, how long does flossing take, can you floss twice a day, how long should floss be, flossing plaque, can flossing prevent cavities, teeth too close together to floss, how often should you floss under a bridge, does flossing improve breath, do i need to floss twice a day, gingivitis flossing mistake, how to floss your teeth with pictures, how to do floss, is flossing twice a day too much, do you have to floss every tooth, does flossing make gaps in teeth, tartar broke off while brushing, does flossing help, gingivitis dental floss, why you need to floss, best floas, not flossing is like not wiping, do the floss, nose floss, is too much flossing bad, does floss remove plaque, can gingivitis cause blood in spit, does flossing work, interdental santa monica, why to floss, does flossing matter, flossing facts, floss or not, floss face, plaque came off while flossing, gums before and after flossing, how long before flossing makes a difference, can you floss too hard, what does flossing do to your teeth, reach floas, dental floss how often, floss vs no floss, do you floss everyday, do you floss in the morning, when flossing you should, floss going under gums, how does flossing prevent cavities, how do you do the floss, using hair as floss, what does dental floss do, how to floss every tooth, odor when flossing one tooth, does flossing help prevent cavities, what is floss, how many times a day to floss, when should you floss morning or night, do you need to floss everyday, when should you floss, flossed too hard now tooth hurts, should you floss daily, gingivitis flossing, does flossing make a difference, should i floss in the morning, why should i floss, a piece of tartar broke off, should i floss twice a day, too much flossing, can you have healthy teeth without flossing, why does it smell bad when i floss, flossing teeth before and after, one tooth smells bad when i floss, doctor floss, back teeth smell when flossing, how many times use dental floss, floss twice a day, how many times should i floss, should you floss twice a day, how often should i floss my teeth, piece of tartar broke off, how often do most people floss, how many times a day should you floss, how often should i floss, expert root planing physician, do you need to floss your back teeth, bleeding gums when flossing and bad smell, how many times should i floss a day, hal yang dilarang setelah membersihkan karang gigi, twice floss picks, what is flossin, tooth smells after flossing, flossing like i do, is it bad to floss too much, why do we floss, one tooth hurts when i floss, how often do you floss, floss goes under tooth, tartar broke off, hiw many teeth do we have, how far should you floss, how often floss, is flossing too much bad, floss scaling, floss got stuck in my teeth, can i floss twice a day, can flossing too much be bad, how often does the average person floss, why do you floss, what happens if you floss too hard, tartar came off while flossing, how long does floss last, floss going under tooth, should you floss behind last molar, floss goes between gums and teeth, can you floss your teeth too much, how much floss should i use, does everyone floss, why is flossing important, should floss go into gums, i floss everyday, how many times to floss a day, floss once or twice a day, is it bad to floss twice a day, i floss, do i have to floss everyday, is dental flossing necessary, how often should we floss, bleeding when flossing one tooth, something stuck in gums floss not working, should i floss everyday, is it good to floss twice a day, what happens if you floss too much, what happens when u dont floss, how many people actually floss, how many times a day should i floss, floss clip art, does it matter when you floss, how long does flossing take to work, expert root planing surgeon, how many people floss daily, floss daily means, should you floss once or twice a day, how many times can you use the same floss, hiw much does a nose job cost, expert root planing doctor, does dental floss cause cancer, should you floss everyday
(310) 859-9449
Our Experts’ Advice: Do You Need to Floss?
or call us at 
