Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines

Post by 83457 » Wed, Aug 03, 2016, 1:47 PM UTC

nailer wrote: post #40

return0 wrote: post #20

Toothpicks work just as well for me.

+1 but also a modern twist: intradental brushes. They're a piece of wire with a handle, coated with bits to pull plaque off teeth. You use them exactly like a toothpick but they have a nice big grip and you can get 90 degree versions with long handles for your back teeth. A pack will easily last a year. Cannot be bothered flossing (and I salivate a lot which makes it harder) but intradental brushes are now part of my…

Post by Kinnard » Wed, Aug 03, 2016, 1:49 PM UTC

daveguy wrote: post #97

skolos wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My father in law is a dentist in Germany and he never recommended flossing. In fact flossing is not common in Germany and we don't hear that Germans have very bad teeth compared to Americans. So although dentists could notice if you have good dental hygiene I'm not sure they can spot easily if you floss or not. It might just mean that in US good dental hygiene means that you floss, but converse might not be true.

> My father in law is a dentist in Germany and he never recommended flossing. In fact flossing is not common in Germany and we don't hear that Germans have very bad teeth compared to Americans. It's all the sauerkraut. It acts as a natural floss.

Post by dharmach » Wed, Aug 03, 2016, 1:50 PM UTC

MicroBerto wrote: post #72

gjem97 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's missing the point. And, as an aside, so are all the comments in this thread that are essentially "flossing works for me, so I'm going to keep doing it." The point of this article is not that people should stop flossing, or that it's bad for some reason. The point is that an entire industry of medical professionals were saying "floss because it reduces you risk of tooth decay and gum disease," when in f…

Dentists and dental hygienists look into tens of thousands of mouths over the courses of their careers. It's not difficult for them to see that patients who floss have far healthier smiles, in general. That said, they should get more studies done. You could also be a bad flosser, so even the study could be flawed.

Post by Kinnard » Wed, Aug 03, 2016, 1:51 PM UTC

Post by maxxxxx » Wed, Aug 03, 2016, 1:56 PM UTC

leaveyou wrote: post #10

For me the water flossers (oral jet irrigators) are the best solution yet. I was never able to floss correctly with a wire, especially between the teeth in the back row but then my dentist told me about "the jet thing from amazon" and I wish I had it a lot earlier because it's so easy to use and quite efficient. (Just don't jet your gums with the highest power; it can hurt and make your gums bleed)