
Delinquent flossers rejoice! If the headlines are to be believed, every single one of us, from the consistent flosser to the post-appointment guilt-flosser can simply toss all their twine right out the nearest window.
Or can we?
While questioning conventional wisdom is an effective way to attract clicks, the facts of the matter are a little less clear-cut.
Conventional Omission
Let’s be straightforward: the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services isn’t telling all Americans to drop the practice of flossing. It just isn’t demanding that we do floss – at least not until someone can furnish evidence that is 100 percent irrefutable. This makes a lot of sense. As a government agency tasked with the health and well-being of the nation, it’s a prudent move only to recommend practices and techniques that are based on hard scientific data. After all, as a health authority, it’s recommendations carry weight and are taken seriously by the populace at large.
What about the scientific studies, not to mention the universal body of anecdotal evidence, that seem to point to a link between regular flossing and improved dental health? Generally, these studies were flawed in some way. In the eyes of the scientific community, like in a court of law, any flaw, even the tiniest of oversights, are grounds for a complete dismissal of the case. Anecdotal evidence carries even less weight in the eyes of the scientific community (and rightly so).
But for the most part, nearly all dentists and prosthodontists, the highly-trained professionals on the frontlines of dental health, agree that flossing is beneficial. Some experts contend that the reason for the lack of clear scientifically admissible evidence in favor of the practice is a result of poor execution rather than a lack of potential benefits.
In other words: we’re flossing incorrectly.
An extensive study done on children who were flossed regularly by professionals found a 40 percent reduced risk of cavities. The problem is most kids don’t or can’t floss their own teeth like a highly-trained dental hygienist can. It’s worth noting that this study was also considered fatally flawed because, unsurprisingly, the children participating in the study did not have consistent teeth brushing habits, to begin with.
The bottom line
Would flossing be beneficial to your overall oral health?
Probably.
If you floss regularly, you should keep on keeping on. Continue doing what you’ve been doing safe in the knowledge that whatever you’re doing is working for you.
If you don’t already floss, you should start doing so as a way of simply hedging your bets. Anecdotal evidence and professional dentists and prosthodontists are in favor of the practice. And while irrefutable proof isn’t there yet, flossing is at the very least a way to physically remove bits of food debris that would otherwise be fueling decidedly harmful bacterium.
Ultimately, flossing as a practice is a quick, low-risk, low-cost practice that is at worst a harmless way to remove unwanted plaque from in between your teeth. Despite the HHS’s strategic reticence on the subject, dental professionals and prosthodontists like myself heartily recommend the practice. Just make sure you’re doing it right.