A deeper look into the effectiveness of flossing has the Tooth Fairy frowning.
The latest Federal Dietary Guidelines no longer include flossing as a recommendation. That’s because there is in adequate research to show that it actually works and the guidelines require scientific data to back it up.
The government has been recommending that you floss daily since 1979. Last year the Associated Press requested data on flossing. In a letter to the AP, the government acknowledged the effectiveness of flossing had never been researched, as required. So this year the flossing recommendation was removed from the guidelines.
Don't throw away that floss yet though.
"You can't just make a blanket statement that flossing doesn’t work," said dental periodontist Dr. Paul Towfighi, who specializes in gums.
He acknowledges that there is little scientific data back up the benefits of flossing, but in his experience he has seen the results.
"It’s all about removing bacteria around the teeth. We know brushing alone won't always do that. Floss or other another aid that gets in-between the teeth will remove plaque," Towfighi said.
Many of Towfighi's patients are incorrectly flossing and that can result in negative results. The floss should be used to scrape food off the sides of the teeth. The floss should move up and down not in a sawing motion hitting the gums.