Dr. Chip Tartaroff got a question about Floss Holders.
Dear
Dr. T
You
make no mention of any of the numerous floss-holders that are
available. I never used to floss until I almost lost 8 of my back
teeth due to the roots having decayed to the degree that I had to
have surgery where the gums had to be cut and lifted off the teeth so
that the decayed area of the roots could be 'scratched off'.
This
was an agonizing ordeal that had to be done over a month and
took four separate surgeries, one for each quarter of the mouth.
It
was such a shock for me that I spent hours on the internet searching
for a simplified, if not easier, way to floss. Flossing was just too
difficult to do. I came across 2 different items for sale and have
been flossing daily ever since. (The 2 gadgets I bought are good).
Yet
you never mention any of the items sold for making flossing easy, or
at least easier. Why? Is it because you don't believe these gadgets
work? Or is it because you will be accused of 'pushing' a product in
the form of indirect advertising?
Sincerely,
Ivan
P
Dear Ivan,
Thanks for your note!
I'll start my reply from the end of
what you wrote – I haven't talked about floss holders because I
don't use them and no one, before you, has asked about them. It's
also true that I'm not interested in “pushing” particular
products.
As I say in another spot, I think
flossing will have helpful effects whether it's done with string from
a sewing box or a fine designer “tea tree” floss. I guess I
should add “or with a floss holder.”
Cleaning between your teeth where food
and crud can sit – out of reach of a toothbrush – is what
flossing is all about. What kind of floss and how you get the floss
there aren't too important.
But some people, like you, find the
addition of a floss holder makes flossing much easier and convenient,
and it actually gets them to floss. Which is why I'm very happy you
wrote to let others know your experience!
In my back teeth, I have some old
amalgam fillings that catch floss if I try to pull it up and out, so
I like having a free end on my floss to slide it out from between my
teeth. That limits my use of those small y shaped floss holders and
keeps me a “free rangin' flosser” with no holder at all.
I'm very happy to hear you have done so
well with the floss holders you've found (I checked back with Ivan
and found he particularly likes “floss rings”*).
Other readers are encouraged to send
word of their experience with other floss holders (good or bad) to
share. This isn't a site for “pushing products,” but it is a
place you can share your honest experience with flossing
aids/gadgets.
Floss on, Ivan!
Sincerely,
Dr. T.
*Floss Rings were developed by Sean Dix
in the 1990s. Apparently, Mr. Dix is not one who believes “Any
press is good press.” After a
bad report on floss rings on CNN and a long period of frustration
about getting his side of the product story told, Sean Dix feigned a
threat on the life of Ted Turner to get attention to his complaints.
The tactic got him 2 years in jail. For a telling of the full story:
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