Flossing seems to be too much trouble for many people. What might make it more worth while is understanding that flossing actually helps us think in a more expanded, creative and dynamic way while improving our overall health and wellbeing. Think this is too good to be true? Read on!!
The act of flossing one’s teeth stimulates both the right and left brain at the same time. Your right hand motion is triggered by your left brain, while your right brain is activated by your left hand. The activity of flossing actually connects the two sides of your brain and gets them working simultaneously.
When you need to look in the mirror, your eyes are connected to both your right and left brain, which then connects with your fingers. Adding sight to the process creates new brain connections.
If you don not look in a mirror, but instead floss by tactical sensation (feeling), you are activating a different part of the brain. If there is bacteria or food stuck between your teeth and you notice a taste or smell, you are engaging yet another sense.
Flossing offers a world of information to all of your senses. For one thing, you keep this stimulation going for as many teeth as you have. One-by-one, sight, feeling, taste, even the sound of the floss sliding through your teeth stimulates your brain and makes new neural connections. It is easy to see how you are activating and stimulating many parts of your brain with the simple act of flossing.
Why is flossing so hard to do?
For many people, the brain has not been connected in this way before. If certain parts of your brain are not used to being activated, or the connections have not been used very often in the past, you may find flossing difficult if not annoying to do every day. However, if you are able to make flossing a new habit for just seven consecutive days, you will create wonderful new brain connections that you can utilize for other kinds of thinking, and in doing so you will improve overall function as well as your oral health. In essence, the simple task of flossing creates more “neurological roads” for information to traverse.
What other activities do you perform that use both your hands as one unit? Flossing is a unique and stimulating activity all on its own. Never mind the wonderful benefits of fresh breath as well.
Flossing benefits your entire body
Physically, flossing provides the health benefit of removing plaque from between the teeth and gums. Flossing regularly disturbs the “Bad” bacterial film on the teeth and allows the body to flush toxins and allow more oxygen beneath the gum. Bad bacteria, releases toxins into the blood stream and elevates your c-reactive proteins. This same bacteria causes chronic inflation in the body and has been linked to Heart Disease, Respiratory Disease, Diabetes, Arthritis and many more. The infection and plaque may not look so bad on the outside, but it can wreak havoc on your internal balance and overall health. In time, this chronic low grade infection will drain and compromise your immune system making you more susceptible to other ailments your body could normally fight off itself.
Financial benefits to flossing
If you had to purchase the jawbone, gums, tooth enamel, and roots, each tooth would be worth about $10,000. That adds up to $280,000 for your 28 teeth! The value of a Ferrari. Doesn’t it make sense to meticulously care for your gums and teeth as you would for a fine automobile?
Next time you are thinking you might skip flossing, remember that flossing makes brain connections, improves motor function, supports your ability to think AND removes dangerous bacteria harboring plaque that can lead to a life threatening disease. The more you floss, the better you get. And the financial benefits of healthy teeth and gums could reach six figures! All combined, flossing will add many healthy, productive years to your life. For just two minutes of care per day, it seems rather ridiculous not to.
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