How to Remove a Stuck Ring with Dental Floss

This is more cleverly done than might be expected.

The video shows it all!
Good to know.

Vegan Xylitol Antibacterial Cranberry Floss!

Can't find the floss that's right for you?
How about - Vegan Xylitol Antibacterial Cranberry Floss?

Yes, the Radius Toothbrush Company - the folks that make those brushes with overdesigned handles - have been developing specialty flosses.

Turns out they're all Vegan flosses and made with American xylitol (USA! USA! USA!).

If this sound interesting to you, here's the link for their floss page .

Spoiler alert - you won't find gluten free, low fat, decaf - yet.

The "Go Floss Yourself" Ad Campaign by Den Tek

So what does Den Tek have planned for us?
It's an ad campaign to encourage flossing (good) that uses a variation on a popular expletive to get attention (nothing wrong with that - perhaps even "bold").
"Go Floss Yourself" is even abbreviated at times as "Go F Yourself."
I'd suggest you read the Press Release before watching the video.
Spoiler: The press release says this is a campaign to help people tell friends when they need to floss (like if you have spinach stuck between your front teeth and don't realize it).
It's unclear why they chose to start their campaign with a poorly produced video (bad sound, weak acting) about an angry seeming Dad who confronts his daughter's new boyfriend over a phony dental issue.
My guess is that they were trying to do something so bad that others would be encouraged to make better videos to enter their month long contest. Many would say I'm being too kind.
If you're looking for a video contest about flossing, here's one for you.
The big prize is a trip to Puerto Rico (hopefully not during the Summer.)
Floss on!

Knotty Floss

 

There's a new floss - Knotty-floss - which has knots at 1 inch intervals.

It costs about 50 cents per piece and comes individually wrapped for use once a day.

Looking at the web site, Elizabeth Martens, the dental hygienist who created the product, makes some good points.

Here are two of the most important:

1. For some people having knots in the floss will stop them from sawing and encourage them to use an up and down motion when flossing.

2. When teeth have some space between them a knot can be a useful way to dislodge food that a smooth piece of floss can miss. (See our recent blog entry from Relieved Reader.)

Those are good points that are made on different pages of the web site.

What we wonder about is how some naive user, handed knotty floss, might wind up using it.

Dr. Jay Friedman, a West Coast Dentist and Educator, tells this story in his excellent book*:

“...there was a young man who never had a cavity. His gums were healthy, but the tissue between the teeth was “punched out.” He had been advised to use dental floss. Figuring if a little floss was good, a lot was better, he tied knots in the string and pulled them through the teeth, destroying the interdental papilla, the triangular-shaped gum tissue that normally fills the space between teeth. On cessation of this destructive flossing, the gum tissue gradually grew back to its normal shape.”  (excerpt from Chapter 7)

Knotty-floss may prove useful for some flossers, but not everyone needs knots!

The website doesn't show the actual floss or what instructions come with the product.

Without those details, we can only hope that the manufacturer does include some brief instructions with their knotty-floss to assure that it is less likely to be misused.

If you have any experience with knotty-floss, please leave a comment!

Floss on!

Dr. T.

*The Intelligent Consumer's Complete Guide to Dental Health

byJay W. Friedman, DDS, MPH

Phone Hack Floss Ad

This phone hack has been going around the web, so we used it in our latest floss ad.

"Simply Brilliant"

Note from Dr T:

We received the following email from a very kind reader who shared her agony from having food stuck in her teeth as well as the relief she got from finding a way to deal with her problem. 

It's rewarding to hear that some of the info we're trying to pass along about flossing has been useful. 

Many thanks for your letter Relieved Reader!

Dear Dr. T,

I don't normally find myself writing to online people that I don't know; but I have to send an email of thanks!

I have been battling a flossing issue for YEARS. Yes years!  I have teeth that are tight and some that are wide. I have two food traps that drive me crazy. Food gets stuck in there and it actually hurts. 

One of your answers said to try tying a knot in my floss. That is unbelievable. This has worked so well. It has brought so much relief to my poor teeth.  

I had flossed so hard at one point that within a week I had pulled off 2 crowns. I love to floss but didn't know how to floss for different teeth.

Thank you so much for your information. My teeth feel great!!!

Sincerely yours,

Relieved Reader

IT AINT HOLY WATER: Yo...Who Has Some Floss?

When sharks try the salad bar, they need to floss too!

Proof:

 IT AINT HOLY WATER: Yo...Who Has Some Floss?