This is the same as doctors calling people fat. They’re serious. You’re fat and have to lose weight to be healthy.
Dentists aren’t doing this to antagonize you. It has nothing to do with the “toughness” of your gums. They’re telling you that your gums are nasty and you have to actually floss them. Gums bleed during dental visits primarily because of gingivitis and decaying food trapped along the gum lines. Brushing alone is not sufficient for oral hygiene.
tl;dr you’re gross and dentists are being nice
If you start flossing once per day, after a week this will literally never happen again.
My dentist does this to me in the past and I would basically be a bloody mess. I just tried flossing regularly for 6 months straight and my next visit was not bloody at all.
Crazy how that works. It’s as if dentists actually know what they’re talking about. Can’t be, can it?
My dental hygienist actually explained it to me one time.
It has nothing to do with “toughening up your gums” like I used to think. Food gets trapped, bacteria grows, and your gums become inflamed to combat the bacteria. So now your gums are constantly full of blood protecting you from infection and when you do floss (or someone flosses for you), they’re going to bleed a lot.
I started flossing habitually every night and wouldn’t you know it I’ve only ever bled or felt pain from flossing when I miss some stupid popcorn shell thats wedged itself down low (which also goes to show, you don’t event need to do a particularly good job flossing for it to work 99%)
A bonus tip for folks that don’t like garotting their fingertips every night by wrapping them in 6 loops of floss just to get some tension: tie a short piece into a loop, double knotted, and you just pull the loop tight between two fingers. No finger pain, no extra appliance, and it uses less floss.
Extra bonus tip: get proper butlerweave floss. The plastic ribbon bullshit is absolute nonsense. Like trying to wash dishes with a zip lock bag…
There are some pretty good studies showing flooding might actually not do all that much and that fluoride is like only really important thing. It’s kind of wild. Some show that swishing mouth was is just as good or water picks too. Long of why you always get different opinions from different dentists.
Science VS did an episode on the same subject too.
I didn’t slack off after the research but it was interesting none the less. Its in my routine so whatever.
They also don’t really explain growing up that the floss is supposed to go slightly under your gums, between the tooth and gums where brushes don’t get, NOT just getting food from between teeth, but literally under the gum edge.
you don’t event need to do a particularly good job flossing for it to work 99%
Quote for visibility. Even a 1-minute runthrough is 99% there.
Truth. 3 years ago my “New Years Resolution” was to floss every day.
I knew I was going to have to make it obscenely easy to do in order for me to stick with it.
I do a suuuuuper quick run through every morning with a disposable pick BEFORE I brush, and my annual dental visits since have been night and day. I really don’t even have to try very hard and my gums don’t bleed anymore either!
Its about taking better care of your mouth - not perfect care.
dentists telling adults to floss be like … bro cmon
When I was a kid mom and I went to a new dentist. I was a kid and didn’t floss like I should, but this guy kept hitting my gums with the picks and tore up the inside of my mouth. When he was finished, he blamed all the blood on my lack of flossing. Thankfully, when we were driving home mom said, “well we won’t be going back there.” Apparently she also was not impressed with that guy.
Edit: spelling. Dentist did not fart in my mouth. That I know of.
I would go back to the dentist either if they were farting in my mouth
Autocorrect striking a comment making fun of an autocorrect. Poetic.
My weakest gums are weak precisely because I floss there more often.
Those locations happen to be where there’s a natural gap between teeth, they’re the first place food gets stuck and the first place I have to take a toothpick or floss to. Gentle as I am, that still takes a toll on the gum between them.
There’s also been a feedback loop of food getting stuck there making those gaps wider over time, meaning larger food getting stuck and more flossing. Over the course of a few decades, tiny movements add up.
The dentists I’ve seen are clueless what to suggest; suggesting I floss less would make their heads explode.
Floss holders are cheap and make it a lot easier to reach the teeth in the back:
Plus you use less floss, and save your fingers.
My dentist keeps telling me everything is bad. Don’t use floss holders, use your fingers. Don’t rely on a water pick, use your fingers. They absolutely refuse to believe that using my fingers is difficult for me and it’s not a skill issue.
I’m this 🤏 close to a radical sugar free diet because I cannot for the life of me floss to their expectations. It’s always wrong.
I’m with you. I’ve never been able to fit my entire both fists in my mouth. Try as I might.
At least there are some benefits to thick fingers.
How would thick fingers be helpful for flossing your teeth? We’re talking about how difficult it is to get our digits and hands into our mouths
Have you tried using your feet instead?
You realize your dentist doesn’t actually have any authority over you, right? Dentists who are friends (heh) of assassins notwithstanding.
Of course, I’m just extremely hesitant to disregard opinions I’ve paid to hear.
Also dentists: “That’ll be $1200. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday!”
US citizen detected.
edit: Ok, downvote me for stating healthcare is expensive in the US and wondering if this is linked to the flossing habit…
