I don’t notice much difference with my breath… What I do notice is a decrease in tooth sensitivity if I floss regularly.
My teeth are very sensitive to cold (as in, I have to lick ice cream and not bite it), and I noticed that when I finally got on board with my dentist’s recommendation to floss more often, that sensitivity lessened somewhat (but did not actually go away).
“Wildly exaggerated”? “Misleading”? Glad you’re not blowing this out of proportion.
That sound? It’s the oil-pulling industry.
Protip: gargle with salty water–that helps a great deal with bleeding gums.
“The effects of 0.05% sodium hypochlorite oral rinse on supragingival biofilm and gingivitis were evaluated in a small prison population (40 inmates).3 After a preparatory period to obtain a plaque- and gingivitis-free dentition, tooth brushing was eliminated and inmates instead were randomly assigned to either rinse with 15 ml of distilled water or 15 ml of the diluted bleach solution twice a day for 21 days.”
Of course, not everyone can develop a taste for Clorox.
Especially not this. Flossing is part of a plot against our precious bodily fluids.
#P. O. E.
Yknow what else has no proven benefit? Ear swabs. But I like the feeling of pulling out the gunk in my ears, just like I enjoy the sensation of pulling out the stuff between my teeth.
Here’s a new thing: those little “swords” with floss stretched between a tiny fork? I see some now come with three strands of floss instead of one. Suprisingly, it makes a big difference. My gums no longer bleed after an agressive floss session, and it picks up stuff much more quickly. I don’t much care what the science says about these, I really like them.
Just don’t let’s talk about pulling oil, that’s just gross.
Damnit, son. Do a controlled study with just half of your teeth! We need some science!
I keep trying to sell out…no one’s buying. 
…and?
what were the results?
Flossing is bullshit
Hey, you take that back.
Flossy is a valued member of this community, and his avant-garde poetry is…
Oh, sorry, misread the title.
My dentist said initial study results were better than flossing. I couldn’t keep up with it. The study was prompted by a researcher noting that swimmers had lower plaque levels.
Me too - I now use the dental tape, and all is well.
So what you’re saying is that the dental industry needs to put their money where their mouth is?
(I’ll see myself out)
Do the study!
More personal anecdotal evidence: I, too hated flossing. Still kinda do. So for most of my life I would only floss for a day or two before a dental visit (and bleed horribly). My gums never really barked at me in day to day life, but they would bleed sometimes when brushing, and most definitely if I flossed.
I switched to a new dentist a few years ago who as usual, would admonish me about flossing regularly. This time, instead of just “FLOSS GOOD, NO FLOSS BAD” shame, he went into detail about some of the less obvious aspects about what flossing does - regular flossing = less bleeding, keeping in mind that the mouth is a huge portal to the body for all kinds of bacteria and other external actors. Less bleeding = less access to circulatory system for bacteria/etc. = better general health.
Anyhow, his argument convinced me to give regular flossing another try. So I started adding floss to my nighttime brushing regimen by forcing myself at first, and after a couple of weeks it became habitual. At that point I noticed that my gums had stopped bleeding at all. I don’t think I’ve noticed any other particular health benefits other than that, but now each cleaning is a much happier experience and my dentist loves me. 
Yeah, I know that worst case bacteria from your mouth can hurt you heart or something… sooo yeah, I should probably look at doing something about it.
One question, why doesn’t antiseptic mouthwash do at least most of the job as flossing? Wouldn’t it kill most of the bacteria if you swish it between your teeth?
I imagine that it would depend on how much of a gap you have between teeth.
Though I do remember a Listerine commercial from a few years back that basically said, “If you use Listerine, you don’t need to floss.”
I dunno, bro. I get that it’s all anecdotal, but…most of my cousins flossed,
(my sister as well), and their mouths are filled with metal now. The cousins that didn’t?
A few dental caries infections, but that’s about it.
I have a lot of cousins.
Brush your teeth every day, kids. But don’t scrub them, they aren’t tile floors.
