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Your Flossing Questions, Answered...
Your Flossing Questions, Answered...
One Type of Floss is Enough!
How many people floss regularly?
Too Much Flossing?
Youngest Age to Start Flossing?
Floss or Brush First?
Ooo - The Smell!
Flossing In Public?
Where's My Floss?
How To Floss?
What is "Peace of Mouth?"
Flossing Can Be Good For Your Health!
A Postcard of Questions from Wisconsin!
Thanks for your postcard and all of your questions!
As you know I sent you a postcard with the website address so you can read this and get a few answers.
Here we go!
In your card you say you like waxed floss and you want to know if there are some brands that are better than others.
Well, Sue, the best floss is the one you like to use and like enough to floss regularly.
It's not something special about the floss that cleans your teeth. It's about you flossing regularly.
The goal of flossing is to clean spaces between your teeth that other cleaning techniques can't get to.
String can bend around the sides of teeth and even get down between the edge of your gums for many teeth. Much like mice that can hide in hard to reach spots around a house, food, bugs and tartar hide in our mouths need to be dislodged or at least loosened with floss so that other activities like brushing and chewing can keep them from growing into problems like cavities and diseased gums.
Next you asked about who makes floss.
Here's a link that claims to include all brands of floss.
The biggest companies making dental floss include Procter & Gamble (Crest/Glide & Oral B) and Johnson & Johnson (Reach). But a trip to any drugstore nowadays will let you find a lot of smaller brands of dental floss like Tom's Of Maine (This isn't a plug. I happen to notice it's not on the link claiming to show all brands of floss).
It warms the heart to see so many new flosses!
Thanks again for your card! Floss on, Sue!
Dr. T.
Floss Your Roots?
Dr. T,
I am 45 and recently started daily flossing. When i floss my front lower teath, I can feel an edge, and assume and I am coming to the end of my enamal , and hitting the root. It does not hurt, but seems wierd
1)do i floss below that lip (so i would be flossing the root?)
2)do i need to have that gum replaced?
Tom
Dear Tom,
Thanks for writing!
First of all, I am not a professional dentist and I do not play one on TV.
However, that won’t stop me from offering some common sense comments
in reply to your question, but nothing I say should stop you from discussing your concerns with a dentist.
From what I understand, recession of gum tissue is a fairly common event and it roughly correlates with age. Complicating the relatively natural amount of recession, gum disease can hasten the process and cause it to endanger the retention of teeth. In your case it sounds
like you have some gum recession on your front lower teeth. One of the primary issues that draws a person’s attention to their gum’s recession is sensitivity of the roots when they’re exposed. This
doesn’t seem to be a problem for you.
Should you floss those areas?
I’d say yes, based on the scientific principal: If it hurts, don’t do it – and you mentioned flossing didn’t hurt.
As you may know, the normally exposed parts of teeth are covered with enamel. The surface of roots is referred to as “cementum.” Decay can occur in enamel and cementum, so it’s important to keep these tooth surfaces clean, which means using floss.
The second part of your question – Should you have a gum transplant to cover the exposed roots? – Well, a dentist will have to discuss that.
But here are some considerations that might pay to keep in mind:
What is the likelihood that the new gum tissue will survive where your original gum tissue has retreated?
Some gum recession is attributed to overbrushing. Overbrushing is something you can change, but it might be best to wait on a painful transplant procedure to see if changed brushing permits gum regrowth.
Also keep in mind that gums love vitamin C. One of the first signs of vitamin C deficiency (aka “scurvy”) is loose teeth. Gum tissue grows rapidly and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is fundamental for cell growth
and repair. This is a primary reason a shortage of vitamin C shows itself with bleeding gums and loose teeth. You can’t conclude that all gum problems and loose teeth are caused by a shortage of vitamin C, but when these problems occur, a brief period of vitamin C supplements seems reasonable before anything more costly and painful is tried.
By the way, the worst side effect of too much vitamin C is flatulence (as in “toot-toot”). Sucking on a small amount of vitamin C (30-60 mg) 1 or 2x/day should get your gums all they can use and not cause any
gastric distress. Some cough drops contain vitamin C and make a tasty way of getting a supplement.
Good luck with your gums, Tom!
Floss on!
Dr. T.
Dr. T,
I am 45 and recently started daily flossing. When i floss my front lower teath, I can feel an edge, and assume and I am coming to the end of my enamal , and hitting the root. It does not hurt, but seems wierd
1)do i floss below that lip (so i would be flossing the root?)
2)do i need to have that gum replaced?
Tom
Dear Tom,
Thanks for writing!
First of all, I am not a professional dentist and I do not play one on TV.
However, that won’t stop me from offering some common sense comments
in reply to your question, but nothing I say should stop you from discussing your concerns with a dentist.
From what I understand, recession of gum tissue is a fairly common event and it roughly correlates with age. Complicating the relatively natural amount of recession, gum disease can hasten the process and cause it to endanger the retention of teeth. In your case it sounds
like you have some gum recession on your front lower teeth. One of the primary issues that draws a person’s attention to their gum’s recession is sensitivity of the roots when they’re exposed. This
doesn’t seem to be a problem for you.
Should you floss those areas?
I’d say yes, based on the scientific principal: If it hurts, don’t do it – and you mentioned flossing didn’t hurt.
As you may know, the normally exposed parts of teeth are covered with enamel. The surface of roots is referred to as “cementum.” Decay can occur in enamel and cementum, so it’s important to keep these tooth surfaces clean, which means using floss.
The second part of your question – Should you have a gum transplant to cover the exposed roots? – Well, a dentist will have to discuss that.
But here are some considerations that might pay to keep in mind:
What is the likelihood that the new gum tissue will survive where your original gum tissue has retreated?
Some gum recession is attributed to overbrushing. Overbrushing is something you can change, but it might be best to wait on a painful transplant procedure to see if changed brushing permits gum regrowth.
Also keep in mind that gums love vitamin C. One of the first signs of vitamin C deficiency (aka “scurvy”) is loose teeth. Gum tissue grows rapidly and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is fundamental for cell growth
and repair. This is a primary reason a shortage of vitamin C shows itself with bleeding gums and loose teeth. You can’t conclude that all gum problems and loose teeth are caused by a shortage of vitamin C, but when these problems occur, a brief period of vitamin C supplements seems reasonable before anything more costly and painful is tried.
By the way, the worst side effect of too much vitamin C is flatulence (as in “toot-toot”). Sucking on a small amount of vitamin C (30-60 mg) 1 or 2x/day should get your gums all they can use and not cause any
gastric distress. Some cough drops contain vitamin C and make a tasty way of getting a supplement.
Good luck with your gums, Tom!
Floss on!
Dr. T.
Dr. T.,
After many years of very average dental hygiene and barely any flossing, something finally "clicked" for me after getting 6 fillings recently. I have finally changed my ways and become fairly fanatical about tooth cleanliness. I keep a toothbrush and floss in my desk drawer at work, and I find that after every meal, I feel an urgent need to floss and brush, in order to remove all debris and have a clean mouth again. it's kind of like the instinct to wash your hands after digging in the dirt.
I have now got a routine in which I brush and floss at 10am (to clear breakfast debris), then again at 2pm (to clear lunch debris) and after dinner (8pm). My question is do you feel this is too much flossing? I have gaps between my teeth that are just large enough to keep debris between them, so I know you are supposed to floss once a day. But I have this huge urge to get that debris out soon after eating. What do you suggest?
Best wishes
3x a day flosser in NC
Dear 3XADFINC,
Thanks for your question!
I have to start off by saying that I am also a 3x a day flosser, so you have an idea where this is going.
Here’s the the basic question that we need to consider: Will flossing 3x a day harm your teeth and what problems could it cause?
All those readers with tight teeth could probably go read elsewhere at this point, since they have no idea how annoying it is to have a substantial part of a meal stuck between your teeth after eating. Of course, as you’ve described, they also don’t understand how satisfying it is to get that jammed food out from between teeth with floss. As I’ve said before, tight teeth don’t catch much food and they don’t have much room for floss. Those “tight” teeth still need a periodic cleaning with a non-shredding floss, since bacteria and plaque buildup can happen even in the small spaces between the tightest teeth.
Let’s keep this brief – too much flossing really isn’t a problem, but “improper” flossing can erode enamel.
What is “improper” flossing?
Well, floss can serve two useful roles:
1. Removing large pieces of food stuck between teeth, and
2. Cleaning food residues from spaces between teeth where brushing won’t reach.
“Improper” flossing involves pointless rubbing floss against the enamel. This is why you’ll hear warnings about “don’t saw back and forth” with floss.
How do we know that “sawing” with floss will hurt enamel? Well, you can check these links (1,2) for two examples (and there are others) of prisoners using floss to saw through metal bars to escape. Let’s face it, if sawing with floss can cut metal, the enamel on your teeth can get “groovy” with too much sawing. The grooves you can cause with floss might be a cosmetic problem, but more important is the damage they do to surface enamel and the spaces they make for decay-producing bacteria.
You might also be interested to learn that there are a few anthropology studies that report finding grooves on the teeth of ancient skeletons that suggest damage from repeated rubbing with fibers (ie. floss)(3,4). One report is based on skeletons from Pakistan and the other from the prehistoric natives in the western US – so this isn’t a rare or localized misuse of floss.
What to do? Clean the big pellets of food from between your teeth when they bother you. A short forward or back motion may be needed to dislodge debris – but no sawing! To clean the spaces between teeth, pull the floss up and down along the teeth. This up and down cleaning between all your teeth isn’t the type of flossing you need to do very often. Once a day for this type of thorough flossing will be fine to keep your teeth really clean.
Thanks again for your question!
Floss on!
Chip T.
Citations:
Jailbreaks
1. Inmate used dental floss to escape cell
Associated Press, Tuesday, 21 March 2000
2. Inmate uses dental floss, toothpaste to escape prison
Associated Press, 04/25/02
Ancient floss damage
3. Activity-induced patterns of dental abrasion in prehistoric Pakistan: Evidence from Mehrgarh and Harappa
John R. Lukacs, Robert F. Pastor
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Volume 76 , Issue 3 , Pages 377 - 398, 1988.
4. Task activity and anterior tooth grooving in prehistoric California Indians
Peter D. Schulz
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Volume 46 Issue 1, Pages 87 – 91, 1977.
Published Online: 29 Apr 2005
Dear Dr. Tartaroff,
We have some important questions about dental floss and many important people in the dental and tooth world.
- What is the association between the Flossing Council and the Tooth Fairy? Is she an employee, consultant or board member?
- We often get coins from the tooth fairy during the night we lose a tooth. Why don’t we receive dental floss? Or at least dental floss coupons?
- The tooth fairy works very hard every night of the year. Or does she get a day off on Christmas and Christmas Eve. My bother lost a tooth on Christmas Even and never got coins. Mom and dad said to wait a day. What about Easter and other holidays?
Please answer our important questions.
Sincerely,
A few students at Nottingham Elementary,
Arlington VA
Dear NE Students,
Thank you for your interesting questions about the Tooth Fairy.
Allow me to briefly summarize your questions:
The Tooth Fairy – who is she, who does she work for and when does she work?
The Tooth Fairy is a legend in the dental care industry – a totally independent agent. In some countries, like France, the Tooth Fairy is thought to be a mouse that turns into a Fairy to do her work. Here in the US, she doesn’t bother with the mouse stuff very often, but, being a Fairy, she certainly could use it, if she needed to hide.
The Tooth Fairy typically leaves money for each tooth she collects, but it’s not clear where the Tooth Fairy gets her money. We suspect she inherited it from a family of dentists. In 2009, they’ll be a new movie called “Tooth Fairy” starring Dwayne Johnson, “The Rock.” Perhaps her agent got her some money from the movie's producers for using her name.
The Flossing Council would love to work with the Tooth Fairy, but being independent as she is, that’s not easy to do! You ask about when she works. That’s something else that comes with independent agents like the Tooth Fairy – they get to set their own hours and their schedule. Sort of like when you call a plumber or the telephone company – you just have to wait.
Your thought on the Tooth Fairy leaving dental floss is great! We’re going to work on that one! Perhaps the Tooth Fairy could leave a little package, holding some dental floss (and some cash). We may have some of those little packages printed up, so the Tooth Fairy can leave them for little girls and boys who lost a tooth.
Thanks very much for writing! Good luck with the Tooth Fairy and your New Teeth!
Best wishes,
Dr. T.
Hi Dr. T,
I was recently told that when flossing there is no limit to how deep you should try and go. I used to make the "C" shape go blow the gum-line as far as felt natural (so about 2 or 3mm beyond the gum's normal level) and "scoop up" 3 or 4 times (no sawing). Now I'm trying to go further but beyond a point it feels very sensitive, like I can feel the nerve almost. So I'm wondering if I'm going too far and what you'd advise.
Thanks,
Graham
Dear Graham,
Thanks for your question!
There's a saying from an old advertisement that "You only need to floss the teeth you want to keep."
But sometimes enthusiastic flossers need to be reminded that certain styles of flossing can damage your gums and that is not a way to help keep your teeth healthy.
In your case, the suggestion that "there is no limit to how deep you should try and go" with floss sounds troublesome to me.
Keep in mind that flossing is intended to clear out debris and plaque. Using floss to delve to new depths under your gums just isn't necessary - you can leave that for an occasional thorough cleaning. Exploring such depths on a regular basis is likely to do more harm than good.
You know the nerve you think you're feeling - you're probably right.
If you read the letter below by Jay Friedman, "Too Much Flossing?", you'll learn about someone who was tearing at his gums with knots in his floss. That doesn't mean putting a knot in your floss, as also suggested below by Mixed Space Guy ("One Type of Floss Is Enough"), can't sometimes be a handy way to floss certain teeth more thoroughly.
Floss is a tool, and, like any tool, it can play a healthful role in caring for your teeth. Of course, any tool used badly can do more harm than good.
Based on your comments, you seem to use good basic flossing techniques. Keep up the good work - just hold back a bit on the depth of your flossing.
Floss on!
Dr. T.
Dear Dr. T,
Last year, for National Flossing Day, McDonald’s was asked to include floss with their meals. I think it’s a great idea! I would love to have a handy piece of floss to use in my car, after a carry-out meal, or in their restrooms, after I eat at McDonald’s.
Did they ever respond? What do you think will come of that request?
An Potential McDonald’s Flosser.
Dear APMcDF,
Thanks for asking! We here at the NFC would love to see McDonald’s – as well as a lot of other places that serve floss-worthy food - offer their customers floss. Floss would be particularly welcome at restaurants that serve meats and veggies that often gets stuck between teeth - like chicken, steak, corn on the cob, candies, etc, etc.
Well, getting a big company to do anything is never easy. One big obstacle is the fact that a company can never acknowledge that they accepted your idea. If they did, they would be open to a claim that your idea made them money and you deserve a share of that money.
Here at the NFC we understand how our business system works. McDonald’s couldn’t just say: “Great idea! Let’s go!”, and in fact they did send a formal reply explaining their legal position on not accepting outside suggestions. (It’s amusing to compare that letter to the one that was sent to Armand Lione in 1963 by Johnson & Johnson – times haven’t changed very much). But, as you know, we didn’t just send the letter to McDonald’s Corporation, we also made it part of a press release. That press release got distributed in newspapers and blogs and probably even got some talk show chatter. Using a press release to get word out, also probably got a few people to also write McDonald’s and ask them about distributing floss.
After we sent our request to McDonald’s and issued the press release, we were interested to learn through some industry contacts that the people who make Crest/Glide had also approached McDonald’s with our same suggestion. So, even though the official reply says they didn’t consider the idea, we know they did. Now it’s a matter of time until they realize what a great contribution to their customer’s health and great business initiative floss packets would add to McDonald’s meals.
This year, for National Flossing Day (Nov. 28, 2008), we’re going to release the names of restaurants, hotels and health related groups who have begun distributing floss packets to their customers. For more information about that, click here.
Thanks for writing! And please keep asking for floss when you visit McDonald’s – or any of your favorite eating spots.
Sincerely,
Dr.T.