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Not everything needs research. Flossing removes decompsosing food from between your teeth. Dentists understand that tooth decay and gum disease result from prol

by ewzimm 10y ago

Not everything needs research. Flossing removes decompsosing food from between your teeth. Dentists understand that tooth decay and gum disease result from prolonged exposure to decomposing food. If doctors told me that putting out shirt fires reduces the risk of burning to death, I would trust them without verified research.

merpnderp 10y ago
"Dentists understand that tooth decay and gum disease result from prolonged exposure to decomposing food." Does the type of food matter, carbs, protein, sugar? How soon should one floss after eating to avoid damage? Does flossing just before bed help? By how much? Should you floss after every meal? How much does it help? For all we know, sugary carbs that tend to get stuck between teeth do their damage in minutes or a few hours and flossing at night won't help. Or flossing too soon removes enzymes in your saliva that protect teeth from buildup or disease.
- ewzimm 10y ago
  Those are some good points. Maybe there's an argument for using a water pick instead of flossing. But not everyone has access to one of those, and I wouldn't mistrust the entire dental profession because they tell people to clean their teeth without research.
badsock 10y ago
Flossing can drive bacteria deeper into your gums, even causing them to be enter the bloodstream, which then (there's been some evidence) can have an influence on heart disease. Public policy needs research. Human history is absolutely stacked with "obvious" truths turning out to be harmful falsehoods.
- ewzimm 10y ago
  I just looked that up, and I did find some advice that flossing addresses the food issue but not the issue of a bacterial infection not attached to pieces of food, which is probably also obvious. There are suggestions to use a water pick instead of flossing, which dentists have also recommended for a long time, but it's just not as available as string or toothpicks. It's not productive to tell everyone only to use the best possible solution if only 1% will actually do it. So you have a good point, there are always new things to discover, but this is obvious in a way that's understood and doesn't in any way call into question the legitimacy of dentistry.
  - badsock 10y ago
    My point isn't that there's always new things to discover, it's that nature has so routinely made fools of us that the argument of "it's obvious" should carry little weight.
flushandforget 10y ago
Completely anecdotal, my brother totally neglected his teeth when he was young. He just didn't bother brushing. His teeth were fine. I on the other hand have been a stickler for cleaning them, and they are totally knackered. Perhaps you can get a layer of magic plaque that protects the teeth. Who knows. Mine just get worse. They used to feel dirty without a brush. Now they feel horrible without a brush and floss. Sometimes I just wish for all my teeth to be ripped out.
- ianlevesque 10y ago
  There is evidence that a particular species of bacteria causes decay and not everyone's mouth is dominated by that one - interesting stuff.
logfromblammo 10y ago
Dental caries result from certain species (S. mutans et al) of bacteria digesting sugars into acids that chemically erode bioapatite. If you destroy the bacteria, such as by using mouthwash, or prevent them from adhering to the teeth, such as by using xylitol, or deprive them of sustenance, such as by not eating sugars or simple carbohydrates, you won't get cavities, and you won't need to worry about flossing--to prevent cavities. But cavities are not the only problem you can have in your mouth. Food particles left in the mouth for long periods can cause an inflammatory response in the gums. This can lead to bone loss in the jaw. And that can cause your cavity-free teeth to fall out. Flossing through the space between tooth and gum can potentially remove such particles, which would help prevent gum disease. But it might not be necessary to do it every day. Once a week, maybe? After eating jerky or popcorn? I have no idea how often it is necessary to floss to achieve a statistically significant reduction in any of the oral diseases, or how much of a difference there may be between flossing twice a day and flossing once a month. My dentist recommends flossing whenever I brush. While the recommendation to floss is probably well supported, I suspect that the frequency may be more based on psychology than anything else. They just attach it to the brushing habit. Perhaps it would be better to attach it to "whenever you trim your fingernails", or "whenever you shave your legs", even though those are not related to oral hygiene.

by ewzimm 10y ago

merpnderp 10y ago

"Dentists understand that tooth decay and gum disease result from prolonged exposure to decomposing food." Does the type of food matter, carbs, protein, sugar? How soon should one floss after eating to avoid damage? Does flossing just before bed help? By how much? Should you floss after every meal? How much does it help? For all we know, sugary carbs that tend to get stuck between teeth do their damage in minutes or a few hours and flossing at night won't help. Or flossing too soon removes enzymes in your saliva that protect teeth from buildup or disease.

ewzimm 10y ago
Those are some good points. Maybe there's an argument for using a water pick instead of flossing. But not everyone has access to one of those, and I wouldn't mistrust the entire dental profession because they tell people to clean their teeth without research.

badsock 10y ago

Flossing can drive bacteria deeper into your gums, even causing them to be enter the bloodstream, which then (there's been some evidence) can have an influence on heart disease. Public policy needs research. Human history is absolutely stacked with "obvious" truths turning out to be harmful falsehoods.

ewzimm 10y ago
I just looked that up, and I did find some advice that flossing addresses the food issue but not the issue of a bacterial infection not attached to pieces of food, which is probably also obvious. There are suggestions to use a water pick instead of flossing, which dentists have also recommended for a long time, but it's just not as available as string or toothpicks. It's not productive to tell everyone only to use the best possible solution if only 1% will actually do it. So you have a good point, there are always new things to discover, but this is obvious in a way that's understood and doesn't in any way call into question the legitimacy of dentistry.
- badsock 10y ago
  My point isn't that there's always new things to discover, it's that nature has so routinely made fools of us that the argument of "it's obvious" should carry little weight.

flushandforget 10y ago

Completely anecdotal, my brother totally neglected his teeth when he was young. He just didn't bother brushing. His teeth were fine. I on the other hand have been a stickler for cleaning them, and they are totally knackered. Perhaps you can get a layer of magic plaque that protects the teeth. Who knows. Mine just get worse. They used to feel dirty without a brush. Now they feel horrible without a brush and floss. Sometimes I just wish for all my teeth to be ripped out.

ianlevesque 10y ago
There is evidence that a particular species of bacteria causes decay and not everyone's mouth is dominated by that one - interesting stuff.

logfromblammo 10y ago

Dental caries result from certain species (S. mutans et al) of bacteria digesting sugars into acids that chemically erode bioapatite. If you destroy the bacteria, such as by using mouthwash, or prevent them from adhering to the teeth, such as by using xylitol, or deprive them of sustenance, such as by not eating sugars or simple carbohydrates, you won't get cavities, and you won't need to worry about flossing--to prevent cavities. But cavities are not the only problem you can have in your mouth. Food particles left in the mouth for long periods can cause an inflammatory response in the gums. This can lead to bone loss in the jaw. And that can cause your cavity-free teeth to fall out. Flossing through the space between tooth and gum can potentially remove such particles, which would help prevent gum disease. But it might not be necessary to do it every day. Once a week, maybe? After eating jerky or popcorn? I have no idea how often it is necessary to floss to achieve a statistically significant reduction in any of the oral diseases, or how much of a difference there may be between flossing twice a day and flossing once a month. My dentist recommends flossing whenever I brush. While the recommendation to floss is probably well supported, I suspect that the frequency may be more based on psychology than anything else. They just attach it to the brushing habit. Perhaps it would be better to attach it to "whenever you trim your fingernails", or "whenever you shave your legs", even though those are not related to oral hygiene.