Improving oral health for the entire family

When it comes to raising awareness of oral health in the family, it’s critical to keep in mind that maintaining excellent tooth health requires more than just brushing and flossing.

In the US, 98% of all men, women, and children suffer from some kind of oral illness. Among such individuals, 65% of 15-year-olds and 90% of adults particularly exhibit symptoms of active gum disease.

Wouldn’t these figures be far lower if brushing and flossing were the only oral hygiene practices and the majority of people regularly performed at least one of these tasks?

Parents always want the best for their kids. For instance, many of us grew up on Lucky Charms and Twinkies (I really liked Ding Dongs and Trix 🙂—name your poison). But today’s parents want to give their kids the greatest start possible, particularly if they didn’t have the healthiest upbringing.

Referring back to our dental hygiene regimen, it’s important to remember that kids pick up a lot of knowledge by seeing their parents go about their everyday lives. Therefore, the best thing we can do to improve oral health for everyone in the family is to take control of our dental health.

Conscious flossing: what is it?

“Conscious flossing” refers to drawing attention to and raising awareness of the regular flossing practice.

By being mindful during flossing, we may learn a lot about what’s happening in our mouths, which can greatly influence our capacity to improve dental health.

How to intentionally floss

1. Begin with a length of floss long enough to allow you to insert a fresh floss segment in between each pair of teeth.

2. After every flossing point, pause and examine the floss. Check the floss for any discolouration. Any hue, such as blood or yellow, indicates that the gum pockets surrounding those teeth are actively infected.

3. Be brave since step three calls for it! 🙂 Take a whiff of the floss. Yes, smell it after cleaning each touch. Another indication of an ongoing infection in the gum pockets surrounding those teeth is a foul odour coming from the floss. Indeed, the scent from your mouth that your lover has grown to accept as usual is directly caused by any foul-smelling floss you encounter.

4. Check for any discomfort, sensitivity, or swelling during flossing.