I’m laughing so hard at this article about flossing I was reading this morning. It basically says that flossing might be great for your teeth or it might not. They truly have no idea. I guess studies to track whether it helps prevent gum disease don’t run long enough to determine if it prevents gum disease. So hows that for hard science. But here’s my favorite part:
A survey by the academy found that almost 15 percent of adults would rather clean a toilet than floss their teeth. Guess what? That would be me. I’m in that 15%. I HATE it and I totally admit…. I don’t floss. Also, that study reveals more than a 27 percent of U.S. adults admit they lie to their dentist about how often they floss their teeth. So if they are lying and their dentists can’t tell, is it really working? I’m going with no because it makes me feel better.
Now here’s the million dollar question. Am I alone in this? Do you floss? If so, how often? Do you think it helps? Do you think I’m gross because I don’t floss?
Peace out. I’m off to do anything but floss…
~Mavis
TheMrs.P says
Ironically, I heard this on the news last Tuesday when we went to the dentist. My dentist always raves about the quality of my teeth. I only floss after corn on the cob. I am 38 and still have my wisdom teeth too.
lynne says
Yes…I DO floss. I have 2 crowns, which are notorious for trapped food. Brushing alone will not get rid of those hunks o’ meat. :-).
On a similar note though, I had braces as a teen followed by a retainer (removable). I accidently threw the retainer away at a fast food joint after only 3 months. Never told the Orthodontist, and he was none the wiser. After 2 years, I didn’t have to “wear it” anymore, and I told him what I had done…he didn’t believe me.
I think flossing really depends on how tight the gaps are between your teeth…if you have lots of space, the toothbrush would probably take care of it, if not, it’s probably a good idea to floss.
🙂 lynneinmn
Diana says
I floss once a day. Can’t imagine not doing it. You should see the amount of gunk that comes out from between my teeth, even after brushing. Gross. Think of that icky stuff sitting in between your teeth for days and weeks. I hardly ever get sick, and I have mostly great checkups at the dentist (although the hygienist still always finds a little something to scrape on each tooth). Surely I’d be sick more often, and have more cavities and gum problems, and the high cost of fixing them, if I didn’t floss daily.
The hygienist says for best results, flossing should be done before brushing before bed. The rebel in me does it in the morning, after brushing. But I think I still get good results from flossing.
Anita says
I floss at least once every day, but generally more often than that. I have problems with food getting stuck in between my teeth, plus I have 2 bridges that need flossed several times a day because of that. I don’t enjoy it, but my mouth feels better afterward. I’ve also been told I have good oral hygiene by my dentist.
Tracy says
I didn’t used to floss until my dentist got on me about it. I do floss at night to get anything stuck between teeth and use a sonicare toothbrush. Hubby and I have had super checkups and so much less scraping from the hygentist. Both are worth it in my opinion.
Erin says
I’m probably pretty typical – after every dentist visit I get guilted into flossing again for a week or two, then quit again because I hate it so much!
cindy says
Maybe I have tight teeth spaces but I floss at least twice a day. Too much stuff gets caught after I eat anything.
Diane says
I used to floss for a couple of weeks at a time, then stop. When I had to get a couple of (EXPENSIVE) dental implants, and my very competent dental surgeon told me that I could eventually lose them if I didn’t floss, I got more serious about it. I also found that my gums bled badly during dental checkups if I hadn’t been flossing at least MOST of the time, so I couldn’t scam my dental hygienist (who, bless her heart, never nagged me but just reminded me gently that I probably should floss).
Now I floss every morning, and I never have troubles with bleeding gums. Heck, it only takes a couple of minutes to do; it’s just a matter of developing the habit and not giving yourself an easy out. Besides, I now have a floss monitor: one of my cats gets upset with me and meows plaintively if I skip flossing because she expects me to snip off a long piece of floss for her to chase around and play with. I can’t have HER nagging me!
Cindi says
I used to be in the no-flossing camp, until I got a crown that fits less-than-well. Food is always getting caught back there and flossing is the only way to get it out. So now I am a regular flosser.
My husband never flosses and the dentist is always raving about how great his teeth and gums are.
JP says
I really hate flossing, but found that I despise it less if I use one of those flossers. Even better, I won a waterpick, and I really enjoy using that. My teeth feel SOOO much cleaner afterwards. It’s like a pressure washer for my teeth. Woot! Still only do it maybe 3 times per week, but it sure does shorten my dentist visits.
Katherine says
I have a sensitive place on my gum at two of my teeth that will swell and become painful if I don’t floss or use my waterpic. If you don’t like to floss you might think about getting a waterpic. It’s easy peasy and quick to use one.
Chris Gauthier says
Yes I floss every day. I can’t imagine not flossing seeing the “leftovers” that come out with each flossing. If you don’t floss, that gunk sits in between your teeth & deteriorates & may cause bad breath & cavities. Brushing your teeth may not catch all this gunk. Do you want rotting food sitting in between your teeth? Yuck!
Kellianne says
Yes. Everyday. Most days twice. I’ll use a Placker after dinner and my Waterpik before bed.
I hate string floss. My mouth is small and my cheeks are chubby. Makes for difficult and annoying flossing. The Placker is the best invention, next to the Waterpik! I also scrape my tongue. Fun times. Ha!
I feel so grimy if I miss a day. Oh well, everyone is different.
Practical Parsimony says
I floss at least a half dozen times each day. It feels so good afterwards. I rarely get much out, but each little bit I remove makes me happy. I do have one food trap that the dentist made worse when he “fixed” it for me. My teeth are not really close or far apart. Some teeth are closer than others. I can feel even the least bit between my teeth. One time, I did not have my teeth cleaned for four years. The hygienist was surprised that my teeth and gums looked so good, barely anything to remove.
Flossing makes my teeth feel so good. It is like washing stickiness off my hands or washing my hair. It just makes me feel clean.
I even floss after eating a banana. Chicken and apples and rice cause me to floss. Okay, everything causes me to want to floss. I can feel everything between my teeth!
When I heard that report, I scoffed and determined I would continue to floss no matter what the studies show.
Cheryl says
Floss once per day per my dentist. My gums would bleed after a cleaning and was starting to get gum disease. Since I have done the flossing for the past couple years my gums and teeth are good. Cheryl
Jfred says
I never floss. 42 yrs old w no cavities. I also go yrs and yrs between dentist visits. Though I’ve been twice this past yr, due to scheduling my appt with the kids’ appts. And my dentist auto-schedules me now. I hate calling. (First dentist appt at age 14. Went regularly till college. Went once or twice around age 29/30. And then twice since last fall.) (But I brush my teeth at least 3-4 times a day!)
Tracy says
This is easy. If, when you floss, you pull food debris from between your teeth, then you should continue. I floss every night because it’s….uh….productive, as they say.
HunnyWest says
I think it is gross to not floss. Not just because you remove the gunk between your teeth, but if you don’t get it out it decays, and bacteria grows and you get cavities and yucky, yucky, breath. Floss every night so the bacteria doesn’t just sit in your mouth and does it’s nasty thing.
Leslie says
When asked, at a visit to the dentist, if I floss regularly, I always say yes…Because I regularly floss each year just before I go to the dentist.
I’ve hated flossing for years, especially after having floss break off between my very tight teeth. It remained there for a long time until a crown was needed on the adjacent tooth. I would say that is more gross than not flossing!
Stephanie says
I wasn’t so consistent with flossing, but now I do it daily and rarely get cavities. My dental hygienist commends me when I go in to get my teeth cleaned. My husband HATES flossing, so he got a Waterpik. He still doesn’t always use it, but between that and an electric toothbrush, his oral health has much improved.
Ruth says
I truly hate flossing – small jaw and tight teeth. Glide floss helps with the tight teeth but still have the small jaw problem. Got a strict talking to by the dentist the last few visits. He recommended a battery operated water flossed. I’ve been using it since April – it takes about 2 minutes and I’m not struggling to reach my back teeth. Ill find out in October if it was worth the $50.
Beks says
I am TERRIBLE about flossing. I even have one of those flossers that look like a toothbrush, but with a U-shaped flosser on the end. It helps, but I still hate doing it. Last time I was at the dentist, I was honest about not doing it consistently, and they looked at me like I said my profession was killing puppies. :-/
Brianna says
I am a strong believer that diet and genetics play a role in dental health. Flossing, rinses, brushing are just maintenance procedures that need to be routinely performed. If your parents have thin enamel, a lot of cavities, etc, I think it is likely you will too. I think people who eat more fast foods or processed foods tend to have poorer dental health too, regardless of maintenance routine. Dental health can be a precursor or indicative to other diseases too. I don’t floss every day, but I manage to floss as needed or several times a week. I haven’t had any major dental issues other that terrible hot and cold sensitivity. My parents both have extremely sensitive teeth too, but we all have healthy teeth otherwise. My mother has an autoimmune disease and part of her managed care is to floss several times a day, it does seem to help her with less flares and illnesses. Just to be safe, I teach my kids to floss.
MamaJo says
I’ve always been told that you only need to floss the teeth you want to keep. I’m a 77 year grandma & still have all my teeth. I don’t like to floss but I do it every day & I use Glide floss.
Jennifer says
I floss every single day. At age 27, while pregnant, I had gum disease from not flossing as an adult. As a result the dentist had to scrape the roots of my teeth. Yes, the roots! Since I was pregnant I opted to have it done without Novocain. Never again will I go through that pain and discomfort.
A simple 2 minute procedure can keep you healthy in the long run.
Flossing is a habit. After the habit is formed it’s not so bad.
Linda Sand says
When my hygienist asks if I floss I say, “When popcorn gets stuck.” There are actually other things that occasionally a toothpick won’t remove so I do floss then. When our daughter was a child she absolutely refused to brush her teeth. No reward system we could imagine every changed that so we gave up. In her 40s now she still doesn’t brush, but she does floss!
Stacy T says
I floss every night and can’t skip. I get too much gunk out. I had a hygienist tell me one time that if I didn’t think it was worth it to smell my floss after flossing and tell her it didn’t get the gross stuff out. You will never skip if you do!