Common Excuses For Not Flossing And Why They’re Full Of It

“People who smoke cigarettes, they say “You don’t know how hard it is to quit smoking.” Yes I do. It’s as hard as it is to start flossing.” – Mitch Hedberg

Flossing is undeniably the unpopular cousin of tooth brushing. It’s cumbersome, takes time, sometimes painful, and sometimes leaves your gums bloody. Nor does it taste as fresh as brushing, and it doesn’t give you the instant gratification of running your tongue over a smooth tooth like brushing does.

If you say you don’t brush your teeth you’ll be shamed by your peers, but if you say you don’t floss, you’re likely met with a shrug or a ‘me, too.’

But when flossing is one of the key preventative routines against tooth decay and gum disease, it’s hard to swallow that it’s so commonly accepted that skipping flossing is okay.

“I don’t have the time to floss”

Many people blame their busy schedules for not flossing. Fair, we’re all very busy in today’s fast-paced society where we’re trying to both stay up and enjoy our evenings and get up early to go to work. It can be tempting to cut out a step or two to allow half an hour longer in bed. But when flossing only takes you two minutes, and brushing takes five, there’s no excuse for not incorporating this health routine into your mornings or evenings. You could even floss while on the pot and get two things done at once. We won’t tell.

“Flossing makes my gums bleed”

This might seem like an excuse to cut out flossing, but in fact it’s a massive reason to Keep Flossing. Healthy gums do not bleed when flossed. If your gums bleed when you floss them (that once a month, six months, or year), it means your gums are already under bacterial attack and need more flossing to get healthy. If your gums bleed, the floss is likely to come back smelly – yet another sign of an inadequate dental routine. Not only can this lead to dental decay and gum disease, but it will also make your breath smell bad.

 “I don’t know if flossing is worth it”

This is a common one and can sound reasonable when you say it, but we find that it is often a lazy decision guised as a reasonable stance. Why do something that you don’t believe in, right? Well, with studies showing the many health benefits of flossing, and the fact that it only takes two minutes out of your day, we don’t know if there are reasons for skipping it. Flossing is the long-term game, so if you expect instant gratification for doing it, you won’t get it. But if you want to flash your own teeth into old age, flossing is your friend.

Book your next appointment today with your Townsville dentist online or call us on 0747290241 to assess your dental hygiene routine.