It is bad to have food stuck between your teeth for long periods of time. This is because food attracts germs which produce acid, and acid hurts your teeth and gums.
Flossing helps to remove the food that gets stuck between your teeth. It has been widely accepted that the use of floss has a favorable effect on plaque removal and disease prevention more than regular brushing.
The American Dental Association which provided many researches on dental health issues, reports that up to 80% of plaque can be removed with flossing. This fact explains why flossing helps to keep your mouth healthy, but some doctors say that it can be also good for your heart.
It may seem strange that something you do for your teeth can have any effect on your heart. One idea is that the germs that hurt your teeth can leave the mouth and travel into your blood. Germs that get into the blood can attack your heart.
Another idea is based on the fact that when there are too many germs in your mouth, the body tries to fight against these germs. For some reason, the way the body fights these mouth germs may end up weakening the heart over time.
Some doctors think that people who have bad flossing habits also have heart problems, and people who have good flossing habits have healthy hearts.
The theory that flossing your teeth helps to keep your heart healthy might not be true. But every doctor agrees that flossing is a great way to keep your teeth healthy.
