Of course, we all know that’s a silly question. (With the answer being a resounding, “YES!”)
Earlier this week, the Associated Press released a report that flossing may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
According to the Huffington Post, a letter to the AP from the government acknowledged that the benefits of flossing had not been researched properly.
The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Periodontology also claimed that some studies weren’t long enough, didn’t have enough participants or used outdated testing methods to be considered reliable.
While these are valid points, ADA spokesperson Dr. Matthew Messina rebukes, “Nobody’s done a study to say that using a parachute jumping out of an airplane is safer than not using a parachute.” He also stated, “There’s only so many research dollars and so much research effort,” he said. “So not a lot of effort has been put into the study of dental flossing, just simply because there are other more important things for us to do.”
So as much as you’d like to try to fool yourself into believing that flossing may not be beneficial, Messina maintains, “We need to remove bacteria from the teeth, from the gums, and from in between the teeth.”
In addition to that, flossing helps prevent plaque buildup, reduces the risk of periodontal disease and removes any traces of cilantro from that fresh guac you had for dinner earlier.
Stay flossy!