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A bad smell on your floss usually points to one of two things between your teeth: a cavity, where decay gives off a smell like rotting tissue, or gum disease, where plaque and tartar trapped at the gumline feed bacteria. A smell that keeps coming back from the same spot is the one to get checked.
More about a periodontal gum evaluation.
Answered by the team at Bright White Dental Hygiene Clinic in Riverview, NB, serving Moncton and Dieppe.
Full transcript of the video answer on what it means if your floss smells bad, given by Amber-Lee, IRDH, at Bright White Dental Hygiene Clinic in Riverview, NB, serving Moncton and Dieppe.
Question: What Does It Mean If Your Floss Smells Bad?
“Smell your floss. I'm serious. There are a few reasons why your floss could smell bad. There's decay or a cavity in between the teeth, and it smells like rotting tissue. Or the other option could be periodontal disease, from the tartar and plaque buildup. If you have any tooth questions, let me know in the comments.”
Floss one gap at a time and smell the floss after each. Most gaps will smell of very little. If one keeps smelling bad over several days, note which tooth it is. That single detail tells your hygienist where to look first.
You cannot tell for sure from the smell. A cavity between two teeth is often invisible from the outside and shows up on an x-ray. Gum disease usually brings other signs with it: bleeding when you floss, puffy gums, or a bad taste that brushing does not fix.
At Bright White a hygiene exam with x-rays and a gum check sorts out which it is. A cleaning deals with the tartar. A cavity is referred to a dentist for the filling.
A mild smell after a day of eating, about the same in every gap, is ordinary food debris. It should fade once flossing becomes a daily habit.
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