The Benefits of Flossing to Prevent Bad Breath

The flossing of teeth is one of the most commonly forgotten hygiene practices. Many people brush their teeth the recommended two times a day, but does everyone floss their teeth enough? The answer is no. Let us unwrap the mystery of flossing teeth. Flossing has many benefits, including that of preventing bad breath.

90% of bad breath cases are due to odor-causing bacteria. What people don’t realize is that this bad breath is extremely preventable. Brushing your teeth correctly will remove about 70% of this bacteria from your teeth and mouth.

Many people would call it quits here. But what about the rest of the bacteria? Thirty percent of the bacteria from your last meal still remains in the mouth after brushing. Fortunately, most of this can be removed by flossing daily. Floss reaches between teeth and under the gum-line in places a toothbrush and its bristles could never reach.

It is beneficial for your breath and your social life to brush and floss daily. The odor-causing bacteria you are removing from your teeth releases many rank odors. First, they produce sulfurous compounds. This is the notorious rotten egg smell everyone has come to detest. Secondly, and perhaps the most disgusting, is the actual waste the bacteria produces.

You will recognize several of the waste product smells produced by bacterial waste in the mouth. Isovaleric acid smells like sweaty gym shoes. Putrescine, another unpleasant byproduct, smells just like it sounds — and reeks of decaying meat. Skatole smells of human feces, and lastly, cadaverine smells like corpses. Those are just a few of the mortifying odors that can come from your mouth if you don’t floss regularly!

The benefits of flossing far outweigh the insignificant drawback of inconvenience. Flossing daily will rid your mouth of odor-causing bacteria and prevent future bad breath from occurring.