--- title: Why You Really Need to Floss description: Maintaining good oral hygiene by brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist may improve your overall health and wellness. canonical: https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-05T15:07:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:22.572Z article:section: Health og:title: Reading This Will Make You Want to Floss og:description: It may affect your overall health. og:url: https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4f44a99ed65d796/698a597cdb2987122e26bef7/flossing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Woman flossing teeth og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Reading This Will Make You Want to Floss twitter:description: It may affect your overall health. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4f44a99ed65d796/698a597cdb2987122e26bef7/flossing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Reading This Will Make You Want to Floss > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=6f9adf8b-44fe-4e9b-becf-5be09cf1bd4a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=6f9adf8b-44fe-4e9b-becf-5be09cf1bd4a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=6f9adf8b-44fe-4e9b-becf-5be09cf1bd4a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: How to Whiten Your Teeth at Home [Watch (HLS stream): How to Whiten Your Teeth at Home](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zwx4FD5U.m3u8) (2:03)  _Published 2019-07-24. How to Whiten Your Teeth at Home_  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Aug 5, 2024 3:07 PM UTC  Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Aug 5, 2024 3:07 PM UTC Each time you brush and [floss](https://time.com/4089057/dental-floss-flossing/), you’re doing more than freshening your breath and preserving your smile. Research suggests you may also be improving your overall health—and maybe even extending your lifespan. People often see dentistry largely as a cosmetic specialty, says Anita Aminoshariae, a professor of endodontics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. But “the mouth is not disconnected from the rest of the body,” she says. Quite the opposite: studies suggest that oral health is associated with everything from heart health to lifespan, even if many people don’t realize it. ## Oral health goes beyond the mouth Researchers call this phenomenon the “oral-systemic link,” and it’s been showing up in studies for years. Some of the earliest findings on this topic were about links between oral health and diabetes, and it’s [now well-established](https://www.cochrane.org/CD004714/ORAL%5Fdoes-treatment-gum-disease-help-people-diabetes-control-blood-sugar-levels) that diabetic patients’ blood sugar levels may improve when they’re treated for gum disease—and that their [gum disease may worsen if their diabetes does](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9954907/). Oral health also seems related to other measures of cardiometabolic health, including patients’ [likelihood of developing or dying from heart disease](https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/gum-disease-and-the-connection-to-heart-disease). In [a recent research review](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0099239924003649), Aminoshariae and her co-authors found that people with very poor oral health—those with 10 or fewer natural teeth left in their mouths—were about 66% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than people with more robust smiles. And [another recent study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002817723006839), co-authored by Yau-Hua Yu, an associate professor of periodontology at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, found that people who describe their oral health as fair or poor are at increased risk of dying and may also be more likely to have cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes. **Read More**: [_Is Bed Rotting Bad for You?_](https://time.com/7006944/is-bed-rotting-bad-for-you/) Like most research on the oral-systemic link, these studies can't prove cause and effect. It's possible the relationship actually works the other way around: that people in poor health are more likely to have bad dental wellness, Yu says. Other factors, like socioeconomic status and access to nutritious food, may also play a role, she says. But Aminoshariae believes oral health does directly influence overall wellness. She thinks of the teeth like sand dunes. Just as dunes protect inland areas from the sea, Aminoshariae believes the teeth shield the body from foreign substances that could cause disease. “Once they’re gone,” she says, “it’s like a free for all.” The [microbiome](https://time.com/6287229/gut-alzheimers-connection-microbiome-bacteria/), the name for the legions of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes coursing through the human body, is another possible explanation, Yu says. When you don’t clean your teeth properly, allowing food and other debris to sit on and in between the teeth, [the bacterial communities in your mouth can change](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10560279/), potentially contributing to gingivitis and gum disease over time, she explains. When gum health suffers, the consequences can be wide-ranging. The blood vessels in the gums are “leaky,” explains Yvonne Kapila, a professor and associate dean of research at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry. When someone’s gums are inflamed or diseased, “this leakiness allows bacteria, viruses, and all these other things that are in the outside world to enter your body” and potentially spread throughout it via the bloodstream, she explains. **Read More**: [_How to Be More Spontaneous As a Busy Adult_](https://time.com/7005581/how-to-be-more-spontaneous/) In some cases, pieces of bacteria or other microbes may travel from the gums into the bloodstream and cause disease or inflammation in other organs, Kapila says. Bacterial matter from the mouth has been [found in cancerous tumors](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/gum-disease-related-bacteria-tied-colorectal-cancer), [diseased heart valves](https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/heart-and-vascular-blog/2019/march/gum-disease-and-heart-disease) and [livers](https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/21/3324), and [brain tissue of people who died from Alzheimer’s disease](https://www.alz.org/co/news/oral-health-and-alzheimers-risk), to name a few notable examples. And, Kapila says, [animal studies conducted by her team](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10557354/) and others suggest that tweaking the mouth’s microbiome, such as by treating gum disease, may help reverse some of those issues, signaling a true cause-and-effect relationship between oral and overall health. ## How to take care of your oral health The good news is, most people already know what they should be doing to keep their mouth healthy: eat a nutritious diet, brush each morning and night, and floss regularly. Yu’s [research](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002817723006839) suggests inadequate flossing is associated with a higher risk of death, while [other studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5601277/) show that good flossing practices lower the chances of developing gum disease. Brushing for at least two minutes, twice a day, also reduces the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases, [according to other research](https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/11/07/bad-tooth-brushing-habits-tied-to-higher-heart-risk). “Like you shower every day, you have to brush your teeth every day and clean the gaps \[in between\] every day,” Yu says. “That is basic stuff.” Finally, keep up with your twice-yearly dental appointments so a professional can assess your tooth and gum health and intervene, if necessary, before a situation grows serious. “Prevention, prevention, prevention is so critical,” Kapila says. ### More From TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/"},"headline":"Reading This Will Make You Want to Floss","datePublished":"2024-08-05T15:07:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:22.572Z","description":"It may affect your overall health.","url":"https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/","keywords":["Public Health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4f44a99ed65d796/698a597cdb2987122e26bef7/flossing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4f44a99ed65d796/698a597cdb2987122e26bef7/flossing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Woman flossing teeth","caption":"Woman flossing teeth","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/","name":"Reading This Will Make You Want to Floss"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Whiten Your Teeth at Home","description":"How to Whiten Your Teeth at Home","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/zwx4FD5U/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-07-24T16:34:35.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zwx4FD5U.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/","duration":"PT2M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7006165/flossing-teeth-benefits/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```