Which Is Better?

Flossing can feel like such a drag, is there any way to make it easier? Floss picks would seem like the answer because you don’t have to fumble around with a long piece of string, maneuvering between teeth, but it isn’t all that it seems. Floss picks can actually harm your health more than help, but it may surprise you why.

As part of a good oral hygiene routine, you should be flossing at least once a day, twice if you’re a real pro. To cut down on time, you might want to use a flosser, it’s easy to bring with you and easy to use. Unfortunately, flossing with the same piece of floss between each tooth means that you may be spreading unwanted bacteria and infections from tooth to tooth, entirely defeating the purpose of flossing! Using a flosser to remove food particles in certain areas and rinsing between teeth can help, but flossing is ultimately your main protection against gum disease and if you’re using a flosser you’re not really protecting yourself at all. 

Flossers can be great for kids that haven’t learned the dexterity to wrap floss around each tooth, but for adults, getting floss around each tooth and under the gum line is of the utmost importance to ensure gum health, so don’t skip out on regular floss. Floss picks are also more likely to actually damage your gums because of the force required to get the piece between closely packed teeth and while gums should be massaged, they should not be treated forcefully. The floss on picks also shreds faster when new sections aren’t used which traps bacteria, so when using floss picks you are guaranteeing a buildup of bacteria that can be avoided entirely with regular floss. 

Regular flossing may seem boring and time-consuming, but ultimately doing it the right way will save you time and protect your health in the long-run. Leave the floss picks to the kids, or better yet teach them how to floss properly while they’re young so they’ll be pros at it and have a healthy smile for years to come.