One unfortunate reality is that men have significantly worse oral health than women, not because of bad luck, but because of patterns that can be changed.

Men get more gum disease. Men lose more teeth. Men are twice as likely to get oral cancer and men are far less likely to visit the dentist, floss regularly, or take their oral health seriously before a real problem shows up.

But here's the hopeful part: oral health is one of the most controllable pieces of your overall health. The habits you build at home — brushing, flossing, and showing up for regular checkups — have a massive impact on what your mouth (and your body) looks like ten, twenty, or thirty years from now.

This blog is for anyone, but especially men, who have skipped the dentist more than once, who treat flossing as optional, and who are ready to start making small, meaningful changes in their oral and overall health. You gums are connected to your heart, hormones, and life expectancy. So, let’s talk about it.

Men Are Losing the Oral Health Game: The Data Proves It

If you needed proof that men's oral health deserves more attention, the data lays it out plainly.

According to a 2021 review published in the American Journal of Men's Health by researchers at Roseman University and the Oregon Health & Science University, men are more likely to ignore their oral health, practice worse oral hygiene habits, and develop higher rates of gum disease, oral cancer, and dental trauma than women. Men also visit dentists less frequently and, when they do go, they're more likely to show up for an emergency, not for prevention. (Lipsky et al., 2021)

The CDC has found that periodontal (gum) disease is more common in men, affecting “about 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women 30 years or older.” (CDC)

And dental visit rates back this up. CDC data shows that in 2020, only 59.6% of men had a dental visit in the past year, compared to 65.8% of women. (CDC NCHS Data Brief 435)

Translation: Part of why men are getting more gum disease is because they're doing less to prevent it and are less likely to catch it early on.

Why Are Men at Greater Risk? It's Not Just Habit

Some of the gap between men and women in oral health comes down to daily choices — brushing less, flossing less, skipping checkups. But there are also biological reasons at play that are worth understanding.

Testosterone and the Immune Response

Research has shown that testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, can actually suppress parts of the immune response that fight off infection. Since gum disease is essentially an immune-mediated inflammatory response to bacteria in the mouth, male biology can make it harder for the body to fight back against early gum disease. (Lipsky et al., 2021, American Journal of Men's Health)

This doesn't mean gum disease is inevitable for men. It just means they’re slightly more likely to develop it, which makes daily habits even more important.

Tobacco and Alcohol Use

Men use tobacco products at higher rates than women. In the U.S., men are about 20 times more likely to use smokeless tobacco products, and cigarette smoking is also more prevalent among men. Tobacco use is one of the biggest risk factors for gum disease and oral cancer. (Lipsky et al., 2021)

Excessive alcohol consumption, also more common in men, is independently linked to poorer gum health and elevated oral cancer risk. (Cleveland Clinic)

A Culture That Treats Pain as the Threshold for Care

Research consistently shows that men seek dental care in response to pain or a visible problem, not as a way to prevent one. This "fix it when it breaks" approach works fine for some things. It does not work well for gum disease, which is often painless in its early stages and becomes much harder (and more expensive) to treat once it's progressed.

A study published in NCBI/PMC found that male gender was a significant predictor of dental treatment avoidance, even when care was needed. (Determinants of Dental Treatment Avoidance)

Your Mouth Is Talking to the Rest of Your Body

Here's where men's oral health becomes about a lot more than just teeth.

If you’ve followed Slate for a while, then you know how much we care about educating our community on the connection between oral health and overall wellness.The bacteria in your mouth don't stay in your mouth. When your gums become inflamed — a condition called gingivitis that, left untreated, becomes periodontitis — those bacteria and the inflammatory signals they trigger can enter your bloodstream and affect your whole body.

Harvard Health Publishing reports that bacteria infecting the gums can travel through the bloodstream, promote inflammation, contribute to small blood clots, and increase cardiovascular risk. (Harvard Health Publishing)

For men, this is an especially important connection because heart disease is already the leading cause of death for men in the United States. The same lifestyle factors that raise gum disease risk ( smoking, poor diet, low physical activity) are also cardiovascular risk factors.

Research from Boston University's Goldman School of Dental Medicine, confirming findings first published 25 years earlier, found that men with periodontal disease were at a significantly greater risk of dying earlier. 

“Death arrives earlier for those who have periodontal disease,” Dr. Heaton said. “Periodontal disease delivers a chronic inflammatory burden, that the longer you have that inflammatory burden, the higher the risk of death.” (Dr. Brenda Heaton, Journal of Clinical Periodontology, via BU Goldman School of Dental Medicine)

This isn't meant as a scare tactic. It's meant to show you that the few minutes you spend on oral hygiene every day are doing more than cleaning your teeth. They're actively reducing a long-term inflammatory load that your entire body carries.

What Good Men's Oral Health Actually Looks Like

The good news is that the solution isn’t complicated.

1. Brush Twice a Day

Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and nHA or fluoride toothpaste. Brush for two full minutes, once in the morning and once at night. If you're brushing less than twice a day, this is the first habit to lock in. Our favorites are Sonicare or Oral B electric toothbrushes and Fygg nHA toothpaste!

2. Floss Every Single Day

This is the one most men skip, and it's arguably the most important for gum health.

Your toothbrush cleans the flat surfaces of your teeth. The spaces between your teeth, where gum disease starts, are almost completely inaccessible to your toothbrush. Only flossing removes the plaque and bacteria from those tight areas. It is absolutely essential fro removing plaque, preventing decay, and improving gum health.

3. Visit Your Dentist at Least Once a Year (Preferably Twice)

Twice a year is the standard recommendation. At minimum, go once. A dentist or hygienist can spot gum disease, cavities, oral cancer, and other issues early before they become emergencies. Early treatment is cheaper, faster, and far less painful than late treatment.

4. Watch the Tobacco and Alcohol

Tobacco use is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for both gum disease and oral cancer. If you smoke or use smokeless tobacco, quitting is one of the most impactful things you can do for your oral health (and your overall health). Reducing excessive alcohol consumption is another lever that directly benefits your gums.

5. Drink More Water

Water helps rinse away food particles and supports healthy saliva production. Saliva is your mouth's natural defense system, it neutralizes acids, washes away bacteria, and protects enamel. Staying hydrated keeps that system running.

The Tool That Makes Flossing Easy Enough to Actually Do

The biggest barrier men face with flossing isn't knowledge. It's that traditional string floss is annoying to use, easy to skip, and difficult to get all the way to your back teeth, especially for those with large hands.

That's exactly the problem the Slate Electric Flosser was invented to solve.

Dr. Danny Snyder, co-founder and inventor of the Slate Electric Flosser, found that most of his patients were only willing to use one additional oral care tool alongside their toothbrush. The problem was that nothing on the market properly addressed all the spaces a toothbrush misses. So he built something that did.

The Slate Electric Flosser combines:

• Woven floss designed to slide through tight teeth and actually grab onto plaque

• Sonic vibrations that help the floss pass through tight contacts and dislodge more plaque and bacteria than floss alone

• Gum Sweeps™ — soft silicone ribs on each floss head that massage the gumline and clean the hard-to-reach pockets where gum disease starts

• A built-in tongue scraper on the back of every floss head, which removes bacteria from the tongue and reduces bad breath

• An ergonomic handle that makes it easy to reach back molars without twisting your arm into an impossible position

This is not a water flosser. The Slate Electric Flosser uses real woven floss with sonic vibrations, which means you're getting the plaque-removing power of actual floss, without the fumbling.

73% of registered dental hygienists who tested Slate rated it better than anything else on the market. That says a lot!

So, take this as your sign to level up your oral health and buy yourself a flosser that you’ll actually use and enjoy. The goal is simple: make flossing easy enough that you actually do it every day. Because the best flossing tool is the one you pick up every night.

Shop Slate Electric Flossers