Should You Floss Every Day?

The short answer is yes. But that answer isn’t that straightforward. In 2016, the Associated Press published a piece based on freedom of information requests to the US Department of Health and Human Services and Agriculture for evidence in favor of flossing and concluded that the evidence for flossing was “weak, very unreliable” and carried “a moderate to large potential for bias.” Stories at that time also pointed to another review of studies from 2015 claiming that it showed “very inconsistent, weak evidence” for flossing.

Before you toss the floss, though, there are a couple of problems with all this. First, the frequently quoted 2015 study looked specifically at periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease that is among the leading causes of tooth loss in adults, not the effectiveness of flossing. More broadly, gingivitis, also considered in the study, is less serious, but can escalate. More generally, it is very difficult to conduct good long-term studies on flossing because people will often lie about their health-based behavior – whether that is how much they drink, how often they exercise or how they take care of their teeth.

Over the long term, it is also difficult to ensure test subjects are flossing for long enough, or using the correct technique, even if they think they are doing everything right. In a study published in 2023, researchers found that people who learned and consistently used proper flossing technique showed a significant reduction in gum bleeding compared with people who just carried on with whatever strategy they were using. As bleeding gums can be an early indicator of gum disease, this is a pretty significant finding.

The fact that there hasn’t been a long-term, huge population-based study of flossing doesn’t mean that flossing is not effective. It simply suggests that large multi-year studies of individual health behaviors (of any kind, flossing included) are difficult and expensive to conduct.

What Does Flossing Do?

The American Dental Association (ADA) had to admit that there wasn’t compelling evidence that daily flossing prevents cavities. However, that claim has never been the ADA’s main argument for why we need to floss.

Dentists refer to flossing as interdental cleaning (tools that help clean the spaces between teeth) and they have been encouraging us to do it for obvious reasons: food particles can get stuck between our teeth, and sometimes our toothbrush isn’t enough to get them out on its own. The longer the particles sit in place, the higher the chance of that stuck food damaging your teeth. Tooth decay occurs when bacteria in our mouths find material to eat, like sugars and starches, left on our teeth. The byproduct of this feeding is plaque, an acidic substance that attacks tooth enamel.

About 500 species of bacteria live beneath your gum line, and every human mouth holds about six billion bacteria. So, there’s no getting rid of them completely. That’s why we brush our teeth twice a day.

If you leave food between your teeth, that’s just ringing the dinner bell for the bacteria, even if you brush really well. Enter flossing. We remove food and any plaque that might have just started building up by working some floss or another interdental cleaner down between each tooth. Regular flossing in turn, keeps our mouths healthier.

The advent of floss picks and interdental brushes have made it even easier to clean those bacteria-harboring gaps between our teeth.

The Benefits of Flossing: What You Need to Know

The original request from the Associated Press reporter elicited something of a we-don’t-really-know response, but that’s because he was asking specifically about cavity prevention.

Cavities most often form on the chewing surfaces of our back molars. Those teeth have many topographical features on them and we can easily miss some tiny bits of food or sugars when we brush back there, opening the door for cavities to begin forming.

It seems rather apparent that threading a piece of waxed string between your teeth would not do anything about food on top of the tooth, but the ADA never claimed it would.

While flossing can prevent cavities from forming between our teeth, that’s not a typical place for them to develop. So, asking for proof that flossing prevents cavities is like asking for evidence that a Hall of Fame baseball player knows how to sew. He might, but nobody claimed he could.

What Are the Benefits of Flossing?

What does the ADA say flossing does then? Plenty. And even if there was no science behind flossing, we all know how satisfying it is to get a piece of apple skin out from between our teeth where it’s been stuck since that morning snack break. There are definitive benefits of flossing.

Flossing Removes Plaque – As mentioned above, plaque builds up quickly, and you must remove it. It will eat into tooth enamel, and once that’s gone, it’s gone for good, so we want to do our best to keep it. Regular plaque removal stands as a solid defense against decay and potential tooth loss.
Flossing Prevents the Buildup of Tartar – When plaque isn’t removed frequently, it forms into tartar. Tartar is the hardened and stubborn cousin of plaque. It is so bonded to your teeth that it tends to take a dental professional to remove it.
Flossing Prevents Gum Disease – The reality is that plaque and tartar just don’t make your teeth look yellow. They can also do some serious damage to your gums. Plaque can be very acidic. If you are not quick to remove it, it can start to eat away at your soft gum finish, causing inflammation and opening the door to infection. This is what we refer to as gum disease or periodontal disease. If gum disease progresses into an advanced stage, it can lead to further issues like tooth decay, root canals, and even tooth loss. That’s far more pain and damage than anyone should have to endure, especially when the preventable solution is as simple as flossing.
Flossing Can Help You to Have Fresh Breath – Even when you can’t feel pieces of food stuck between your teeth, they tend to accumulate while you eat. When they’re really wedged in there, your toothbrush can’t quite reach them, which means without floss, they’re going to linger. As that food deteriorates, it starts to produce a really unpleasant odor. If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t seem to get the fresh breath you’re hoping for after brushing, it’s probably because you need to start flossing too.
Brushing Alone Isn’t Enough for a Truly Clean Mouth – We’ve been hinting at this one all along: brushing isn’t enough. No matter how often you brush, how long you brush, how thorough you brush, there are some nooks and crannies those toothbrush bristles can’t reach. Floss, on the other hand, can get between each tooth and dislodge all the food and bacteria stuck in there, giving you a much cleaner mouth.
Flossing Can Give You a Whiter Smile – There are lots of products out there that are designed to whiten your smile. From whitening strips to mouth trays covered in laser lights, you can spend a lot of time and money trying to get your teeth a shade or two whiter. Before you dive into all of those products, however, why not try flossing? Plaque and tartar, as we mentioned earlier, have a yellow appearance and floss is a great way to reduce the plaque on your teeth. While some may find that their teeth are stained from coffee or tobacco use, many people will have success whitening their teeth with a good routine of brushing and flossing.
Boost Your Immune System – The mouth is one of the primary gateways to the body for harmful bacteria and germs. By using floss daily, you decrease the load on your immune system since it doesn’t have to continually fight off bacteria from the gums and teeth. In essence, by ensuring a clean mouth you’re freeing up your immune system to deal with other potential threats, thus enhancing your overall health.
Reduce the Risk of Respiratory Diseases – There is a connection between oral health and respiratory diseases. Bacteria in the mouth can travel to the lungs and cause infections or aggravate existing lung conditions. By maintaining a clean mouth through regular brushing and flossing, the chance of bacteria traveling to the lungs are reduced significantly.
Better Control Over Diabetes – People with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease. One of the reasons this should prompt concern for those with diabetes is that gum disease can make it harder to control already precarious blood sugar levels. By using dental floss regularly and maintaining gum health, individuals can have better control over their diabetes and thus their own overall well-being.
Enjoy Easier Dental Visits – Dentists are usually nice people, but for most of us, seeing them is low on our list of desired activities. By flossing regularly, you help minimize the things your dentist will need to do while you’re there. You know the dental hygienist is going to ask if you’ve been flossing, wouldn’t it be nice to honestly answer “yes?”

Types of Floss

Regular dental floss generally comes in two varieties – waxed and unwaxed.

As per the ADA, there’s not much difference between efficacy and efficiency. When it comes to choosing between the two, it depends on personal preference.

Apart from that, there are other types of floss, such as super floss, that are extremely useful for those with bridges, orthodontic braces, and wide gaps between teeth. Oral irrigators or water flosses use water pressure to eradicate debris between the teeth. Air flossers use air pressure to force out debris between the teeth.

Floss picks and interdental brushes are small wand-like brushes that can clean the interdental spaces and sides of your teeth. They are extremely convenient for flossing while traveling.

How to Floss Properly

It’s important to floss your teeth the right way. Here’s how to do it:

Take about 18 inches (45 centimeters) of floss. Wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. The remaining floss should be wound around your other middle finger.
Hold the floss between your thumbs and forefingers.
Gently move the floss between your teeth. Use a rubbing motion. Don’t snap the floss into your gums.
At your gum line, curve the floss into a C shape against one tooth. Slide it gently into the space between your tooth and gum.
Gently rub to the side of your tooth. Use up and down motions to move the floss.
Repeat this on all of your teeth. This includes cleaning behind your last tooth.
Throw the floss away when done. Don’t reuse the floss as it’s not as effective when used again.

Talk to your dentist if you’re having problems flossing. They may recommend a water flosser or other types of interdental cleaners instead.

When to Floss

Dentists recommend brushing twice a day and flossing once a day. Some people floss before bedtime, others prefer to floss in the morning or after lunch. The best time to floss is when it best fits your schedule.

You can floss before or after brushing your teeth. But if you floss after brushing, there’s a likelihood that you may skip flossing because you think your teeth feel clean or you run out of time.

Five Flossing Mistakes

Don’t Floss Your Teeth Roughly – When you’re flossing, it’s important to get the plaque off your teeth, but don’t hit your teeth and gums as though they must be attacked. Be gentle on your teeth and gums during the flossing process. If you floss your teeth roughly, you can make your gums bleed and cause other dental health issues. Instead, take your time to gently remove plaque from between your teeth.
Don’t Use the Floss to Put Pressure on Your Gums – The point of flossing is to get plaque away from the sides of your teeth. You are reaching between your teeth when flossing to move the plaque away from your gums. Never put physical pressure on your gums with the floss. There is no need to pull the floss at the level of your gum tissue. If your gums aren’t healthy, they may bleed or you can experience pain. If you regularly put pressure on your gums, you could create lasting damage in the tissue in the form of a furrow or cleft. Don’t risk it.
Don’t Rely on Flossing Alone as a Sole Dental Cleanser – Never rely on flossing alone for your dental care. Although flossing is an important part of your daily oral care habits, it should not be used on its own to clean your teeth. You still need to brush your teeth twice daily each day for two minutes at a time. You should also rinse with a mouthwash that’s suitable for your dental needs, and it’s important to see a dentist at least twice each year for professional cleanings.
Don’t Go Too Quickly When Flossing – When you’re flossing your teeth, you don’t want to attack the spaces between your teeth as though the floss is a car on a racetrack. You’re not in competition to see how quickly you can get this chore done. If you floss too quickly, you can have poor technique and inadvertently irritate or scrape your gums.
Don’t Floss Too Frequently – You only need to floss once per day. Flossing more often than that can sometimes do more harm than good, especially if your gums are sensitive. Flossing too frequently can irritate that tissue, and in some cases damage it. Just flossing once per day, whether in the morning or at night before bedtime, should be ideal.

Flossing is Preventive Care

If you think of flossing as a way to get that pesky piece of corn out of your teeth, it’s time to realize just how much flossing can do. In the world of dentistry, we consider flossing to be preventative care. Just like eating healthy and exercising can help lower your risk of heart disease, flossing can lower your risk of all sorts of oral diseases and problems.

Remember, there’s a ton of bacteria in your mouth. Brushing helps to get rid of a lot of it, but flossing can take care of about 40% of the bacteria-covered surface areas of your teeth that toothbrushes just can’t touch.

Should You Floss Every Day