A recent survey revealed that close to one-third of the survey participants tell their dentist that they floss when they really do not. This may mean that many people who wouldn't dream of not brushing their teeth skip flossing without worrying about anything other than displeasing their dentist. Flossing your teeth is important, and here are two reasons why just brushing your teeth is not enough to keep your mouth healthy.

1. Brushing Only Removes 60 Percent of Plaque from Teeth

You may think that brushing removes almost all of the plaque from your mouth and that flossing removes just a negligible amount of plaque that is leftover. The truth is that brushing removes about 60 percent of the tartar on your teeth, and flossing removes an additional 40 percent of it.

So, when brushing only, you are only getting your teeth a little over half as clean as you could when brushing and flossing. Remember that when you think your mouth is as "squeaky clean" as it can be after brushing alone.

2. Flossing Daily is a Huge Factor in Keeping Gums Healthy

While removing all the plaque from your teeth that you can is good for warding off cavities and tooth decay, keeping your gums healthy is just as important as caring for your teeth. Skipping the floss can be extremely detrimental to your gum health and contribute to the development of gingivitis, which is a type of gum disease.

One of the first signs of gingivitis is bleeding gums. When gum tissue is exposed to too much plaque, they become inflamed and separate slightly from your teeth. This inflammation and separation is what causes your gums to bleed when brushing or flossing. Flossing removes plaque from your gum line to keep your gum tissue healthy and free from gingivitis.

Flossing works so well at removing gum-line plaque that a study was conducted with many sets of twins to prove how flossing fights gingivitis. During the two-week long study, one twin flossed every day and the other didn't. The twins who flossed reduced gum-bleeding they had been experiencing by an average of 38 percent.

This is a good lesson if you are one of many people who actually avoid flossing, because it makes your gums bleed. Your bleeding gums are actually a sign that you need to floss more, and if you start flossing every day, your gums will stop bleeding when you do it. More importantly, you can stop the gingivitis you may be developing before it becomes much worse and leads to the more advanced gum disease called periodontitis.

If you think that flossing is "just a little something extra" you can do to keep your teeth clean, then think again. Flossing your teeth is just as important as brushing them, and flossing daily helps to not only keep your teeth cavity-free but also ward off gum disease. For more information on the benefits of flossing and other oral health tips, talk with a certified dentist, such as those at Ahwatukee Foothills Dental.