Is Flossing Necessary? The Truth About Dental Floss

January 19, 2024

Our smile is often the first thing people notice about us, and is the best show of our health.

If you’ve ever thought about your oral health (and chances are you have, you’ll know that dentists are always nagging you about flossing.

But is flossing really necessary? Spoiler: we think so! Flossing is essential for oral health as it removes plaque and food particles from between teeth, areas brushing can't reach. This helps prevent gum disease, tooth decay, cavities, and bad breath, while also improving your smile's appearance.

In this article, we’ll be covering the benefits of flossing every day. We’ll look at what experts have to say, and whether flossing is really worth it! We’ll also give you some tips for flossing you probably didn’t know about.

Let's get into it!

Benefits of flossing daily

While flossing may not be everyone’s favorite part of the day, it certainly should be.

There are numerous benefits of flossing daily, such as protecting yourself from dental diseases and helping you keep your teeth healthy and strong for years to come.

Removing plaque from between your teeth

Flossing your teeth helps you to remove food debris and plaque from between your teeth that tooth brushing alone cannot reach.

The food particles that can become lodged between your teeth allow for bacteria to have a source of nutrients and form plaques. Flossing removes these particles, keeping your mouth cleaner for longer.

Studies have shown that “floss products in combination with a manual toothbrush removed plaque significantly better than the toothbrush alone”.

Helps protect against gum disease

Surprisingly, one of the biggest benefits of flossing your teeth is to protect your gum’s health.

Gingivitis, or periodontal disease, is the medical term for gum disease.

Gum diseases can cause inflammation of your gums, as well as bleeding around the base of your teeth. If this gum disease progresses – especially as we age – it can lead to tooth loss.

One of the best ways to avoid gingivitis is to regularly floss between your teeth. Multiple studies have found that regular flossing of your teeth reduces your risk for gum diseases.

Prevents tooth decay and cavities

Cavities or tooth decay occur when areas of your teeth become worn down and damaged.

This can occur for a number of reasons, such as a build-up of bacteria that cause wasting of your teeth.

Flossing between your teeth removes plaque and harmful bacteria that can result in cavities.

Cavities can cause sensitive teeth, put you at risk of injection, and will require fillings. One of the benefits of flossing is preventing these cavities from forming between your teeth.

Keeps your breath fresh

One of the most common worries that we all have is whether or not our breath is fresh or not. There are many causes of bad breath, with the most common being poor oral health.

By removing the build-up of food as well as plaque from between our teeth, we ensure that our breath is kept fresh!

Using minted toothpaste is a great way to ensure your breath is as fresh as possible after flossing.

“Proper flossing removes food particles and plaque from between your teeth, helping to control bad breath.” - Mayo Clinic

Improves the appearance of your smile

We all know that feeling: you've been talking to someone for the past 20 minutes, and then you catch a reflection of yourself with food stuck between your teeth.

Regularly flossing helps to stop this happening and improves the appearance of your smile!

Food can often stay lodged between our teeth between brushes, which can result in staining between our teeth. Properly flossing your teeth before brushing helps to remove this food, and prevents uneven staining of your teeth. Since the bacteria is cleared away, your breath will smell better, your mouth will feel cleaner, and your smile will shine brighter.

The flossing skeptics

While most of us are guilty of skipping a floss at the end of a long day, we often do not know if this is really going to affect our oral health.

While some studies have found that flossing may not actually decrease the amount of plaque between teeth, there is widespread consensus that flossing improves your gum health.

So even though flossing may not have the effect many of us may think it does, it is still extremely important for your oral health.

One of the main reasons that people skip the floss is because of the time it takes!

It is recommended that you floss for 2–3 minutes after brushing your teeth. which may not seem too long – until you are in a rush in the morning, that is!

Either way, flossing can’t hurt, right?

What do the experts think?

Most dentists (as well as scientists) recommend flossing daily.

According to dental expert Dr. Anjum Chaudhary, BDS, MDS, "One should floss once a day and clean their teeth twice a day for two minutes each time. Flossing can be done either before or after brushing. To remove plaque, it is best to do so before brushing."

The CDC recommends everyone “Brush and floss every day to remove the bacteria that cause gum disease.”

Studies looking at the difference between daily brushing vs. daily brushing with glossing show that flossing your teeth daily improves gum inflammation more so than brushing alone.

The recommendation is to floss before you brush your teeth as flossing lifts the food and plaque between the teeth, which can then be easily removed with the toothbrush. According to the American Dental Association, we should floss our teeth at least once and brush at least twice daily.

What should you do - to floss or not to floss?

Floss! One of the best things you can do for your oral hygiene is to floss regularly.

Experts will usually make sure you are flossing – just pop into the dentist, and you’ll see what we mean!

While we accept that flossing isn't usually high up on the to-do list, it is undoubtedly important.

Numerous studies show that regular flossing protects your teeth and reduces the risk of both dental and gum diseases. Moreover, it helps to keep your breath fresh and your smile looking its best.

Tips on flossing:

Floss before you brush: Unconventional, we know. However, scientific studies have found that flossing before you brush your teeth helps to get rid of plaque better than flossing after you brush your teeth! While flossing removes the build-up between your teeth, brushing helps to remove it from your mouth entirely.

Use fresh floss: The best way to get rid of the plaque between your teeth is to use a new piece of floss between each tooth. Cut around 20 inches of floss off to ensure you are not reusing one area of floss.
Be gentle: Whilst regular flossing helps to protect you from gum disease, being too rough can damage the gum between your teeth. If you find your gums bleeding after you floss your teeth, you are likely not being gentle enough

Set time aside: If you’re someone who's always running out of the house without a minute to spare, you may want to give yourself an extra few minutes before you brush your teeth to floss! Flossing should take around 2–3 minutes, on top of the time it takes to brush your teeth.

Convinced - Why not try Boka floss today?

In this article, we’ve discussed the various benefits of regular flossing.

There are a variety of flosses available in the market. But, the type of floss to be used depends on personal preference, the spacing between the teeth, and the presence of orthodontic brackets.

We’ve looked at studies that show that flossing helps to prevent gum disease and reduce plaque, and we’ve talked about how flossing can improve the appearance of your smile along with keeping your breath fresh.

But does the floss you choose make a difference? We think so.

Boka’s Ela Mint Floss is designed to carefully clean between teeth without causing harm to your gums.

The wax coat helps it to glide between teeth and pick up all the debris and potential plaque between your teeth.

Unlike other flosses, Boka’s floss is free of nasty chemicals, including BPA, Teflon, parabens, SLS, and PFAS – meaning it is safe for you and your family!

Need Something Different? Try the Power Flosser

If you struggle using floss or have braces, you’ll know the frustration that comes with using regular floss.

If this is you, Boka has designed the Power Flosser: a floss-less flossing system! It works using a small stream of water which powerfully washes between your teeth.

It's perfect for people with braces as it gets those hard-to-reach areas which floss is not designed for.