Introduction

Flossing is a topic that sparks debates even among dental professionals. While some swear by it, others, including some dentists, approach it with skepticism. Dr. Jordan Harper and Dr. Zach Abrath, two experienced dentists at Niceville Family Dental, weigh in on this contentious subject with a mix of humor, science, and practical advice. Whether you’re an avid flosser or someone who’s never touched a spool of dental floss, their insights will help you understand the importance of flossing and how to incorporate it into your oral hygiene routine effectively.

This blog delves into the differences in flossing philosophies, how individual oral health needs dictate habits, and practical tips for making flossing a consistent part of your daily routine. Let’s separate myths from facts and learn how to floss smarter, not harder.

The Role of Flossing in Oral Hygiene

Flossing is often seen as a cornerstone of oral care. Its primary function is to remove food particles and plaque that accumulate between teeth—areas that toothbrushes can’t effectively reach. However, as Dr. Abrath points out, flossing by itself doesn’t “clean” teeth; it’s more of a preparatory step. “It’s a piece of string,” he says. “You’re just debriding bacterial colonies and loosening debris.”

The debate between Dr. Harper and Dr. Abrath highlights another critical point: individual oral health needs. Some people, like Dr. Abrath, have higher caries risk due to factors like a sweet tooth or narrow gaps between teeth. For them, flossing is essential. Others, like Dr. Harper, have broader gaps and a naturally lower caries risk, making flossing less critical.

💡Related Post: The Flossing Evolution: From Zero to Hero

Video Embed

Key Questions and Answers

Why is flossing important? Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth, preventing cavities and gum disease. It’s particularly crucial for individuals with tightly spaced teeth or a history of gum recession.

Is flossing necessary for everyone? While flossing is beneficial, its necessity varies. People with low caries risk and wide gaps between teeth might not need to floss as rigorously as those with higher risk profiles.

What’s the best time to floss? Flossing at night is most effective because it removes food and plaque accumulated throughout the day. This prevents bacteria from sitting on your teeth overnight.

How can you motivate yourself to floss regularly? Try flossing once a week to start and gradually increase frequency. For those needing extra motivation, Dr. Abrath suggests smelling the floss after use—a graphic but effective reminder of its importance.

Can you overdo flossing? Yes, overzealous flossing can damage gums and cause irritation. Aim for a balanced approach that prioritizes gentle, effective cleaning.

Behind the Scenes: Flossing Habits of Dentists

Even dentists have varying attitudes toward flossing. Dr. Harper is candid about his aversion to flossing, citing his lower caries risk and wider tooth gaps as reasons. Dr. Abrath, on the other hand, is a devoted flosser due to his sweet tooth and a history of gum recession that necessitated gingival grafting.

Their personal experiences reveal a universal truth: oral care isn’t one-size-fits-all. Dentists, like their patients, must tailor their routines to their unique needs. Both doctors agree, however, that flossing—done correctly and in moderation—is a valuable tool in maintaining oral health.

Pro Tips for Effective Flossing

• Start Small: If flossing isn’t part of your routine, begin by flossing once or twice a week.

• Focus on Nighttime: Floss before bed to remove food and plaque accumulated throughout the day.

• Be Gentle: Avoid aggressive flossing that can damage gum tissue.

• Combine Methods: Pair flossing with brushing and rinsing for a comprehensive cleaning routine.

• Use the Right Tools: Consider alternatives like water picks or interdental brushes if traditional floss feels cumbersome.

Scientific Backing

Studies consistently show that flossing reduces plaque buildup and lowers the risk of gum disease. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends flossing daily as part of a comprehensive oral hygiene routine. Research also supports the use of interdental cleaning tools like water picks for individuals who struggle with traditional floss.

Dos and Don’ts for Flossing

Dos

• Use a gentle sawing motion to avoid damaging gums.
• Floss before brushing to loosen debris.
• Replace your floss regularly to prevent fraying.

Don’ts

• Don’t snap the floss into your gums.
• Don’t reuse the same section of floss for multiple teeth.
• Don’t skip flossing entirely if you’ve had dental work like braces or implants.

Conclusion

Flossing is an integral part of oral hygiene, but its effectiveness depends on individual needs and proper technique. Whether you’re a seasoned flosser or new to the practice, starting small and staying consistent can make a significant difference in your oral health. And remember, even dentists like Dr. Harper and Dr. Abrath tailor their routines based on their unique oral care needs.

Ready to elevate your oral care routine? Explore Enamel’s innovative products designed to promote healthier gums and teeth. Choose from our Toothpaste Tablets, Mouthwash Tablets, or ENML Jar Collection to transform your dental habits today.

Ready to upgrade your oral care routine? Discover the benefits of Enamel Toothpaste Tablets today and experience a cleaner, fresher mouth. Shop now at ENML.com and transform your dental habits for good!

Transcript

 You are a little bit more boisterous, a little bit more, you know, soft spoken. You're just putting it between your teeth and kind of like rubbing your teeth a little bit. It's not really cleaning anything. There's nothing special about floss. It's a piece of string. You're not, you're not cleaning anything.

Dr. Zach is a big flosser and he took the spoon excavator. And he stuck it up underneath the patient's nose and goes, you smell that? You smell that? That's why we brush our teeth. And you can just smell like the rottenness. We dentists are also not, uh, immune to dental work. We also need it ourselves.

Welcome to Minty Fresh Takes presented by Enamel. The podcast where we explore the latest trends, science, and personal stories behind oral wellness. I'm your host, Xander. And today, we have a jam packed show covering some of the most important topics in oral care. From celebrities to experts in the field, you're sure to hear dentistry content done in a fun way.

So sit back, grab your popcorn and your floss because you'll need it after, and enjoy this conversation. Thanks for listening. Welcome back to another episode of Minty Fresh Takes. Uh, I have the honor and privilege of hosting Dr. Zach Abrath here, another dentist here at Niceville Family Dental, my dental office.

Uh, with us today to, uh, you know, dive deep, answer some questions that all you viewers want to, uh, want to hear and know. So. Let's get right into it. So the first question I've got for, uh, for the viewers is, uh, people want to know, every dentist is different. People want to know some of the differences between you and me.

The yin and the yang between the two of us. I would say treatment principles were very in alignment, which I think is important whenever you're working together with someone in an office, that you're, cause you don't want to be kind of going against each other when you're seeing the same patients. Kind of messes things up, can confuse the patients.

Uh, I'd say the biggest differences between us are just personality types. Um, obviously, you are a little bit more boisterous, that's one way of saying it, where I'm a little bit more, you know, soft spoken, I think I'm the more, you know, level headed of the two. I got, I run on kind of a flat line, little peaks and valleys, tend to be out of wide range, so.

Some patients want calmer and some people want excitement. So it gives the patients a good opportunity to kind of pick and choose what the best personality matches for the treatment that they're getting. So I couldn't agree more. That's the biggest difference. I think I couldn't agree more. Yeah, the most important thing is we have the same philosophy on teeth and dentistry.

And so that's the most important thing. All right. So, um, let's dive into a little bit about how do you view the process? of taking care and cleaning your teeth. Okay, I don't think we've ever talked about this, but I've like, I've, I've done my thoughts on like what the correct order of all the things are.

The order of operations. I'm, I'm kind of curious what, what your take is on it too, because we've never actually like talked about this. So. If you think of like the main things that you would do for your like dental hygiene things you got like your brushing and flossing and then a lot of patients use a mouth rinse, uh, some patients use like a water pick and those are kind of like the main tools and implements that most people have as kind of their routine.

Um, to me there's like kind of an ideal order that makes sense for just what you're doing and like the goals behind it, right? Okay. So to me, the first thing that you would want to do is flossing. And the reason being is that like flossing is like you have a piece of string and you're just putting it between your teeth and kind of like rubbing your teeth a little bit.

It's not really cleaning anything. You're just kind of like debriding some little bacterial colonies that started forming there. You're just trying to loosen everything up. It's not really like you're, I mean, there's nothing special about floss. It's a piece of string. You're not, you're not cleaning anything.

Okay. So you got it all loosened up. And then I think then's the time you would want to go through with your water pick. Kind of flush around there, or you could be doing more with like, if you want to do a mouth rinse at that time, that's kind of the best time to do that, kind of rinses it out, kind of detoxes everything, everything's loose, and then you go through, you have your, your toothbrush, you got your nice toothbrush, and you got your enamel, obviously, I mean, what else is there to use, and I mean, it's essentially a medicine, I mean, you're putting it on your teeth, you're not just cleaning your teeth, but you're treating it with that micro hydroxyapatite, To help remineralize and desensitize the teeth.

And the last thing you want to do is like rinse all that off with a mouth rinse, right out. It's like, you don't want to be throwing Listerine and just rinsing it off your mouth. So the last thing you want to do, well, you could do that before, but that's more, but you just don't want to be, if you're doing the traditional methods, I feel like.

You need to be, whatever your active ingredient, whether it's the microhydroxyapatite or if you're using like an older toothpaste like fluoride or something like that, it needs to be on your teeth overnight, and you don't want to be rinsing all that off if there's no need to. So that's my take. My take would be, uh, because I wanted to get my take too, this is why we make great partners because I would 100 percent agree.

I'm based in logic. So floss removes, floss removes the big gross amounts of food between the teeth and plaque. Uh, mouth rinse makes sense next and then last but not least just brushing, uh, to make sure everything's completely fresh and clean. So I agree with the order operations. Concur. Okay. This is going to be a fun one.

So, uh, Dr. Zach is a big flosser. If you've watched this podcast, I am not a big flosser. So. Zach, let's talk about why that is. Uh, so let's talk, first question the viewers want to know is, let's talk Cary's risk. And your Cary's risk versus my Cary's risk. Um, I guess, just historically, I've had a few more cavities than Dr.

Harper has. We've both seen each other's teeth and we've had some work done. Um, But yeah, so I guess I would put myself in a higher category. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. Also, I'm, I'm responsible and everything in moderation, of course. Um, but I feel like it is important for me to floss. Um, it's not like I ever floss and I don't find something.

I mean, there's always something there that you're going to get out. And, uh, this is really gross, but I had a friend in like dental school and he's like, if you want to make people floss every day, tell them to like floss or teeth. And smell the floss afterwards and just do that every day for like a week and you'll notice it still stinks like every time it's still nasty.

I can't imagine. So if you really want to motivate people that are like really motivated by kind of gross things like that. I have a fun story on a dental school story too. I had a professor at dental school. I'll never forget. He was working on with a classmate of mine and he's taking out the decay. On a tooth.

So like taking out the caries on a tooth with a, what do we call a spoon excavator? And it was a massive cavity. So it's like just peeling up like just disgusting. And he took the spoon excavator and he stuck it up underneath the patient's nose. And goes, you smell that? You smell that? That's why we brush our teeth.

And you can just smell like the rottenness, you know? It might be why he's a professor and, uh, and, and not in private practice, but it was a very, uh, take home point for that patient that, uh, man, we've got to, uh, we got to brush. All right guys, so back to the flossing discussion. Um, why does Zach floss and I don't?

Um, I'm going to give my two cents on what I think. One, obviously we have different bacterial compositions of our mouth that can affect things too. Um, I've looked at his x rays, you know, he's looked at mine. I think the other thing too, that his shape of his teeth is slightly different. So, um, his, he has more gaps between the contact areas, if that makes sense.

His contacts are more pinpoint versus broad. Um, and so I, I would say that's probably why he also gets a little more food stuck, uh, in there as well. You do have a history, a little bit of, a little bit of recession. I think you had an experience with that in dental school. Yeah, I've had several. gingival grafting procedures done.

Um, after my braces with my kind of triangular shaped roots and everything, I just had a lot more gum recession. So had to get some surgeries to help that. And I do have kind of bigger spacing between the teeth. So some further proof guys, we dentists are also not immune to dental work. We also need it ourselves.

Um, I got a root canal, gold crown. I got it all. See, see, we're, we're not immune to it either. We don't have, we don't all have perfect teeth. We need to do the same things y'all do. Um, so how, let's talk, how often are you telling patients to floss? I mean, if you're going from zero flossing to some flossing, that's like the first step.

Like if you got the patients that like, don't floss at all. I just want to like, just a good faith effort. Try to do it like once or twice a week, like. Change that routine up a little bit. Right, just start switching it up. I mean, and then you have the ones that, I mean, I, I mean, I've had some patients that are like the ultra flossers and you're like, okay, you're doing a little bit too much flossing and you're like actually traumatizing your gums.

But honestly, it's just about taking that next, next step forward and whatever the progression is. I don't think it's like, you definitely are not going to get someone who never flosses to floss every single day out the gate. And I mean, you're going to miss a day here or there. It's not, it's not the end of the world.

Just. Yeah, piggybacking on what he said, what I typically will tell patients is, um, if you're only going to do it once a day, do it at night. That is the most critical because you've had food all throughout the day. Um, doing it in the morning is helpful too because you do have those eight hours you're sleeping, you do have black biofilms that will develop and the floss can help remove those.

Um, especially if you're a heavy tartar builder, I'm talking about you periodontal patients that need to be at the dentist every three months. Um, but that being said, uh, yeah, I think, you know, if you're going to just start adding it to your routine, switching up the routine, new year, new you type thing, start doing it at night.

Uh, that is the most important time because you do not want that food and food particles sitting between the teeth overnight. Um, well, cool. Well, Zach, uh, it's been great having you. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for. Uh, you know, giving us some time away from patients to, uh, join us on the show today and, uh, hope to see you again soon.

Alright, I'm gonna go pull a tooth. Sounds good. Go have fun. Alright. Hey guys, thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of Minty Fresh Takes presented by Enamel. Listen, we all know people that are into the latest trends for their oral care. We also know people on the other side of the spectrum that are not.

This show is made for both of those people. And so if you could do us the absolute biggest favor and share this, like, comment, subscribe, but make, make, make sure to share this with your friends on both sides of the spectrum and somebody right in the middle. That would be awesome. Our biggest mission here, not only doing this podcast, but with all the products and the dentistry here in Niceville is to ensure the trust and the quality of product that we continually offer to our patients.

Our mission through this show and through our brand new product enamel is to ensure that your teeth are being covered by nutrients that actually benefit your teeth. I micro hydroxy appetite, our toothpaste tablets that we have right here. Toothpaste tablets and the luxury mouthwash tablets. These are both available at enamel.

That is E N M L. com. And if you're looking for more information on micro hydroxy appetite, feel free to check out our latest YouTube videos. Like we said earlier, make sure to subscribe to this channel. You don't want to miss anything that we have coming out and thanks so much for watching. We'll see you on the next show.