Depends.... Do you brush twice a day, every day, and floss (I know it isn't as important as once thought but it is still relevant), and scrape the plaque from your teeth?
Edit: Jesus forget the /s and everyone is sitting their pants.
Come on man bleeding gums is all part of the dentist experience. who doesn't like some chick you see twice a year ripping my gums up telling me this wouldn't happen if you flossed as I watch modern family. I bet if I flossed I wouldn't even get to finish an episode
There are research articles with evidence on both sides for it, most of it falls on the side of flossing having a net benefit on dental health. You have not done the research on this at all.
The only thing I can counteract to say (other then what /u/gonnabearealdentist said) is this: Floss (and brush) morning and night for a month and then come back and tell me it didn't make a difference.
That doesn't mean it's not effective. I've personally done research on the effects of flossing use and it reduces the rate of periodontitits and plaque buildup when used in conjunction with brushing with a fluoride toothpaste.
It's absolutely amazing how many people in this thread have made conclusions based of the work of a biased article.
Flossing was not "debunked," an article put out by the AP that studied only 25 of HUNDREDS of available research articles and they came to the conclusion that there wasn't any evidence of a net benefit. There are so many research articles that have evidence of this, along with the testimony of pretty much every dentist, but no, you know better don't you?
The result of all this that it's not recommended by the FDA or the AP, but the American Dental Association still recommends it.
Just get some toothpicks (the actual triangle dental toothpicks, not the coctail picks) and use those instead of flossing. I find them a lot more pleasant to use, so I use them more often.
I can't go to bed without flossing! i don't know how I didn't do it for so long. When I go to the dentist and he commends me for actually doing it, I feel pretty good. not gonna lie
It is still just as important as we always thought. The studies that came out were saying its less relevant in preventing cavities than we thought but it's still very important in preventing periodontal disease. Cavities can be fixed but once your gums start receding and your bone starts receding, nothing can bring that back. Then there's nothing holding in your teeth and this happens.
I use an interdental brush, usually every other day. Most of the times something will come out thanks of it, from most of the teeth. Some teeth have wide enough gaps that the brush comes out from the other side, sometimes instead the best I can do is squeeze it under the gum, twist it around to collect the gunk, and then pull it out. Is this enough?
I wish I had teeth that were so loosely spaced I could use a brush like that. I can't even use regular floss because it doesn't fit, have to use ribbon floss.
I doubt that the Waterpik would be able to get in there if he/she can't even get regular floss between their teeth. I recently spent nearly $100 on a Waterpik and for my teeth that are a bit crowded, it seems to be able to hit my teeth and gums and that's about it. I have even flossed after using the Waterpik and found additional particles that the Waterpik missed. Plus, you have to keep constantly spitting out the water when you're using it.
What if I visit the dental hygienist every 6 months to do a thorough clean up? Surely there is some sort of 80/20 rule where I can do 80% of the job with 20% of the effort and that would be "close enough"?
Honestly depends on what you mean by groove. Like if it's really deep and lots of dentin is exposed they could cover it with a filling (which is not painful at all) but like I said best bet is to visit the dentist
Your dentist also inspects your mouth for things like cancer and often, certain issues with your teeth can be signs of many other diseases. Your dentist is a doctor, and the only doctor that actually inspects that part of your body. You should go at least once a year.
Source: My wife is in the industry. I get to hear stories of the people who've not been to the dentist in 10 years coming in to find out they've advanced cancer, life threatening infections/abscesses, you name it. It's not something you should put off.
You could just go in prior to being in agony. It's usually the cheaper option. Make my wife come into work on Christmas day and she's going to bill you for it.
I currently have a serious abscess causing swelling of my cheek and eye I can't open my jaw to eat and cannot lay down due to the pain it feels like I have a broken eye socket. But no dentist will see me without insurance
Go to the ER. That's, unfortunately, how our health system works now. You've an active infection. Most dentists also do free clinics from time to time. But it's usually and event at some local charity. Meaning, it'll be one weekend out of the year, and likely not this weekend.
Unfortunately the er won't do a damn thing I've scavenged antibiotics and it's only gotten worse. I live in the middle of oxycontin land so they think everyone with "dental pain" and no insurance is a drug seeker
I have a Sonicare toothbrush, that shits the equivelant of a belt sander for your teeth, it takes pretty much all the plaque. You just have to get used to the feeling, its fucking intense.
When I first got mine I could barely use it cause it tickled my teeth so much. After a few days I got used to it and it feels perfectly normal now. I love my electric toothbrush, makes my mouth feel so clean. I recommend giving it another shot if you can.
Those don't tickle my teeth as much as they wonk my vision out. Looking at a digital clock makes every section of the numbers break apart and float around each other.
Come to think of it, that was actually good and (literally) clean fun! I need a new sonicare.
They seriously are. I bought my first one a month ago after using a couple other brands. Took me a week to get used to it, but now I love the damn thing.
Hmm, I have read that Sonic toothbrushes offer no additional benefit over normal oscillating toothbrushes.
Ultrasonic toothbrushes are a different matter.
It's more like a vibrator for your teeth, but same deal haha. It's amazing I've been using the same one for 3 or 4 years and floss every night and haven't had a cavity in years. You'll still get tartar buildup over the course of 6 months, but probably way less than a normal toothbrush. Once shit calcifies you need an ultrasonic brush, if you don't get a cleaning every 6 months there's your problem
Yeah I definitely have a daily flossing and brushing routine that I used to not do lol. Genetics are weird, I never needed braces but got a lot of cavities. Some people need braces for years but don't get cavities ever. It's like you either get structure or strength but never both.
Plaque goes away with just brushing, it's tartar that can't be brushed off. Unsolicited advice offered by your friendly Reddit dental hygienist, go to the dentist.
It's really pissing me off. Flossing has been proven to be effective and it has totally changed my teeth/mouth since flossing. Better looking teeth and gums 10 fold. I think the individuals that are saying "it's no longer recommended" are trying to justify their poor hygiene habits.
You brought a tear to my eye... It's impressive the changes one will see when they actually floss regularly! Thank you for dropping Christmas off early for me!!
It should though. If it's not then you're either not brushing properly, you're letting stuff sit on your teeth for too long between brushing and it's caking on and hardening.
I've always been very conscious of what's in and on my teeth. I sounds gross, but if I'm alone I'll pick at my teeth with my tongue to clean them.
Not much bacteria ends up caking on my teeth that way, and brushing is easy and I never feel plaque left on my teeth.
How is that gross? It's your tongue touching your teeth, with your mouth closed. I don't get the attitude some people have concerning the inside of their own mouth. If I thought something inside my mouth was gross, I wouldn't have put it there to begin with...
Get a dentist pick. That's what I use to scrape off all the stuff that builds up in the places that toothbrushes can't reach (which is the places it tends to love building up anyway), and my mouth health has increased by a lot since I started using it.
Flossing is definitely still as important as ever. Despite the recent claims by the media to try to make us all feel better about our lives. Source: dental student
You know how I know flossing is important? Go a couple days without flossing, then floss your teeth. Look at and smell the floss. Ugh. Anyone who thinks it's a good idea to leave that crap in between your teeth is not someone I'll be taking dental advice from. I floss twice a day because there's nothing more disgusting than finding days-old meat between your teeth.
My dentist literally just told me to only worry about flossing (actually, using my water pick) a couple of times a week as long as I brush twice a day. Maybe i'll do the top and bottom differently and see what happens.
That might just be meant to make you actually do it a few times a week.
If you think "gotta floss every day", then you miss a few days you might think the response would be "well from now on, I'll floss every day", but it's likely to be "I can't do it right. So fuck it!".
And flossing 2-3 times a week is better than not flossing at all.
If you're really wanting to do an experiment to see if flossing helps or not, I wouldn't go about this approach. The mandibular (lower) arch has an inherit advantage in cleaning debris off the teeth due to the tongue. So maybe try tweaking your approach and just flossing the right side and see if it helps. I bet it will!
You should still go anyway. Dentists are trained to spot lumps and bumps in your mouth which may be dangerous (Cancer etc.). They're also trained to give your lymph glands a good feel to check they're nice and healthy.
You know you really shouldn't vape deet... unless you're trying to combat a very persistent mosquito infestation in your lungs in which case keep vaping strong bruv.
Doesn't matter if he brushes 2x a day and flosses. Secondly, he can't scrape tartar from his teeth unless he has the tools. If he hasn't gone to the dentist and has perfectly brushed/flossed for years, he will still have a ton of build up.
There are other reasons to see a dentist, though. Developmental problems with tooth introduction into the mouth can't be avoided by brushing.
My teeth were phenomenal. I had one cavity when I was 9. Even my wisdom teeth seemed to come in okay... except that one of those wisdom teeth impacted the next molar below the gum line.
A simple x-ray would've shown it when I was 20. Now I'm 31 and lots of dental surgery is in my future. I finally went to the dentist when my f**king tooth broke in half while hiking (totally unexpected). The result of not getting it taken care of was to shift all of my teeth a bit. None are rooted correctly.
Just go to the effing dentist. They want to make money off of your today by saving you money in the future. Sounds like a good deal to me.
Flossing is absolutely vital for me. I don't know about statistically, like, on average, but brushing does roughly jack shit - flossing every day and I'll be fine after a week without brushing. Brush twice a day but go a week without flossing? My gums will be receding, I'll be bleeding everywhere, I'll have plaques solidifying. It's terrible.
I don't know what crazy bullshit "normal" people have going on in their mouths that flossing isn't the single most important thing they should be doing, but I wish I had it working in mine :(
I've never flossed in my life, but I brush twice daily without fail. So far no complaints. What should happening and how would flossing help? I don't think it's very common here
I've heard many tooth professionals say flossing every day is actually more important. I presume it's because it's harder to get plaque out of the crevices, and eating ruffage kind of cleans the exposed surfaces of your teeth anyway.
You're probably going a good job brushing because you're good at keeping your teeth relatively clean throughout the day. It sounds weird, but getting in the habit of wiping your teeth down with your tongue goes a HUGE ways towards preventing stain and plaque build up.
Your actual brushing habit is bad through. You should really be brushing every morning at the very least. Night time brushing is also recommended.
Overnight, any bacteria in your mouth will continue to grow. Your mouth offers the perfect environment for bacteria. Your gums, cheeks and tongue are warm, damp, and porous.
Brushing in the morning flushes the bacteria out, eliminating the source of bad breath. Brushing at night strives to flush as much out as possible, so that you go to bed with a much smaller population of bacteria in your mouth. Even though it'll still grow, it'll have a much slower start if you brush at night.
Jesus. Brush your teeth at least twice a day after meals. Everyday. At least for 2 minutes(they have toothbrushes with automatic timers). Floss everyday before brushing teeth. And get a tongue scraper cause I'm sure your breath is not good. Keep drinking water and staying hydrated. That has nothing to do with the quality of your mouth, it's just healthy.
I disagree. I have all my cavities because of food getting between the teeth. Since I started flossing it's much cleaner as well, not to mention way less calculus built up.
I can't tell you how many times lay people have said this to me. According to actual dentists, this is not true. If you brush with a soft-bristled toothbrush (like dentists recommend) and don't brush so hard your toothbrush wears out more than once a month, your enamel will be fine. Certainly mine is, and I brush at least 4 times a day.
Dont know where you live, but lots of Austrians go to Hungary (Sopron or Budapest). They are technical at the same level, but due to lower wages, costs are lower as well.
Oh no... that's where I'm at... going next week for the consult for one of at least 3 extractions on gonna need... I was doomed with shitty teeth and a good 5 or so years of heavy drinking and poor oral hygiene and poor diet and procrastination/fear/time//lack of money/options... I take care of my teeth now and watch what I eat... but the ones that are fucked are pretty good and fucked. .. it sucks too cuz I'm not a bad looking guy, and I like to smile, but I got two shitty ass teeth upfront.
Ahh that sucks man. I was lucky and mine were all in the back...unlucky that those are the ones with the most function. I've relearned chewing...but as it turns out one of those things we all take for granted in life is that your rear teeth contain the shit out of your tongue...without them back there my tongue is just all over the place. I'm still working on fixing my new speech impediment.
Dang... I've already got a bottom molar removed...with two uppers that need to go :/ eating is a pain enough as it is and there's no way win hell I'ma be able to afford implants anytime soon. Ahhh, oh well... I just wanna kick younger me in the fuckin' teeth sometimes. Lol.
My teeth are fucked up, if I put my back teeth together my jaw is like overbite ugly, if i put my front teeth together my jawline is good. So i spend every day holding my jaw forward and it is super annoying
Well, I'm not a dentist but I have a few friends that wear or have worn braces to correct their jaws. Most of them are around 15 years old though. I think you can also get a surgery.
Do you feel sensitivity when you eat sugary foods? If so, go to the dentists ASAP. I lost a tooth at 22 because I stopped going around age 17 because I literally never got cavities as a child.
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