The evidence is just lacking, people are just using judgement to advise on something that we can't detect one way or another with research.
When it comes to dental care it's not even clear, based on research (Cochrane review in 2019) it flossing makes any difference let alone a clinically useful difference.
The current advice is just based on reasoning that either you brush first or wait a hour after eating due to the abrasive action of brushing.
It's not clear because it IS nuanced, and it doesn't have the same effect on everyone equally. Two people using the exact same dental routine can have vastly different results from it.
I’m glad ifnflossing helps fights cavity but the main reason I do it is because it’s so gross not to. When you don’t floss you basically accept to keep bits of rotten food between your teeth for days. If you’re unconvinced, don’t floss for a week and then do, see what comes out. And don’t smell it. I warned you.
People's teeth (and brushing technique/effectiveness) are way too varied to make such a general statement. I flossed for the first time at some point in my 20s, did religiously for a year or so thereafter, and still do occasionally - but at no point was it like 'how on Earth have I not been doing this' or loads of gunk coming out, nevermind rotten and smelly. Maybe you have just the 'right' tooth gap that it's both too tight for your brushing but not so tight that stuff doesn't get stuck.
(And for whatever it's worth, all dental check-ups since some point in my early teens at the latest have just been a quick look around and yep all good - I'm not saying this from a position (touching wood I don't eat my hat next time of course) of terrible dental health.)
A checkup shouldn't be too quick, there are things they should be checking and looking out for:
https://youtu.be/sDe50j0MFBU?t=95 (Dental Office RED FLAGS)
> People's teeth (and brushing technique/effectiveness) are way too varied
You're absolutely correct, because I don't floss that often, but every time I do a whole meal comes out, so I'm incredibly envious of your naturally clean teeth XD
Regarding flossing, at least in my case, it helps with my gum disease. If I don't floss for a while my gums start to bleed. Although, I use a water floss instead of a regular rope floss
Yeah, flossing is a good idea if you don't want to get gum disease. Also a good idea to learn to floss correctly, not just a quick "in and out". (also good idea so you don't get cavities on the edges of your teeth.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WviE5aa5Ha0 (how to floss)
IMO teeth are the worst part of the human body. Hard to take care of, will inevitably fail, not replaceable, massively painful for even minor injuries. Evolution really screwed the pooch on teeth.
Our diet is nothing like what our teeth evolved for. For example for most people, cutting down the amount of sugars (down to levels similar to our prehistoric ancestors) they consume can go a long way in protecting dental health (and general health for that matter)
Somewhere evolution is saying “well I gave you four perfectly decent extra molars that you insist on ripping out, if you kept those your teeth would be mostly fine for however long your are supposed to live. Mid 50’s?”
Evolution expects us to grind away about a millimeter of our teeth while we are young by eating rougher things to make way for wisdom teeth, for example.
For healthy teeth, you should be very hydrated. If your mouth isn’t watering, you might not be hydrated enough.
Well, teeth perform perhaps the most difficult task of the entire body. Take entirely external substances of all kinds of textures and densities and contaminants, crush all that to tiny particles, try not to get worn down too far in the process...
People in the past had better teeth than us, it's the sugar these days that cause so many dental problems. If you ate like those in the past, you similarly will have good teeth.
> I have never realised something as simple as brushing teeth can be so nuanced lol
I feel like replacing "brushing teeth" with literally anything and your sentence is also correct and a good way to think. Especially the things we think are easy. There's a reason it took us thousands of years to do certain things.
Genes, climate, and types of local foods play a role too, but widespread adoption of agriculture made diets rich in carbs and starchy foods possible, which isn't great for dental health, and the somewhat recent trend (last 200~ years) of highly processed foods that are softer and easier to chew means there's less mechanisms to deal with tooth overcrowding. This has been observed in children from hunter gatherer societies, raised on modern diets, having worse dental hygiene than their parents.
> Teeth-cleaning twigs have long been used throughout human history.[2] As long ago as 3000 B.C., the ancient Egyptians constructed crude toothbrushes from twigs and leaves to clean their teeth. Similarly, other cultures such as the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Indians also cleaned their teeth with twigs. Some would fray one end of the twig so that it could penetrate between the teeth more effectively.
