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Flossing - One of the Easiest Things You Can Do to Live a Longer,
Healthier Life
It's
no secret that you're supposed to floss every day. But sadly,
two-thirds of American adults choose not to floss, despite the fact that
their dental hygienists have been actively encouraging the flossing habit
for over 80 years.
Here's
the bottom line: when you don't floss, it can be compared to having a
shower but not washing 30 percent of your body, or vacuuming your car, but
ignoring the corners and crevices. And you wouldn't do either of
these things, would you?
If
you consider yourself to be an "anti-flosser," check this out:
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Michael
Roizen, MD, author of Real Age: Are You As Young As You Could
Be?" says that daily flossing is "one of the twelve
easiest things a person can do to live longer and younger." He
adds that adding an age-reducing behavior to your life - and he counts
flossing among these behaviors - can make you look and feel up to 6.4
years younger than your actual age.
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Flossing
daily can help you keep your heart healthy by helping you avoid
periodontal disease. People with periodontal disease are 1-1/2 to 2
times more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, and 3 times as
likely to suffer a stroke.
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Diabetics
who also have severe periodontal disease have trouble maintaining
appropriate blood sugar levels.
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Harmful
bacteria from periodontal infections can enter your bloodstream from
the open sores on your gums associated with periodontal disease. These
bacteria have been linked to ulcers, pneumonia, premature births, and
the often-deadly infective endocarditis.
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Flossing
and brushing can help you lose weight by giving your mouth a clean,
fresh feeling that you don't want to spoil by eating.
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And...regular
flossing can help to keep your breath smelling fresh. Who doesn't want
that? |
Avoiding
periodontal disease, even if it didn't put you at risk for a host
of other ailments, is reason enough to get into the flossing habit.
Periodontal disease causes red, swollen gums. It makes your gums bleed and
eventually pull away from your teeth, producing an unattractive, uneven
gumline. It gives you a persistent bad taste in your mouth, and
foul-smelling breath. It causes your body to produce enzymes that break
down the bone and connective tissue that hold your teeth in place (this
damage is irreversible). And eventually, if it's allowed to progress,
periodontal disease will cause you to lose your teeth.
Now...where
did you leave that roll of floss?
June
13, 2000
Sources:
The American Dental Hygienists' Association
The American Dental Association
Real Age: Are you as Young as You Can Be? By Michael F. Roizen, M.D. |
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2001 -2008 All Rights Reserved
