Yes, this is a trick question. The day after Thanksgiving is National Flossing Day, and Drs. Wager and Evans encourage you to participate. It’s perfect planning, actually. What better day to schedule a national flossing event than Black Friday? Here are five prime reasons you need to floss on National Flossing Day.

1. You eat and eat and eat… and eat and eat and eat… then watch football… then eat and eat and eat on Thanksgiving. You’re going to have some food stuck between your teeth.
2. Whether you shop or hang out with the family, people are going to smell your breath the day after Thanksgiving.
3. With everything else you have scheduled between now and the end of the year, you probably don’t have time for a dental cleaning.
4. Santa is watching.
5. It’s cool to floss.

Is It Really Cool to Floss?

• Only if you want to be a trendsetter. Studies show, 10-40% of Americans report flossing every day – and remember, people lie. The real percentage is probably closer to 10%. Another report states, 73% of Americans prefer going to the grocery store over flossing their teeth.
• Only if you want to live longer. One study claims, daily flossing can increase your lifespan by 6.4 years. The CDC says, people with gum disease have a mortality rate that’s 23-46 higher than those who don’t.
• Only if you want to avoid gum disease and increased risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, problem pregnancies, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, osteoporosis, and potentially, certain cancers. Studies link all of these conditions to gum disease, and gum disease usually stems from improper oral health.
• Only if you want to keep your teeth (don’t want to wear dentures). Gum disease is also the primary cause of adult tooth loss in our nation. Continue reading “What Holiday Comes After Thanksgiving?” →