Flossing is one of the most effective ways to keep your teeth and gums in good health, yet studies show the vast majority of people in the United States do no floss nearly enough. IN fact, most people generally just floss when they have something stuck in their teeth. That’s a big mistake. Flossing is one of the best ways to prevent gum disease and ensure excellent teeth and oral health for an entire lifetime. But the American Dental Association indicates maybe half of all people in the United States bother to floss even once a day. Increase the frequency to three times daily, and less than 10 percent of the U.S. population avails themselves of flossing as often as three times per day.
Lots of Bad Gums in the United States
About 85 percent of people in the United States develop some sort of gum disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. And by the time people reach age 65, 95 percent have some sort of gum disease afflicting their mouths and depleting their oral health. A big part of the reason is a lack of flossing, When people brush daily but fail to floss regularly, bits of food and other particles find their way in between the teeth and slowly decay. And that decaying matter promotes growth of harmful bacteria that cause gum disease and bad breath.
Quick and Easy Benefits of Flossing
Flossing is an incredibly affordable and very convenient way to keep teeth clean and gums in good health. A good package of dental floss costs less than $2 and many times less than $1 and lasts a very long time, depending on how often the user flosses and how long each length is when flossing. In general, U.S. citizens spent about $200 million on dental floss last year, which is a relatively small amount when considering there are more than 317 million people in the United States. On average, every man, woman and child in the United States spent about 70 cents on floss last year, which is far less than good gums and teeth need. How often do you floss and when?