There’s no denying the importance of maintaining a healthy oral hygiene. However, anything good can turn into something bad if not done properly, even something as simple as flossing. In fact, a woman who changed her oral hygiene routine thought she was doing the right thing before she discovered that her knee joint replacement had developed a severe infection.
The Risk of Flossing
Again and again, you’ve heard of how important flossing is and truly, it is very important. You see, brushing alone is not enough to get rid of all the food particles in your mouth, especially those lodged in between your teeth and under the gum line. Flossing is required to clean out the build-up of plaque and the food particle residues that are beyond the reach of your regular toothbrush. If you don’t floss, you’re at risk of developing oral and dental issues such as cavities, gingivitis, infection, tooth decay, and many more. Indeed, flossing is a necessity in your oral hygiene routine.
However, if you don’t floss the right way, you might be doing more harm than good to your own body—not just in your oral health. The risk of flossing is more prominent for those who have not flossed for a long time. This is because their gums are more sensitive since they’re not used to the constant pressure applied when using a dental floss. This pressure can open up a wound in the gums, leading to bleeding and a risk for infection.
The Unbelievable Story Of A Woman Who Developed A Knee Infection Due To Flossing
In the emergency room, a woman complained about the pain and swelling around the knee area where she got a knee replacement surgery a few years back. This confused the doctors since the symptoms exhibited signify an infection but the replacement had been completely fine for five years until then. After a couple tests, the doctors found that the problem lies in the woman’s bad flossing habit.
Apparently, the woman had not flossed for years and decided to start with a vigorous and intense flossing routine. Because she had not been careful, her flossing caused wounds and excessive bleeding in her gums. This wound made a perfect entryway for bacteria which travelled through her system before settling on the artificial knee joint she had from the surgery. The doctors were able to confirm this since the bacteria they found on the woman’s knee were found to be of the type that’s normally found in the mouth. The woman was aiming to improve her oral health but instead, she developed an infection in the knee.
Of course, infections must not be left untreated so after another surgery and an aggressive antibiotic treatment, the woman got rid of her knee replacement infection. Her story shows just how serious an infection can be if left untreated. Although you may not notice it, open wounds can easily welcome bacteria and cause infections on other parts of your body.
Proper Oral Hygiene
Flossing is still very important but you should observe the proper way to do it. If you have not flossed for a long time, start gently, otherwise your gums may bleed. You can gradually increase the thoroughness and intensity of your flossing every time. Keep in mind though that even if you’ve been flossing for a long time, you should never floss too aggressively to cause bleeding in your gums. Flossing is an important part of your oral hygiene routine so it would be better to do it the right way rather than to abandon it completely in fear of developing an infection.
Always brush your teeth first before flossing. If you want to take your oral hygiene routine a step further, try adding the oil pulling method to your routine.
