Flossing is not an option

February 25, 11:56 PMCharlotte History ExaminerAnna Looper

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OH my word! 49%of you are not flossing.

I can’t believe you don’t floss. After my dentist appointment today, I was given a nice little packet of toothpaste, a toothbrush, and dental floss. In the past, they came in a brown paper bag but now it’s in a fancy Ziploc plastic bag. On the bag is the name of the dentist office with all the appropriate contact information should you need to contact them while doing oral hygiene.

But you people don’t need the floss, right? Dentist offices could save a lot of money by omitting the floss. Do you discard it after getting it home? Does it make you feel guilty? I store those handy little samples in my purse, the car, and in the table beside my favorite chair.

In 1850, Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, recommended people clean their teeth with strands of silk. Manufactured silk strands became available to the public in 1882 when the Codman and Shurtleft Company started making unwaxed strands.

In 1898, the Johnson and Johnson Company received the first patent for dental floss. Red Cross, Salter Sill, and Brunswick were other earlier manufacturers.  Dental floss wasn’t too popular prior to WW2 because it wasn’t elastic. I don’t like the floss you have to hammer between your teeth either.

Thanks to Dr. Charles C Bass who invented nylon floss which is elastic and more abrasive than silk. Less food between the teeth rotting and decaying away means less bad breath. I’m all for that. If you are environmentally concerned, you can buy biodegradable floss. 51% of you need to worry about your floss in the sewer system or local landfill.

If you don’t like cutting off the circulation to your fingers while flossing, buy the floss picks. But for goodness sake, buy floss and use it.

The American Dental Association gives directions on how to use floss. It doesn’t work well between the toes.

Normally my checkups are pretty good but today was fantastic. It was so good that I might just go back tomorrow and beg for another cleaning. Seems like my extra consumption of milk made my teeth less sensitive and gums healthier. That electric toothbrush that gets a twice a day workout paid off too. No cavities and no messy cleaning.

Please tell me you floss!