When the clock’s little hand hits the three and its big hand the 12, the only desire a college student has at that point in the morning is to have their weary head hit a plush and plump pillow – and, of course, to floss. Or not.

For many college students, the act of flossing is a rare activity because they may forget or are too lazy. Senior Kelli Imdieke, and juniors Ben Villeneuve and Mike Pukansky, are among those students.

“I floss about once a month,” Imdieke said, adding “I know I should do it more . but since I’ve never been personally affected by it . I guess I would honestly say it’s not a priority, even though I know it should be.”

Sara Bischoff, a registered dental hygienist of Machgan Family Dental, 3522 Oakwood Hills Pkwy., said when flossing, a person is trying to remove the soft bacteria plaque between the teeth that brushing can’t remove.

According to the Wisconsin Dental Association Web site, plaque that is not removed may harden into calculus and when calculus accumulates either above or below the gumline, the gum tissue becomes irritated and inflamed.

Plaque can lead to a number of other problems if not removed. If plaque remains between the teeth and gumline the bacteria will turn into a byproduct called tarter.

Lonnette Breneman of Hillside Dental, 507 Main St., said tarter is harder than plaque and can’t be removed by a toothbrush. It needs to be professionally removed by a dentist or hygienist.

“If tarter build-up isn’t treated you may have gum tissue recession, gum disease, loosened teeth or a loss of teeth,” she said.

Bischoff said tarter buildup also leads to gingivitis and periodontal diseases. Gingivitis is actually the early stage or first step to periodontal disease and can be reversed.

Periodontal diseases are, according to the WDA Web site, serious bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold your teeth in your mouth. Bischoff said the disease is so severe because a person can’t grow bone back after its been lost.

The severity of periodontal diseases surpass just bone loss, links have been studied between periodontal disease and heart disease.

Breneman said research hasn’t shown a “direct link,” but is advocating oral care to keep your heart healthy.

Teri Myers, a registered dental hygienist of Eau Claire Family Dental, 1018 Regis Ct., agreed research has been advocating oral care to keep the heart healthy because bacteria can get into the blood stream.

“The bacteria that is in the deeper pocket (of the gum) will actually get into the bloodstream because the infection causes a little bit of bleeding . and that clump of plaque can get into the heart,” she said.

Myers also said some of the studies have been proven and shown correlations with different tests being conducted.

According to the WDA Web site, some studies published in the Journal of Periodontology suggest the amount of bacteria in subgingival plaque might be associated with an increased risk for heart disease.

Myers said, however, a lot of research can’t be based off of just facts and believes if a person doesn’t take care of their overall heart health by exercising, they probably won’t do it by flossing.

Periodontal disease is also believed to correlate with diabetes.

Again, Breneman said there hasn’t been a “direct link,” but it has been proven over and over and discussed that people with diabetes might have more extreme periodontal disease and not respond to treatment as well as a healthy individual.

“Someone with diabetes really has to be careful with their oral hygiene because some of the medications they are on can cause dry mouth and can cause a lot more decay . and it could also cause the bone loss,” she said, adding “there really hasn’t been a lot of research done on there being a cause.”

Other problems periodontal diseases have been linked to include persistent bad breath and a change in one’s bite, according to WDA’s Web site.

When the late nights do eventually come to a close and the research conducted about periodontal disease and heart disease doesn’t fully convince the tired college student to floss, hopefully the possibility of a denture-free future will, which is definitely possible, according to Myers.

“There’s no reason you can’t (keep your teeth your whole life) . there really isn’t.”