While brushing twice a day is important to ensure good oral hygiene, your dentist considers flossing twice a day to be just as important. While you may be ignoring this simple step that only takes a couple minutes each day, it could be because you do not realize the consequences. Consider the following benefits of regularly flossing your teeth.

Flossing Prevents Bad Breath

A common cause of having bad breath is due to tiny pieces of food that get stuck between your teeth. Even though they are small, they will eventually start to rot if you do not remove them by flossing. Brushing alone is simply not enough, and not flossing could be what is causing your horrible breath.

Getting rid of food particles is one of the many benefits that comes with flossing. By taking the extra time to do it each day, it will help freshen your breath and prevent other complications.

Flossing Prevents Cavities

Those food particles are not only causing bad breath, but they could be causing cavities. When bacteria grows between your teeth, plaque buildup occurs. Over time, the plaque will cause cavities. This will eventually lead to temperature sensitivity when eating very cold or hot foods, toothaches, and potential tooth loss.

While a cavity on the crown of the tooth is very easy to drill and fill, it can be much more difficult to fix if it is located on the enamel between your teeth. While you can sometimes see small cavities on the tooth's crown, cavities between the teeth may be harder to notice. You might not realize you have a cavity until you reach the point where it causes pain.

Flossing Prevents Gingivitis

If you do not remove the plaque with daily flossing, it will eventually turn into tartar. Tartar is harmful to your gums, as it is essentially hardened plaque made out of bacteria. When the tartar causes your gums to become swollen and red, it means you have gingivitis.

One of the first signs of having periodontal disease is gingivitis, and you may eventually have symptoms such as gums that are tender and sore. In bad cases, it can even cause bleeding of the gums.

As you can see by these examples, flossing twice daily should be a part of your regular dental care routine. It only takes a few minutes a day, and it is the easiest way to keep your smile looking beautiful.