Flossing is bullshit

[petzl]

Since he read Tim Ferriss’ new book: The 12-Second Toothbrusher

[thaumatechnicia]

'Cuz the AP bosses have heavily invested in WaterPik.

[ficuswhisperer]

[ficuswhisperer]

@renke

pro-tip: never ever use the term “too many teeth” for Google image search

Is it worse than “vagina dentata”?

[nungesser]

I’m waiting for the BB article about how once you stop brushing and flossing for a few weeks, your teeth’s natural chemicals keep them clean without all of that fluoride and water and manual cleaning. After a year, the plaque that grows over your teeth will protect them from the elements and keep them naturally healthy.

[Irontrousers]

As a dental assistant, please just floss your damn teeth. It is the easiest way to take care of your teeth.

[akbar5656]

You know, I had a dentist friend come to a party once and she brought a bowl of m&ms mixed with skittles. She claimed it was just her favorite treat and we jokingly said she was “trying to drum up business.” But from that day forward I have eyed any advice from the dental field with a grain of salt.

[theodore604]

I dunno in my personal experience I’ve always hated flossing HATED it. But since I’ve started flossing regularly my gums no longer bleed and I’ve not gotten any cavities. I almost feel like it’s a bigger deal than brushing.

[Franko]

i resisted and hated flossing with those bits of string all my life. then last year my dental hygienist suggested i try a water flosser (like a Waterpik™) – and now i’m hooked. even if it ultimately has no measurable benefit, you’ll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands, because it feels amazing and the things it washes out of my teeth and gums are shocking sometimes.

[Irontrousers]

It is more important than brushing. If you really want to you only need to brush before you go to bed but flossing is an absolute must every day.

[Mister44]

Did your gum health improve?

[Franko]

YES. they used to bleed like crazy. i’ve only been using it for just going on a year, and she said that the improvement has been night and day, and i have to agree.

[wrecksdart]

@anon47741163

Here’s a new thing: those little “swords” with floss stretched between a tiny fork?

I like those, too, but am I the only one who feels guilty using the thing one time and then throwing it into the trash?

[anon6955837]

Have you noticed folks stand a few extra feet back when you speak…

[Jeff_Liu]

It’s incredibly irresponsible to conclude from the press release that flossing is bullshit; if you read the articles cited, the reviews claim that there hasn’t been enough research to conclusively determine the effects of flossing.

But if we’re cherry picking quotes to push a narrative, I can do the same:

Flossing plus toothbrushing showed a statistically significant benefit compared to toothbrushing in reducing gingivitis at the three time points studied http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22161438

Professional flossing in children with low fluoride exposures is highly effective in reducing interproximal caries risk http://jdr.sagepub.com/content/85/4/298.abstract

It would be equally irresponsible for me to conclude that flossing is necessary just from those isolated quotes out of context. The only reasonable conclusion you can draw from the studies is that there’s not yet enough research either way for the federal government to include it in their guidelines.

I’m disappointed with you guys; I expected better than oversimplification for clickbait titles.

[ficuswhisperer]

Better not tell these guys it’s bullshit:

They take their floss game very seriously.

[teknocholer]

@monkeyoh

Some of us have teefs that are pretty tightly packed into our jaws. Just brushing doesn’t get rid of the stuff that gets stuck in between.

That would be me. Even my electric toothbrush (humblebragging again!) doesn’t get the nameless horrors between my teeth. If I floss regularly, the spaces between the teeth stay open enough for the floss to fit, otherwise they tend to close up.

@noahdjango

I’m still of the mind that an apple a day has most of the benefits of daily brushing.

If I eat an apple, I definitely have to brush to remove the sugar-laden apple mush from between my teeth. If your teeth are better spaced than mine, your experience will be different.

[d_r]

@Ratel

@Mister44

I got one of those water pick things, and while it’s some nuisance to use, I’d say it’s more effort than doing an unsatisfactory flossing, but much easier than doing the kind of flossing the dentist recommends, and certainly feels like it’s doing a better job.

100% agree. After decades of being floss-averse (tight spacing, the floss would shred half the time) I bought one (because gadget), and I found myself actually using the thing until it became a habit. It is much quicker and easier than flossing, and seeing the bits of food down there in the sink is pretty compelling.

[Ratel]

There are no brick-wallers worse than non-Euclidean brick-wallers.

[MBrody]

Flossing is beneficial. That schmutz that flies out of your mouth and sticks to the bathroom mirror while you floss is evidence that you’re getting things cleaned out.