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Dental Floss

    Dental Floss Editor's Picks

    • What Is Dental Floss Made Of?

      Dental floss is one of the most important dental products on the market. Brushing your teeth is important, but dental floss is considered the most beneficial product to prevent periodontal disease. It's effective because it's able to slide between the teeth and remove plaque, which causes gum disease. Even though dental floss has been... more »

    • Who Invented Dental Floss?

      Some people may think that dental floss is a new invention that companies introduced in the 1970s. Actually, dental floss became more prominent in the 1970s because of various patents to improve dental floss. Dental floss has been around since the 1800s, but it was not readily available to most people. Today, dental floss is a common... more »

    • How Is Dental Floss Made?

      Dental floss can be made of two different materials: nylon or Teflon. Nylon is a synthetic thread, whereas Teflon is a brand name for a specific type of plastic. Each material calls for a very different manufacturing process. The coating is generally wax, flavored or unflavored. more »

    • How to Remove Skin Tags Using Dental Floss

      A skin tag (also know as an acrochordon, cutaneous tag, fibroma molluscum, papilloma colli, soft fibroma and templeton skin tag) is a small benign tumor that most often forms where the skin creases. Although anyone can get skin tags, they are more common in pregnant women, obese people and people with Type 2 diabetes. Skin tags may be... more »

    • How to Floss Teeth

      Flossing your teeth is an important part of dental hygiene and has many benefits beyond keeping your teeth looking good. Flossing your teeth regularly helps to prevent gum disease and has even been linked to helping prevent heart attacks and strokes. Flossing your teeth only takes a few minutes, and the benefits are huge. Read on to... more »

    Dental Floss Quick Guides

    • Teeth Cleaning

      Regular teeth cleaning is an important part of overall dental health to prevent problems such as...

    • Dental Disorders

      Dental disorders are a very wide range of afflictions that occur in a patients mouth, teeth, and...

    Dental Floss Articles

    Wikipedia

    Dental floss

    Dental floss is either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic (teflon or polyethylene) ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums. Dental floss may be flavored or unflavored, and waxed or unwaxed.

    History

    Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss. He recommended that people should clean their teeth with silk floss in 1815.Sanoudos M, Christen AG. (1999). Levi Spear Parmly: The Apostle of Dental Hygiene. Journal of the History of Dentistry. 47(1): 3-6.

    Dental floss was still unavailable to the consumer until the Codman and Shurtleft company started producing human-usable unwaxed silk floss in 1882. In 1898, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation received the first patent for dental floss. Other early brands included Red Cross, Salter Sill Co. and Brunswick.

    A character is depicted using dental floss in James Joyces famous novel [] (serialised 1918-1920) - an early mention of the practice in literary fiction.

    The adoption of floss was poor before World War II. It was around this time, however, that Dr. Charles C. Bass developed nylon floss. Nylon floss was found to be better than silk because of its greater abrasion resistance and elasticity. In response to environmental concerns, dental floss made from biodegradable materials is now available.

    Dentists and dental hygienists urge the daily oral hygiene regimen of toothbrushing and flossing. Nearly all Americans brush their teeth. However, studies have found that only 10 to 40% of people report flossing on a daily basis.K. Bauroth, et. al. Journal of the American Dental Association, Vol 134, No 3, 359-365. "". Accessed 15 November 2009.

    Use
    Dental floss is commonly supplied in plastic dispensers that contain 10 to 50 meters of floss. After pulling out the desired amount, the flos read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental+floss

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