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!!!

Inter dental brushes come in different MM sizes depending on the gap between your gum and teeth you find one that is tight between your teeth and gums.

The poster that said they have bleeding after flossing is a sign they are staring to have gum disease Id be going to my dentist for a chat.

I don't know its gross not to clean in between your teeth its difficult to clean all the debris from food by simple brushing.

I guess the problems with bad dental hygiene is you can end up with gum disease which if left untreated could have bone loss in your gums and probably some teeth.

I've just tested it. No lumps of food. No lumps of bacteria. Whatsoever. Nothing.

I'm gonna encourage the "oh but i didnt mean people who are disabled" posts now, and point out that i cant floss due to problems with my hands.

Your teeth are pretty well designed to protect themselves, the shape of them and the shape of the papilla that sits between them mean that they stay pretty clean.

If your teeth aren't aligned or they have fillings or are rotated or tilted then this can be a problem. As is smoking and eating sugar too frequently. Gum disease is multifactorial, some people will never get it despite hardly cleaning. Some super cleaners will get it. It can be managed by marvellous cleaning but flossing isn't really here or there once you've got proper gum disease with pockets over 5mm IME. You need to use single tufted brushes in specific pockets to reduce the disease process there.

Yabu
I can't floss because it physically doesn't fit in between my teeth without a lot of force. Sometimes making my gums bleed. And nothing comes out because nothing can get in there in the first place.
Am I gross?

I floss 2 or 3 times a week when i can be arsed...what scares me is the floss stinks when ive done it....is that normal or do i have a problem??

In my amateur opinion I'd say you don't have a problem myusernamewastaken. That's the usual smell of detritus trapped between your teeth and in your gumline. Sometimes it gets out on your breath.

If you floss gently every day or every couple of days it won't smell and won't hurt or bleed. And if you do it gently you won't do any damage.

At least that's what my dentist tells me so I believe him as an expert who doesn't try to sell me floss or interdental brushes while recommending them.

He also recommends electric toothbrushes. He congratulated me for getting one in a Superdrug sale for £19.99 which I expect to last for a good five years like the last one. I've been using the same head for much longer than they recommend but he's not complaining.

I floss daily and my floss stinks but only on one tooth (trust me, it's just the one tooth) the gum is perfectly healthy and so is the tooth, it's very odd. I must get a lot off crap stuck in that one or something.

DH just started flossing after getting bleeding gums, he's a bit addicted to it and he is doing it far too much.

I floss once or twice a week following advice from my dentist and hygienist. My gums were swollen before and was told I could be at risk of gum disease if I didnt try harder to clean my nashers. My teeth are quite wonky and mouth overcrowded making them tricky to reach with a brush. Flossing has made ahuge difference, I can see and feel how much cleaner they are.

I do wonder how people can be so sure that they dont have stinky breath? Not sure ive ever been able to smell my own , fresh or bad!!

I always thought flossing was essential so I'm interested to read MrsMortons post. It makes sense.
I guess I better back off nagging my adult DC about flossing. It's the ONLY thing I have retained the right to nag them about now they are adults. They all have beautiful teeth which are the result of my wonderful parenting and I don't won't to see all my hard work go to waste by sloppy dental hygiene.

I think I'm one of those people who has to floss. I have wonky teeth and it's impossible to clean them without flossing.

I have barely any gap between my teeth - the hygienist has given up on me as she can't get floss, tape or those little tiny brushes between hardly any of my teeth!

Interestingly, my dentist always compliments me on my excellent mouth hygiene and my flossing technique! LOL

I also think flossing is important. So much gets stuck between teeth which eventually causes gum disease and tooth loss.

If you want to test your breath lick you wrist and then sniff it. If it smells like snake poo you have bad breath.

I love flossing, I also have crooked teeth which h attracts crap, in the process of getting braces so will have to invest in a water pic.

You should lick your wrist, let it dry then sniff it apparently. A lot of bad breath is because of a dry mouth.

Aaah, just did the kick test, tastes like Chanel

And smells

Cleaning teeth/flossing twice a day is the way to go. It takes 5 minutes out of your life and very worth it. A smile and good breath goes a very long way.

it smells like snake poo

I'd never know if my breath tastes like snake poo, and don't want to find out, in fact.
Kudos to you for tasting snake poo, though.

The dry mouth thing is probably a factor. When I have a cold and have to breathe through my mouth it feels dirtier.
Normally I produce a lot of saliva and my tongue can reach pretty much all corners of the mouth.

I'm actually quite shocked at the suggestion that flossing doesn't make any difference. If you're susceptible to gum disease as I am then it's crucial.

I floss and/or use interdental brushes twice a day and the difference from when I started being religious about it 5 or so years ago has been immense. I no longer have the swollen, bleeding red gums that I once had.

Sadly, I lost bone before this which I can't get back. I only wish I'd known sooner that gum disease wasn't something I just have to live with and that I can manage it, even if I can't 100% eradicate it.

It depends on the person and possibly their mouth bacteria/pH/saliva, etc

Snake poo = hugely specific description. And despite spending a VERY long time playing with the snakes & lizards when we took the Brownies to the farm last summer, I have no idea what snake poo might smell like. (For which I'm grateful, because if I did, it would probably be a story involving my cleaning snake poo off a traumatised Brownie...)

My breath is manky first thing when I have a chest&sinus infection (so am sleeping sitting up with infected mank dripping into my throat overnight, yum) but since having my NJ tube taken out just before Christmas my sinuses have calmed down significantly. (Feck knows what they did when they were doing the endoscopy to remove previous one & place that one. Just because I get a bit fighty when sedated...). I don't think it smells like snake poo, but am now almost tempted to do the lick test & trot along to someone who'll know the next time it happens... Or maybe if the District trip to the Zoo happens later this year I could ask the reptile house staff what snake poo smells like. Not that I ever overthink things. Nooooooo.

My dentist says "only floss the ones you want to keep"

Kind of strange how many people ignore what dentists say (based on latest research) because they don't like it.

People who floss and stop because their gums bleed- that is because your gums are inflamed. Floss and brush more and the inflammation will go down. not flossing will just let it get worse.

I am lucky genetically - my teeth can survive a lot of neglect.

But I worry more about gum inflammation caused by lack of dental care. It is linked to all sorts of medical conditions including heart attacks.

Good dental hygiene is a must. Everyone will end up with gum disease if they don't clean and floss twice a day.

My snakes poo smells like bad breath, a bit like dog poo but worse. When exhibition needed a filling his breath reeked because of the food in there. When I got a snake and it pooed that was the first thing I thought of.