Does your Dentist make you feel guilty, because you don't floss enough.Does only my Dentist do this?

Question

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Answer 1

Yeah, I think it's for our own good though. Saves us long term pain.

Answer 2

Flossing is over rated. Toothpickers have the healthiest gums that I have ever seen in my 16 years experience.

Not flossing does not result in cavities/decay. Eating sugar too frequently does.

I am a dentist and I see more damage every year from over-fanatic flossers. If you are going to floss I recommend that you not push down into the gumline to aggessively. Just get between the teeth and then lightly work the floss up and down while it is wrapped around the tooth. I know that toothbrushes cannot get into the actual contact area between teeth but for the most part a poking not stroking action results in a cleaner healthier between the tooth gum tissue.

Answer 3

I'm a hygienist and most people do not floss enough. I figure if you took the time to come in and get your teeth cleaned you might be interested in keeping your teeth and gums healthy and I'll have you know that a whole world of hurt can be avoided by just flossing daily.... so much easier than periodontal surgery. I wouldn't feel as if I were doing my job if I let people walk out of the office thinking they are a ok while its obvious that they need to floss more.

Answer 4

I don't see what the big deal is. It is for for your own personal benefit. If you realized how much crud of food gets stuck between your teeth , you would want to get it out immediately. The problem is most of us are too lazy to think about it or take an extra minute or two to floss is no big deal.

Peridontal disease
Gum disease

Gum disease or periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissue, is the major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss, affecting three out of four persons at some point in their life.

Causes

Bacterial plaque - a sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on the teeth - is recognized as the primary cause of gum disease. Specific periodontal diseases may be associated with specific bacterial types. If plaque isn't removed each day by brushing and flossing, it hardens into a rough, porous substance called calculus (also known as tartar).Toxins (poisons) produced and released by bacteria in plaque irritate the gums. These toxins cause the breakdown of the fibers that hold the gums tightly to the teeth, creating periodontal pockets which fill with even more toxins and bacteria. As the disease progresses, pockets extend deeper and the bacteria moves down until the bone that holds the tooth in place is destroyed. The tooth eventually will fall out or require extraction.

http://www0.sw.org/dnet/manage/gum.htm (same page as below only for this paragraph) but there is more info on that page.

Flossing. Few people really enjoy flossing. But if you don't floss, you're only doing half the job of cleaning your teeth and gums. Flossing cleans away plaque and bits of food from between your teeth and below the gum line. It gets places your brush can't reach. Floss once a day.

Break off 18 inches of floss and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the rest around the same finger of the other hand.
Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers. Leave about an inch between them.
Use a gentle sawing motion to get the floss between your teeth. Never snap the floss into the gums.
When you get the floss to the gum line, curve it into a C-shape against one tooth. Scrape up and down on the sides of each tooth to remove plaque.
As floss gets worn and dirty, move to a clean section and continue. Don't forget the backsides of your rear teeth.
When you're done brushing and flossing, rinse your mouth with water.
If you have arthritis in your hands, trouble moving your fingers, or if you have bridgework in your mouth, a floss holder might help. Ask your dentist about tools to make flossing easier for you.

Answer 5

I am a dental assistant and I myself am terrified to go to see a dentist about my own teeth. I never flossed while growing up and *** a result I have many cavities. All 3 of the dentists I have worked for unfortunately, do this to their patients. They always have to have a "hook" to keep you coming back. That is the most frequent answer given to patients from dentists that can't find anything else to preach to you about. Sounds to me like you have good oral hygeine if that's all he can say. They'd say worse about my mouth.

Answer 6

All dentists do but consider this:

Archeaologists unearth and study mummies and one of the prime causes of death is an infection that started off as a bad tooth. It gets infected and the infection spreads! Nasty.. the dentist ain't so bad after all LOL

Answer 7

Dentists here in the U.S. have been trained NOW to make you feel guilty.. to make you feel subordinate and to make you have to go back to them time and time again... It is not like it was in the older days... Nowadays.. they(the dentists) ares as corrupt as they come. That is why I go to a dentist(for years) in Mexico. They are very very well trained and do not charge like these crooked dentists here in the U.S.

Answer 8

No my dentist, or his hygenist, do, but the thing is I floss everyday so i don't get it i guess i just have bad teeth or something

Answer 9

My dentist does the same thing.

Answer 10

yes my dentist makes me feel so guilty

Answer 11

My dentist never says anything. It is his hygeinist that makes me feel guilty.