I was at the dentist last week with checkups and cleanings for all 3 of my kids. I mentioned to my oldest child that flossing daily can add to your life expectancy. The hygienist overheard this and chimed in that daily flossing could add 3 years onto your life. I was skeptical and did a little research. I saw many other dentists claiming that it could add 6 years. None of those claims were linked to any studies but the one study I found was very clear: not doing 3 things dramatically increases your mortality, or risk of death.
Those 3 things are: (1) daily/nightly brushing; (2) daily/nightly flossing; (3) going to the dentist. Failing to do any of these 3 things adds nearly 30% to your mortality. This article summarizes the data very well: See article from LabRoots
The actual study can be found here: NCBI
I don’t know about you but taking care of my heart by brushing, flossing and going to the dentist regularly is an ounce of prevention I’m willing to do for the sake of my lifespan and healthspan (length and quality of life- often discussed by Dr Peter Attia- one of my favorite podcasters (The Drive) and authors, see Excellent Health Podcast
Happy brushing! One more tip- sonic toothbrushes are super easy to do a better job of brushing, and the perfect gift for someone who has everything. Here is the one I use and it’s only $50 on Amazon