National Flossing Council

Floss Floss Dance & Toss - The Video Game

2012-01-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

In honor of the millionth run thru of this game (it's obviously "no flash in the pan"), here's a link to the flossing version of Dance Dance Revolution, Floss Floss Dance & Toss.

If you like online video games this might be fun for you.
The force behind getting this game going was a young dentist, Dr. Jamie Johnson, The Dental Diva, from Pueblo, CO.
It all started about 6 years ago when she got some video game designers to devise a Dance Dance Revolution type game with a wacky guy, Brad Swanson, dancing up a storm with floss in the background while you play.
If you aren't one to learn and play video games, you might enjoy just watching Brad goof off in this "outtake reel" from the making of the game.

Congratulations to Jamie, Brad and the production crew! We at the National Flossing Council like all sorts of media that get people thinking and talking about floss and your game is certainly doing that!

Shelli and the Flossies Bergere Grand Prize!

2011-12-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

Here's the Winner of the Flossies Bergere Video Contest, Shelli Saraga, with her Grand Prize - Flossing Barbie Atop the Eiffel Tower!
Congratulations Shelli!
In case you haven't seen her excellent video - check it out!

It's National Flossing Day!

2011-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

You may have heard about National Flossing Day in the news. It's always the day after Thanksgiving here in the US.

Since Thanksgiving is a day of feasting, what better day to remember flossing than today? Here's the 2011 Proclamation that talks about the sense behind our holiday.

Have you ever played the game called "Rumors?" (Some people call it "Telephone.") - One person writes down a sentence and whispers it to a friend, then that person whispers it to another, until everyone has heard it. The last person writes down what they heard and that's compared with the original. The changes and distortions can be hilarious. If you read the White Paper that is part of this years National Flossing Day, you'll learn how even doctors and dentists sometimes accidentally play the same game.

The title of the White Paper is "Spinning Floss Facts Into Fictions". It explains some flossing research that gave proof flossing reduced cavities, but it mostly explains how the flossing in that study that was done by moms with a little simple training has come to be commonly described in scientific articles as "professional" flossing. Based on this "rumor", journal articles for dentists are saying "only professional flossing has been shown to reduce cavities." The White Paper hopes to make it clear that flossing has been tested and shown to reduce cavities, but you don't have to wait for a "professional" to floss you. Your own daily flossing will do just fine!

Happy Flossing Day! Floss on!

Flossies Bergere Video Contest Winner Announced!

2011-11-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the winning entry in the Flossies Bergere Video Contest!
Shelli Sargara, a student at the Univ. of Florida, scripted and edited this funny video.

She'll be receiving flosscards for her cast and the Grand Prize.
Great job, Shelli! Thanks for showing how to Help Spread "Peace of Mouth!"

Hippos Understand Dental Health

2011-11-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a scene from the excellent BBC series, Life, broadcast in 2009.
In the 4th episode, "Fish," David Attenborough explains how hippos submerge themselves and open their mouths so fish can clean their teeth.

If only fish could floss!

Flossies Bergere Video Challenge - one more entry!

2011-11-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here's the complete list - The last entry by Jori arrived on Nov. 1, the official deadline.

"Feats of Flossing" by Libby & Scott & Cross Fit Davis
Flossies Bergere! Celebrate NationalFlossing Day! by Shelli

"Flossing This Way" by Pretty Eyes Moo

Celebrate National Flossing Day! 2011 "Flossies Bergere"
by Jori

The Grand Prize winner will be announced Nov. 14.

Saudi Airlines is Floss Friendly!

2011-11-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

A tip of the NFC hat to Saudi Airlines!

Our Mideast floss correspondent, Rochelle D of Washington, DC (who last spotted a tube of "Crust Toothpaste."(see older blog entry) when she was in Jordan), has brought back an individual floss packet, which she reports is included with each meal on Saudi Airlines.

and here's how you can write "dental floss" in arabic.

National Flossing Day Video Entries!

2011-10-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out the entries for the Flossies Bergere Video Challenge?

"Feats of Flossing" by Libby & Scott & Cross Fit Davis

Flossies Bergere! Celebrate NationalFlossing Day! by Shelli

"Flossing This Way" by Pretty Eyes Moo

The winner of the video contest Grand Prize will be announced on Monday, Nov. 14!

The Hunting Trophy!

2011-10-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Dr. Chip Tartaroff is not only an expert commentator on all things involving dental floss, he is also an intrepid hunter!

Deep in the forests of Sarawak, Dr. T stumbled on the legendary, Lost Water Closet of the Dinosaurs!

Creeping up on this giant Tyrannosaurus Rex, who was distracted while trying to floss with his little hands, Dr. T raised his trusty M-16 and brought the creature down with a single shot.

With the help of his native guide, Tamrat, Dr. T was able to bring back this magnificent trophy of the event.

It is now mounted for display at the headquarters of the National Flossing Council in Washington, DC.

Flossing & Fertility

2011-07-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

As reported by BBC News, experts at a fertility meeting in Sweden heard how women with gum disease took over seven months to conceive, compared to the usual five months.
They believe the causative factor is the inflammation of gums.
Coming soon, this blog will have more information on the available studies that have looked at the role flossing can play in the reduction of gum disease.
Floss on!

Music to Floss By

2011-05-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

You can download a free copy of the song, "Flossophy" by the Van Oodles by going to this link!
Is this the greatest flossing song of the 21st Century? (So far)

Flossing music for the 21st Century!

2011-05-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

20th Century flossing music was Frank Zappa - "Montana."

So far, for the 21st Century, it's the Van Oodles.
On May 7 the Van Oodles, a Portland based group, released flossophy-101.
The link will let you hear the title cut.
For some listeners this song may get too close to the nitty-gritty of flossing.
The mature flosser (and many children) are likely to appreciate it.
Floss on, Van Oodles!

Even Apes Understand Flossing! - Buy one, Spread the Word.

2011-05-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

I don't usually "plug" commercial products - not that there's anything wrong with that, if done upfront - but, anyway, Here's where you can buy postcards or framed prints of this picture; this is Art!

Rather than copy the picture and post it here, I suggest clicking the link. No charge for that.
I'm buying one sometime soon.

Flossing Your Roots?

2011-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Dr. Chip Tartaroff, our answerman for all your flossing questions, asked to have this posted on the blog:

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.

Wild Thai Monkey Flossing!

2011-02-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

Our travelling correspondent, Noah J, of Washington, DC, spotted this wild monkey in Thailand. Obviously this monkey loved to floss!

Good flossing form!

Working on a particular tooth!

Looks like me when I'm alone flossing.

Where the string came from isn't known, but it looks like the monkey would have a preference for mint floss.
Monkeys seem to be natural born flossers. How primal is that?
There are several videos of monkeys flossing on youtube. You can read more about monkeys teaching their babies to floss, by clicking this BBC link, and read more on the NFC Web Site.

Floss Video Contest Grand Prize!

2011-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here it is, as promised, the Grand Prize for the Flossies Bergere Video Contest -
The Flossing Can Can Dancer atop the Eiffel Tower!

This is the Grand Prize for the best/most popular video made in the spirit of the Flossies Bergere Video that was first posted in November. The preceding video link will take you to a new edit of the video that includes the grand prize and a little "dancing" by Can Can Barbie.

Entrants have until Nov. 1, 2011 to post their video, but the earlier you post, the more time you have to collect "views" and "likes", which will be all factored in to select a winner.

For more information and to get a copy of the Can Can music to use in your video, check www.flossing.org

Brazilian Floss Dispensers

2010-12-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

While Erin & Gabi were visiting Brazil, last month, they took this picture in the unisex rest room of a restaurant/bar.
Ah, Brazil!
So many things to like - and public floss dispensers!
How did Brazil get so many light years ahead of the US in dental public health?
My basic question is why wouldn't a restaurant that serves meat or corn or any food offer its guests floss in their rest rooms?
A couple of years ago, I joined a blogging group of restaurateurs here in Washington and found that this just wasn't a fashionable idea for them, and appeals to common sense or good business, or getting a publicity edge for their business didn't seem to move them.
The times may be different now.
Buying a couple of these floss dispensers and passing them around in local restaurants is now on the NFC agenda for 2011!

Clean Your Bike Gears with Floss - Gear Floss

2010-12-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to a description of how competative cyclers clean their gears - Gear Floss!

"If you’ve ever flossed between your cogs with a rag, you know how the rag constantly snags on the cogs, hindering progress. But Finish Line Gear Floss is loosely-woven, absorbent, microfiber rope that slides in between the cogs and does a beautiful job. You can also use it to remove the dog hair, grime, and grass wrapped around your jockey wheel center bolts and around your bottom bracket spindle where it meets your crank arm.
I have a big roll of Gear Floss that I chop hunks off of whenever I need – which is frequently during cyclocross season, but the stocking stuffer size is a package of 20 ropes, each 20 inches long. You can clean a lot of cogsets with one 20-inch piece, so don’t think that it’s only 20 cog cleanings in a package. For $7, you can make somebody very happy, and they’ll probably wonder what the heck it is when they open the wrapping paper, which makes it even more fun."

Keep Floss in the Kitchen!

2010-12-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

In a summary of 10 fresh ideas from the book "101 Things I Learned in Culinary School," by Louis Eguaras and Matthew Frederick, here's what was listed for #10:

"10. Keep dental floss in the kitchen: No, seriously. It's marvelous -- and much better than a knife -- for cutting layer cakes, roll cookies, soft cheeses, dough and cheesecake. Try it."

We've always known it! Now others are catching up.

(Thanks for the tip, Sue!)

A Video Challenge Contender: Feats of Flossing!

2010-12-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here is Libby and Scott's entry for the National Flossing Day Video Challenge, 2010!
They thank the members of CrossFit Davis for contributing their feats.

Great job, folks!

Feats of Flossing!

The Littlest Flossers

2010-12-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

Here are two pictures of our Littlest Flossers:

Abba lives in Vermont and copied her Dad, Joe, when he was flossing. Joe says she enjoys the National Flossing Day videos, especially the one with the T-Rex!

Little Lily started flossing at 15 months with the encouragement of her Aunt Chrissy!

If you have a picture of a young flosser, send it to LittleFlossers@flossing.org.

President of NFC Pardons A Tofurkey for National Flossing Day

2010-11-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

As an official act to mark National Flossing Day, the President of the National Flossing Council, Armand Lione, pardoned a Tofurkey.

The Tofurkey will be sent to the main cafeteria in Disneyland, where it will sit on display throughout the Holiday season as a "rare bird."

Also for National Flossing Day, here's a link to the press release for the NFD '10 video challenge.

A Costume for National Flossing Day

2010-11-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

It's that special time - National Flossing Day Eve!
Time to plan your activities for tomorrow.
Here's one possible plan:

Print this Smiley Face Mask (If it won't print 8.5x11, email for a full sized pdf)
Insert floss at the corners of the mouth, and use it to entertain friends and family.

It certainly would look great on a chorus line of flossers in your version of the National Flossing Day Video Challenge!

Flossing Day Video Challenge - 2 More Contest Listings!

2010-11-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

Word continues to spread about the National Flossing Day Video Challenge!
It is now listed on www.onlinevideocontests.com (and crosslinked on their Facebook site)
and on the desktopvideo page of about.com.

To see the sample video and read the details of the video challenge, click here .

Coming tomorrow - The PRWeb Press Release!

Flossing Day Video Challenge Contest Listing

2010-11-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

The folks at Film The Next have listed our Flossing Day Challenge among their video contests!

We look forward to hearing from more videographers who want to step up to The Challenge.

As with other submissions to the web site, challengers will receive floss cards when they enter (while supplies last.)

Details about the video challenge can be found here

The 1st Prize for The Flossies Bergere Video Challenge

2010-11-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

Announcing the 1st Prize for the winner of the Flossies Bergere Video Challenge:

A statue showing a Flossing Woman Dancer, approx 5” tall, with a flaring skirt standing on 1 leg atop a 16” model of the Eiffel Tower.

Go to www.flossing.org to see our earlier prizes: "The Grande Prix" & "The Flossy" for Jerry Seinfeld.

Here's a link to our sample video.

For more info, see the previous post.

Flossies Bergere Video Challenge!

2010-11-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the Joy of Flossing with your friends!
Make your own video to the Can Can music -
"The Flossies Bergere!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ccnOXYEsIY
Post it on Youtube as a response to the sample video and we'll link to it here, on Facebook, and on www.flossing.org.
To get your own copy of the music, just send an email to Music@flossing.org.
National Flossing Day (NFD), Nov. 26, 2010 is a perfect day to make your video and celebrate flossing, but you can upload your video in at any time. Next year we'll award prizes to the most popular videos.

Many thanks to Donovan Kuehn and Kenneth Phan for their great flossing in the video!

National Flossing Day 2010 - Theme

2010-11-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again - the day after Thanksgiving - 11/26/2010

National Flossing Day!

This year the theme will be "The Joy of Flossing!"

We want to help people overcome their fear-based flossing and move on to a higher level. A level where flossing is done for its own sake - not because of any form of intimidation!

This is flossing done for the good feeling it brings - like when we've washed our car, or taken proper care of ourselves, whether it's our hair, nails, skin or teeth.

This is flossing for the Joy of Flossing (would the French help? - "Joie de Floss").

With the right type of floss (monofilament floss for tight teeth and rare flossers), flossing doesn't need to be trouble, and cleaning up grungy parts of the mouth should make you feel good about yourself. Good feelings about flossing is what will keep people flossing. Terror only works as long as the terror is reinforced (see the cartoon).

Do whatever you can to make flossing a joy and you'll stop being terrorized by flossing horror stories!

Floss On!

Coming up: "The Flossies Bergere" Video Challenge!

(Visit www.flossing.org to learn about National Flossing Day 2009 and previous celebrations.)

Water Flossing - Dribble, Dribble

2010-11-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Waterpik is technically called an "oral irrigator." The idea is to use a pulsating jet of water to clean tooth surfaces and between teeth.

The Waterpik has been around since the 1960s, and pretty much just stayed around, without growing very much or going out of business.
In an effort to link itself to the growing interest in dental floss, the Waterpik is now calling itself the "Water Flosser." Some people are referring to this as "Power Flossing."
The company has done studies to compare the Waterpik to flossing and it seems to work, to some extent, but no one but the company is saying it can be used instead of flossing.
Water flossing may be handy for people with braces, and some people may really prefer it to flossing.
It's surprising though that the company's "Patient Education Video" on the newly renamed "Water Flosser" contains a pretty young woman smiling and using the product while dribbling so profusely. Check the video and see if you find it a great education or sales tool.

http://www.waterpik.com/oral-health/videos.html?id=6
One of their other videos "Stop Looking at Your Leftovers" shows a smiley young guy flossing and popping food pieces on his mirror. Later when he uses a Waterpik, he doesn't dribble on camera. The funny thing about this is how messy a Waterpik can be when water gets out of your mouth and starts squirting around the room. If you look at the "Clinical Studies" listed on the website you can see that Waterpiks were more effective at cleaning the facial surfaces (front) of teeth and less effective on the lingual surfaces (back of teeth, where your tongue is). When you turn a Waterpik to face the back of your teeth, it usually splashes water out of your mouth, which probably discourages people from cleaning back there. And you dribble.
Floss on!

Flossing Halloween Costumes

2010-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here's one of last year's Flossing Halloween Costumes - The Flossing Vampire.
Vampire's teeth may not rot, but if they don't floss, their mouth will smell like the bottom of a coffin!
Would Bill Compton on True Blood have a chance with Sookie Stackhouse if he didn't floss?
I can't wait until the writers show Bill flossing!
Do you have a Flossing Halloween Costume?
Send your picture here, and it will also get posted on www.flossing.org.
Happy Flossing Halloween!

World Flossing Records?

2010-09-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, there was a news article about elementary school children who had supposedly set the Guinness World Record for the most flossers on a single string.

The gimmick of the record didn’t catch my attention (Floss isn’t so costly that it often needs sharing – and who can do any agile flossing with a neighbor so close?) The suggestion that the Guinness Record people were involved did catch my eye.

About 10 years ago, preparing for the first National Flossing Day, I asked the people at Guinness World Records (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/) about setting the record for the most simultaneous flossers. As you can read in their response, they wouldn’t authorize a flossing record. Brushing records seemed ok – but no flossing.

Had Guinness Records changed their tune?

Looking into the Guinness web site and some of their books, there was no sign of any floss/flossing records that they had approved.

Closer inspection of the kid’s flossing record eventually revealed that it was authorized not by Guinness, but rather the newcomer: “Universal Record Data Base” (URDB.org).

The URDB is a pop group, based in NYC, with a web site and a flare for publicity.

In contrast with the Guinness Records org, the URDB will authorize just about any record.

Here’s a short list of a few I found quickly on their web site:

Fastest Pronunciation Of The Word "Fresh" While Holding A Watermelon

Largest Group To Complete The Wave And Apply Lip Balm

Largest Group To Inhale Helium And Sing "I Think We're Alone Now" While Hogtied (18 people)

It seems that a lot of people dream of being record setters – and the URDB is willing to indulge just about every last one of them.

If anyone finds that Guinness really has authorized a flossing record – please send word.

If you read about a URDB floss record – no need to rush and tell anyone.

Joie de Floss?

2010-08-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Is this your flossing story? http://theoatmeal.com/blog/floss
We at the NFC hope to help people overcome their fear-based flossing and move on to a higher level. A level where flossing is done for its own sake - not because of any form of intimidation! This is flossing done for the good feeling it brings - like when we've washed our car, or taken proper care of ourselves, whether it's our hair, nails, skin or teeth.
This is flossing for the Joy of Flossing (would the French help? - "Joie de Floss").
With the right type of floss (monofilament floss for tight teeth and rare flossers), flossing doesn't need to be trouble, and cleaning up grungy parts of the mouth should make you feel good about yourself. Good feelings about flossing is what will keep people flossing. Terror only works as long as the terror is reinforced (see the cartoon).
Do whatever you can to make flossing a joy and you'll stop being terrorized by flossing horror stories!

Flossing Frequency?

2010-06-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

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 for two examples (and there are others) of prisoners using floss to saw through metal bars to escape (1,2). 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). One report is based on skeletons from Pakistan (3) and the other from the prehistoric natives in the western US (4) – 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.*

(Dr. Chip Tartaroff answers flossing questions for the National Flossing Council. See his past replys on www.flossing.org.)

Citations:

Jailbreaks

1. Inmate used dental floss to escape cell

Associated Press, Tuesday, 21 March 2000

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/inmate-used-dental-floss-to-escape-cell-721919.html

2. Inmate uses dental floss, toothpaste to escape prison

By Associated Press, 04/25/02

http://www.boston.com/news/daily/25/escape.htm

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.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/110482906/abstract?

4. Task activity and anterior tooth grooving in prehistoric California Indians

Peter D. Schulz

Division of Resource Management and Protection, California Department of Parks and Recreation, P.O. Box 2390, Sacramento, California 95811

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Volume 46 Issue 1, Pages 87 – 91, 1977.

Published Online: 29 Apr 2005

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/110485802/abstract

Goofy Flossing

2010-05-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

Goofy Flossing Video

An activist dentist in the Bay Area of California, Dr. Dalvir Pannu, has been holding a monthly contest for flossing videos and pictures. The winner of his March contest was Vivek Vinayak who got Goofy to floss during a visit to Disneyland.

You can visit Dr. Pannu's blog (www.punjabidentist.com) to find out more about his contest. His practice seems to cover much of the Bay Area (http://www.pannudental.com), and he also has a radio show.

Floss on, Dr. Pannu!

Crust Toothpaste - "a name you can trust!"

2010-05-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't floss, but friends often give me other dental items they find.
My friend, Rochelle, was in Jordan when she spotted this tube of "Crust Toothpaste." Made in China (Surprise?).
I wonder what brand they were imitating?

This is an item I've sent to the folks at www.engrish.com. It seems perfect for them.

The Beef Floss Danish

2010-04-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our travelling correspondent, Jerry Smith, came across this delicacy while travelling in China.

It turns out that beef floss is only one of the "meat flosses" - don't forget to try chicken floss and pork floss!

Several Asian cultures have recipes that include meat boiled so throughly it becomes a stringy mass. They call the meat "floss."

This is the most novel use of "floss," we've uncoverered here at the NFC since the investigation of "The Mill on the Floss," several years ago.

Thank you, Jerry, for expanding our world view of "floss," and thanks to Google for helping to explain this exotic form of Floss.

New Flossing Haikus!

2010-02-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a collection of new flossing haikus from Daniel English who lives in Upstate New York.
Dan reports that once he got going, it was hard to stop.
Thanks, Dan!

K.C. ribs ‘n fries,
Fallow fodder for flossing,
Followed by a brush…

I climbed the mountain,
The meaning of life to find.
“Floss!” was all he said.

Whiter than fresh snow
Lies floss against my cuspid.
Dracula flossed, too.

Caries, my burden.
Rue the day I tossed the floss
Underneath the bus.

Floss

2010-02-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Still trying to get past the bug that keeps this blog from being listed among Google blog alerts.
Flossing is great.
I have a google alert for floss & flossing. This blog hasn't shown. Any others see it mentioned in a google alert?

When will an entry here on floss or flossing get to Google alerts?

2010-02-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Flossing is great!
Floss is useful for cleaning your teeth and a 1001 other tasks.
There could be a McGiver show just built around floss!

Here we go again.
Sorry for the delay in really posting about floss and flossing, but something important is missing from this blog system.
We'll have to wait another day or two to see if it starts working.

Floss, Flossing

2010-02-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is a duplicate of a recent post - the test is still underway. Google alert has been notified.
Real posts soon.

Floss is great!
Flossing is important!
These things are certainly true, but this post is actually a test.
As yet, this new blog has not been picked up in a google alert for floss and flossing.
This post is aimed at baiting the google alert system into listing it.
Once fully active, we will make a huge announcement of international flossing importance right here.
In the meanwhile, check www.flossing.org
More soon!
Armand

Flossing - the #2 way to live to be 100!

2010-02-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

A new article in US News & World Reports lists 10 Health Habits That Will Help You Live To 100 - Flossing was #2!

http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/articles/2009/02/20/10-health-habits-that-will-help-you-live-to-100.html

Why, you may ask?

Flossing is a great way to reduce or eliminate chronic infections in the mouth!

Does anyone suspect chronic infections help people live longer?

Welcome!

2010-02-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

In addition to entries on our web site (www.flossing.org), the National Flossing Council is proud to announce the creation of our blog!
Stay tuned for our first big piece of international flossing news!