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[davepoobond]

interesting there has never been a study on it

 

[John Kowalski]

5 minutes i could use doing something better, like reading War and Peace or learning about the fall of Rome.

 

[JoeyJungle]

i fucking knew it. this is even worse than the shampoo scam.

I'mListening.frasier.gif

 

[Jeels]

My dentist always instantly know when I don't floss because the gums will bleed as he floss them. I find flossing strengthen the gums and the bleeding stops after a week or two of flossing. Is that false?

Nope, personal experience, but before I started flossing if the dentists so much as tapped on my gums I'd be spitting out red. When I started flossing it would be the same thing, but after a few weeks it was only sometimes and after a few months it's completely gone unless I accidentally really hit against the gums.

 

[meow]

I didn't even know that flossing is supposed to remove plaque. I always thought it was for "stuff" your toothbrush doesn't reach, and it does that very well for me. I'll keep flossing as well.

Maybe everyone else just has perfectly spaced teeth where stuff doesn't get caught!!!

 

[Rodney McKay]

I went to the dentist once when I was younger after increasing my brushing for about 2 weeks prior to the appointment (at least twice a day, sometimes 3) with my Sonicare toothbrush and I didn't do any flossing.

After my exam, the doctor said: "Wow, you've been doing a great job with flossing!"

I just smiled and nodded, haha.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

My dentist always instantly know when I don't floss because the gums will bleed as he floss them. I find flossing strengthen the gums and the bleeding stops after a week or two of flossing. Is that false?

Scar tissue is tougher than regular tissue so yes, your gums are strengthened and bleed less over time. If you stop for too long they will heal and bleed again, so never stop.

Personally, most of my teeth are so close together it's really difficult to floss some of them so I only do it occasionally. I do brush regularly and don't have problems.

 

[Bread]

5 minutes i could use doing something better, like reading War and Peace or learning about the fall of Rome.

or traveling the world

 

[milanbaros]

Nope, personal experience, but before I started flossing if the dentists so much as tapped on my gums I'd be spitting out red. When I started flossing it would be the same thing, but after a few weeks it was only sometimes and after a few months it's completely gone unless I accidentally really hit against the gums.

I assume you're just low level scarring your gums, which makes them thicken up.

 

[UncleSporky]

I've always wondered if flossing might be actually worse for you depending on how you do it.

Naturally you gotta go from the outside in toward the gum, but if you have hardly any gap between your teeth, you have to push more forcefully to thread it through. You could possibly jam stuff down between your gums and teeth, pushing particles to where you can't get them.

Just conjecture though. Anyone else ever wonder about that?

 

[John Dunbar]

I'mListening.frasier.gif

water is enough for your hair. shampoo only messes with it and makes you dependent on all the garbage in it. shampoo is a scam (it's even in the name).

 

[Falchion]

I still do it most of the time, it gets any food that was caught out so it's certainly useful for something.

 

[Mossybrew]

I always thought flossing was for suckers.

 

[Juicy Bob]

As a Brit I am feeling so redeemed right now.

 

[Pau]

Take that mom.

Haha this was my first thought. My mum trained to be a dentist so she's always been really obsessive about our teeth.

 

[Fourth Storm]

In my anecdotal experience, using mouthwash is much more important than flossing.

Mouthwash is a ripoff. At most, it's about as effective as swishing with water and at worst, you increase your risk of cancer, if it's an alcohol based product like Listerine.

I'm skeptical of all this anti-floss stuff that's been popping up today. I guess it depends on how your teeth are spaced, but I find it definitely scrapes off the scum which builds up between teeth that brushing misses. More and better studies are needed.

 

[Kickz]

Team never flossed

 

[Captain Tuttle]

I'm 48 years old, never had a cavity and have never flossed

Take THAT Dental Industrial Complex!

 

[KorrZ]

Yeah fuck off @ my dentist who bitches at me every time I see him about not flossing!

 

[MyAbsolution]

Flossing improves my breath more than anything, so i will continue to remove the junk stuck in my teeth

 

[studyguy]

This thread would probably make some of your dentists cry.

 

[DJ_Lae]

Maybe it doesn't help with tartar buildup but I certainly notice my mouth feels fresher after I floss, and I can scrape some gnarly looking gunk out of some of my teeth. It's also not particularly expensive or time consuming (I usually floss while watching videos).

 

[UncleSporky]

Maybe it doesn't help with tartar buildup but I certainly notice my mouth feels fresher after I floss, and I can scrape some gnarly looking gunk out of some of my teeth. It's also not particularly expensive or time consuming (I usually floss while watching videos).

 

[Reverend Funk]

my life basically revolves around flossing at this point, its the only thing that keeps me grounded
what do I do with my life now

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

We gonna keep arguing about our anecdotes or will someone talk about European recommendations or some studies. Stop being anti science, GAF.

 

[Polioliolio]

If I don't floss once every day or two, the next flossing will kind of smell bad, stink of rotting food, so I'm totally going to keep flossing.

 

[Clockwork]

I'll keep flossing, study or not.

 

[NandoGip]

How much are they paying you to spread this propaganda?!

They pay me with the rotten teeth that fall out of the mouths of those who dont floss. I use it to fuel my tooth fairy racket

 

[Zackat]

I floss at least every other day. Normally before I go to bed. Whether it helps cavities or not, the amount of shit that comes out between my teeth sometimes is enough to keep me doing it.

 

[Condom]

I never floss, don't know any other people who floss either apart from my dad

 

[Doodis]

I floss every night. My wife is a dental hygienist, so I'm afraid she'll think I'm disgusting if I don't.

Though honestly, I grew up never flossing and had cavities all the time. Started flossing in my early twenties and have had one cavity since. So I'll keep it up.

 

[massoluk]

I don't floss. I have floss around in case there's an extremely annoying piece of corn that wouldn't go away though.

 

[Infinite Xero]

So, I only brush my teeth once a day (in the morning), don't floss, haven't been to a dentist in over 10 years, and I've never had a cavity. Am I harboring some unknown teeth/mouth infection because I don't know why people go to the dentist for anything other than braces. Teeth seem to require minimal maintenance and the whole flossing has always seem unnecessary to me.

 

[RCSI]

Is every dentist in the world part of this conspiracy also?

My dentist was. I floss regularly too, my world is now disillusioned!

 

[Hypemaster]

Lyin' dentists!

 

[TimeEffect]

How am I supposed to believe that they arent hiding the cure to cancer now?

 

[coy]

I have my 6-month appointment tomorrow and I'll be lying about the frequency in which I floss like I do every 6 months.

 

[Jme]

there's a huge difference in the health of my gums if I floss versus if I don't floss.

so uhhhh

this is anecdotal evidence. this is not scientific proof.

 

[Marvie_3]

Yeah honestly, after seeing what gets lodged between my teeth I'm still glad I flossed all these years lol

This. :lol

 

[Boogie9IGN]

I've always hated traditional flossing but I love my Waterpik, it's much faster and easier

 

[AtomskEater]

The takeaway I'm getting isn't "science now says flossing definitely does nothing," it's that flossing has been pushed for a long time, but there have never been any studies performed to show how well it actually works to prevent various dental issues. Which, yeah, I think is kind of surprising.

Definitely feel better after removing wads of foodmush from between my teeth, but I also hope they do actual studies into the benefits. If you already floss on a regular basis, you can continue because I really doubt it's hurting anything. I'll continue to floss occasionally

Spoiler

and only occasionally, because I'm a horrible lazy human.

I've always hated traditional flossing but I love my Waterpik, it's much faster and easier

Oh, that looks neat. Is it pretty easy to get at the back teeth with a Waterpik, those are always the most hassle to get at with traditional floss.

 

[Chmpocalypse]

My laziness vindicated!


Brushing is plenty for the breath. I do floss if I feel something stuck in my teeth though, but rarely otherwise. I don't feel so guilty about it anymore though, thanks science

As someone who used to have fucked-up oral hygiene - no, brushing alone is not enough for your breath.

 

[notsol337]

Dearest everyone that is going to stop flossing,

The article says they never researched it, not that it is not helpful.

I'd wait for studies before stopping.

 

[SugarDaddy]

I will continue flossing until they can prove i'm worse off for it, because I still believe there are benefits

 

[demosthenes]

I will keep judging people that don't floss. Not flossing is disgusting.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

I used to never floss. I kept getting painful inflamed gums all the time. Ended up having to get a deep cleaning at the dentist. I floss every other day or so now and the inflamed gums issue has completely disappeared. The only change in my habits was flossing. After seeing all the crap it gets out of my teeth, I have a hard time believing it's worthless.

 

[Your Entertainer]

My breath would smell like literal manure if I didnt floss. I see a dentist regularly who says I brush very well otherwise and there's nothing else wrong, before anyone suggests otherwise.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

For me at least, flossing toughens my gums. Just enough that when the dentist cleans house, they're ready.

Never did it as often as recommended though.

 

[deadlast]

The Federal Government was just like the rest of us. Dentists are like "you gotta floss every day", the Federal Government was like "Yeah, you're probably right."

Dentist make up shit all the time. There is really nothing you can do for shitty teeth.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

called it. Me and my ex used to argue about this all the time. At last victory shall be mine.

Mouthwash is a ripoff. At most, it's about as effective as swishing with water and at worst, you increase your risk of cancer, if it's an alcohol based product like Listerine.

I've been told salt water is a good, cheap alternative to mouthwash.