Flossing and brushing are simply two different techniques intended to accomplish the exact same task: the removal of dental plaque by way of scrubbing it off the surface of your teeth. Yes, in order to remove dental plaque it needs to be scrubbed off. If an area doesn't get scrubbed it will never be plaque free. So, when you use dental floss that's the task that you need to be focused on, scrubbing a maximum amount of each tooth's surface.
This means that effective flossing isn't accomplished by just placing dental floss between your teeth. Sure, slipping floss in between teeth does scrub a part of the surface of each tooth, specifically that area where the two teeth touch. But while cleaning this point of contact is very important this region is just a small portion of the total in-between-the-teeth tooth surface area that requires thorough and regular plaque removal. Effective flossing technique requires that you use the dental floss in a manner that scrubs and cleans all of the tooth surfaces that lie in between the teeth.
When it comes to understanding how dental plaque typically creates problems between teeth it helps to think of the plaque as occupying one of two generalized locations. One of these locations is that region right at and below the point of contact between two teeth. The other location is that space that exists between a tooth and the gum tissue that surrounds it.
In reality this categorization is too simplistic. Dental plaque exists as a continuous film of varying thickness that lies on all of the in-between-the-teeth tooth surfaces. But for our discussion here, we will focus on some specific effects that dental plaque can have when it accumulates in these two distinct regions.
You probably know that the bacteria living in dental plaque can cause tooth decay. Cavities have the potential to form on any tooth surface that is covered with dental plaque. And to a great degree this potential for cavity formation is related to the total cumulative amount of time that dental plaque is present.
The reason for this is because, in generalities, when dental plaque occupies a location on a tooth's surface the cavity formation process can proceed. When this same tooth surface is plaque free, a healing process can take place that helps to reverse the progress of cavity formation. As far as preventing tooth decay goes, this is pretty much what tooth brushing and using dental floss is all about. These activities help to minimize the presence of dental plaque so that the scales are always tipped in favor of the healing process rather than cavity formation.
A location that is particularly vulnerable to cavity formation is the point of contact between two teeth, and just below. Fortunately almost any flossing technique, even the most haphazard, can have a cleaning and preventive effect in this region if it is performed often enough.
The tooth surface that lies on beyond the contact point can be at risk for decay formation also. This region, however, requires more diligence to get clean. Only a flossing technique that includes pulling the dental floss up against the tooth's surface and working it up and down can adequately clean and help to prevent cavity formation in this area.
The dental plaque that accumulates on a tooth's surface at and below its gum line has the potential to cause gum disease. Dental plaque contains bacteria as well as the waste products and toxins that these bacteria produce. These items are irritants and as a result they can trigger an inflammatory response in a person's gum tissue. Some of the signs of gum inflammation are gum redness and possibly even swelling. Additionally, inflamed gums are often tender and they frequently bleed when a person brushes or flosses their teeth.
Many people, including a large portion of those people who do floss regularly, simply do not have a concept of how to clean away the dental plaque that is most likely to cause gum disease. Effective flossing requires that the portion of a tooth's surface that lies at and below the gum line must be scrubbed clean. It is the dental plaque that occupies this location that will have the greatest potential to compromise the health of a person's gums.
Researchers have noted that there seems to be a relationship between the presence of severe gum disease (periodontal disease) and heart disease, stroke, and even premature births. While this relationship does seem to exist, studies have not positively identified the reason why. One theory is related to the presence of gum inflammation.
Inflammation is our tissue's protective response to the presence of a threat. Typically in the case of gum inflammation (inflammatory gum disease) it is our body's response to the presence of the bacteria and bacterial byproducts found in and associated with dental plaque. The inflammation theory suggests that the chemical mediators associated with the gum inflammation process are distributed throughout the body via the blood stream. Once in the blood stream these chemicals have a contributory impact on inflammatory diseases taking place in other parts of our bodies.
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