To think that people who don't floss are a bit gross

[Spikeythistle]

Ok so I admit I didn't used to floss but now I do everyday and I can't believe how much crap you can get out from between your teeth! The thought of that sitting there all day really grosses me out.
I recently went away for a couple of days and forgot to take any floss so when I got back and did floss I got loads of chunky bits of food out and they really stank just like bad breath. Bleurgh!!!

I have recently discovered the joys of the TePe brush, after decades of gums that bled every time I flossed them.
Hurrah! No more bleeding!
[Sad to be so excited, I know]

You should definitely floss, the alternative is grim.

I tried the interdental brushes and they don't fit either. Shame because they look nice

They come in different sizes.

Chunky bits of food?

Thanks for that.

Given that flossing wasn't really mainstream until about 15 years ago, and given that many people over the age of 40-odd, say, still have all their teeth, I call bollocks on this "only floss the ones you want to keep" smuggery.

Ahem. Not for Americans.

soda

Is that allegation found on any mainstream sites?

Your link has a strange version of English in it, and the sample articles I looked at had no links to published research (although a couple of them mentioned The Times of India).

I was suspicious when I read "As soon as the rainy autumn replaces Sunny summer many start to hurt. One of the most frequent colds flu is."

OP, would if surprise you to learn that a recent study revealed that those who regularly floss are utterly shit in bed?

(looking at the cookies it tries to set, and the adverts, I see they come from Russia, which may be irrelevant)

I'm betting the dentist who is anti flossing sells LOADS of those interdental brushes they recommend as an alternative.

Floss or don't but I'm with honeydragon the tone of the op sucks.

Why the defensiveness from people who don't practise recommended dental hygiene? According to many on MN I am a despicable sloven in many ways, but in this one I follow the advice.

Flossing is more widely recommended by professionals than wearing pants in bed (shudder)

Fluffy I agree that many people harm their gums flossing, but this is due to poor technique. I imagine most dentists would suggest an alternative if they see that someone is causing their gums a damage with floss. Especially as there are a few good alternatives that don't require as much delicacy.

motherinferior that makes me laugh too. It was always going to be the case though...the majority of people would consider themselves to have good levels of hygiene. Pointing out that their oral hygiene is quite poor is bound to rub them up the wrong way.

Flossing is unnecessary for good hygiene if you brush properly

I'm bored of all the 'people who don't do X are ewwww so gross' threads.

Not according to anyone I've ever interviewed who actually works in dental health.

Then why am I always told I have excellent teeth despite never flossing?

I could never floss as my teeth are overcrowded and very little gaps, always bled or the floss get stuck!

No one ever told me about water flossing though which I think is the best invention ever.
Now if I don't use it 8t for a couple days I can feel my gums being dirty.

It is gross not to floss, your missing 40% of the surfaces of your teeth! Its like washing your whole body but missing your arm pits.
You floss mostly for your gum health, most people who dont floss have some level of gum disease which is when your gums are bleeding. I can mostly tell when someone doesn't floss or only flosses occasionally, their gums will be a bit redder.
If you floss correctly your gums wont be damaged, they're much more likely to get damaged with interdental brushes than floss and ive never found teeth with gaps too small for floss, providing there's no calculus in between you should be able to fit floss between, even if you need a 'stronger' floss

I find you gross OP

Interesting thread. I didn't used to floss. Now I live in the US and trust me, it really is considered gross not to floss here.

I have never flossed. I go to the dentist for regular 6 month check ups and never had a problem with my teeth.

Flossing is unnecessary for good hygiene if you brush properly

Not true.

Interesting reading. Incidentally I don't floss; I don't have gaps between my teeth. I also don't have gingivitis or bleeding gums: a pristine dental health record. Not being defensive, I don't mind if people think I'm yecky - I probably have loads of other yecky habits too.

www.forbes.com/sites/rosspomeroy/2013/10/17/dentists-say-you-need-to-floss-science-says-you-dont/#2ed4653377d5

time.com/4089057/dental-floss-flossing/

I'm a dentist and I literally have no fucks to give over this topic. Most MNers don't even brush twice a day, the number of truly foul gobs I would see in a week (2% of patients or so) leads me to think that flossing is a bit like ironing your duvet cover. Nice if you've got time, makes no appreciable difference.