Flossing is something that is extremely good for you, you know it, it doesn’t take long… and you don’t do it.

“You can exercise, eat well, and be emotionally healthy, but if you don’t floss, cavities could be just the beginning of your problems. 

Flossing every day is so crucial to health that it’s one of the questions included in the Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator.” ~BusinessInsider.com

I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who feels guilty going to get my teeth cleaned, because I know that the dental assistant is going to make me feel bad for not flossing. I’m not the only one who remembers to floss for 2-3 days before that cleaning, then promptly forgets to floss until just before the next cleaning. Or I floss when I can feel something stuck between my teeth.

For over half a century that has been my flossing story, until a month ago. I seem to have developed a bit of a gap between two of my lower back left molars and food gets stuck in there very easily. I learned this when I had to floss a few days in a row because I could feel food between these teeth. After that, I was in the bathroom the following night without the feeling of something stuck and decided to floss anyway, after brushing my teeth. Sure enough there was food stuck between those same molars even though I didn’t feel it.

I was a bit grossed out thinking that every night I go to bed with decaying food between my teeth, even though I always brush my teeth. I realized that I’m probably going to get a cavity if I don’t do this daily. And just like that a new habit was finally formed!

So here are is my public service announce: You will increase your life expectancy by flossing every day; it’s a small, easy habit that doesn’t take long in your day; and if you don’t do it, you probably go to sleep every night with decaying food in you mouth.

Want to start this healthy, life-extending habit? Do a 3-night experiment: Brush your teeth like you usually do for three nights in a row… then floss your teeth.

See what you leave behind in your mouth every night, despite your good habit of brushing.