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Most Common Excuses People Use for Neglecting to Floss

Posted on 11/30/2018 by Dr. Elizabeth Vivona

When we sit you down in the exam chair, you know we're going to ask the dreaded question that we always ask: "Have you been flossing?"

Before you find yourself in an awkward position trying to justify your flossing habits, with your mouth open and our bib around your neck, please think about these frequent excuses that we hear from our patients. Does it sound like you?

"I Don't Have Time!" and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

The number one excuse we hear from our valued patients when we ask them if they floss is the insistence that they simply do not have the time to floss.

While we recommend you set aside several minutes to carefully go over your teeth each day, even a minute of flossing is better than nothing. Keep dental floss on hand and when you find yourself with unexpected downtime, reach for it. You can even floss when you're stuck in a standstill in traffic or watching TV!

Another common excuse that we hear is that food doesn't get trapped between their teeth. Believe it not, you're not just flossing to remove old food particles! You're also removing plaque buildup. Even if you think you're being thorough when you brush, you still need to floss to get rid of all of those germs.

A lot of our patients insist that it's too painful to floss and that their gums bleed. If your gums are sore and bleeding, then you may have an early stage of gingivitis - that means that flossing is all the more important for you! The more you floss, the healthier your gums will be.

Lastly, many of our patients are embarrassed to admit that they don't know how to floss. It's easy to learn! Start with an 18" length of floss and work it around your teeth in a c-shaped curve. Use a fresh segment per tooth and be sure to get up into the gum-line.

If you have any questions about how to floss and take care of your teeth, please give our office a call! Our skilled and professional dental staff will work with you to teach you how to properly care for your teeth and help you overcome these hurdles that are holding you back from flossing!

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