The ugly truth is…
…that most of us don’t floss.
I happen to be one of the world’s champion flossers. Perhaps that’s because I have a pretty complex dental situation. I have two congenitally missing teeth—a canine and a bicuspid—as well as a root canal that failed, and have had various sorts of reconstructions since I was in my early teens. That includes a veritable treasure trove of dental techniques: various crowns, implants, some sort of veneer (I forget what it’s called), a cantilevered bridge, all replacing an older removable bridge.
You name it, I’ve got it. If I don’t take good care of my teeth I’m in trouble.
I have actually received compliments from dental hygienists on my flossing. So there.
I had dental pain once, and went to the doctor as my parents thought it was my wisdom teeth… they xray me, look, and mom asked if it was my wisdom teeth… doc said no. she said are you sure, he said, of course i am sure, your son was born without them.
35 percent of the population is born without wisdom – Mental Floss
Artfldgr:
My ex-husband not only had a set of wisdom teeth (as did I, before they were pulled), but he had an extra set of wisdom teeth.
These are easy. You can be half asleep and still get it done.
http://www.costco.com/Waterpik%C2%AE-Water-Flosser-Combo-Pack.product.100121484.html
waterpik flosser – – like your mouth went to the spa!
TMI, TMI, TMI
I used to be only an occasional flosser, which is why I now floss every day, sometimes twice. It was a painful lesson that I learned from not flossing regularly, which led to the loss of two teeth. Take it from me, if you’re young and careless about flossing, get in the habit and you can avoid some needless suffering and keep all your teeth.
A tip for anyone trying to make it a habit to floss regularly – make yourself floss every night for five nights in a row. You should notice how much cleaner your mouth feels/tastes and be motivated to continue. Added bonus, when the hygienist asks if you floss regularly, you won’t be lying. And of course they know when you’re not telling them the truth.
Art…
100% of the population is born without Wisdom teeth.
Wisdom teeth get their name because they only ever erupt during puberty — by which time one is supposed to be acquiring wisdom.
Unlike all other adult teeth, wisdom teeth have no baby teeth to kick out when they erupt.
This is why it’s common for wisdom teeth — especially in small jaws — to come in out of position and require dental intervention.
VERY rarely, some adults will have a THIRD set of teeth erupt underneath their adult teeth.
Even this may not be a complete set, there are tales of just having replacement molars or this or that. The DNA must have misfired.
The reverse is also common: the wisdom teeth never erupt at all. For myself, only three out of four came in. This is so common that dentist make nothing of it.
Used to floss twice a day. Switched to brush picks. You can use one hand, buy them nearly anywhere, and get into little places that I normally need to put both hands in my mouth to reach using floss. Give them a try:
http://www.dentaldepot.com/product/brushpick_120_doctors/DR_DENTAL_CONCEPTS_PRODUCTS_DOCTORS?zmam=20431246&zmas=1&zmac=2&zmap=261&gclid=CJ37l8H4usYCFYI7aQod6C8KVw
Last time a saw a dentist,which was, um, last time I could afford it, the hygienist got all prissy and said, “Well, some people just don’t get tarter.” Then she came to a place where I could not floss, with the devices that I had, back then, and said, “Oh! You actually do floss religiously!” The ultra sonic toothbrush is a big help, too.
I didn’t used to floss, but I do brush twice a day and rinse after I eat, and have been doing that for decades now. Until just last month I had never had a dental issue like cavities, bad tarter, or abscesses, however, my luck ran out. When I was twelve years old, I was hit in the mouth with a baseball and chipped an incisor and fractured a canine. Over the years, the remaining enamel on the chipped tooth wore through and I ended up having to get a root canal on both teeth because of an abscess. The reconstruction of both teeth and crown for the canine was over $3500 total. And if I had listened to a previous dentist, and had the chipped tooth better cared for, I could have saved most of that $3500. Taking care of your teeth is cheap, not doing so is expensive. Time to take up flossing.
Someone day someone will probably do a study that shows that flossing is not really that helpful. In anticipation of that study I never floss and have never flossed. I rarely use toothpaste, although recently I have begun using it about once a week, but I do brush thoroughly several times a day since I can’t stand dirty teeth. I also have my teeth cleaned every 6 months.
Each time I go to the dentist the hygienist gives me a hard time about not flossing and then the dentist comes in and marvels about how healthy my teeth and gums are.
I have pre-fluoride teeth and got serious about flossing after a visit to the periodontist. Love my Oral B electric toothbrush. This thing is great too:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/qexnf8b
You gotta floss man! I know lotsa guys skip it but there’s a couple ‘o’ chicks I know, dolled up to the 9’s that don’t floss. Yeeeccchh!
I haven’t had a cavity since… 1993 I think. I don’t take very good care. Flossing, you say? However, as I quite tobacco (chew), I am trying to take care, at least until natural bacteria can come back. Even so, I think, for me, tobacco really helped. Not even bad, or tobacco, breath. I will go back to tobacco though if my teeth start going terribly bad. Some people have that, if that may be because they don’t care for their teeth extra carefully up front. Too used to depending on tobacco and without having learned strong habit.
Though I think I am even more unusual. The dentists were watching a patch on my teeth. It was, for sure, going to become a cavity. The next time I was back they searched for it. I just suggested that it simply healed. And they told me that teeth don’t heal, not like this. So… On the bad side, I’ve had six or seven wisdom teeth pulled. I think I have some more back there, just under the skin, still. Bleh.
“when the hygienist asks if you floss regularly, you won’t be lying. And of course they know when you’re not telling them the truth.”
You gotta be careful about that. See “The Little Shop of Horrors”, especially the original version with a young Jack Nicholson.
I had a gap in my mollers as a kid and had to floss or food would get stuck…been a habit ever since…
upside is it keeps your gums nice and healthy…
You’ll notice as people age their gums start to recede…not attractive…gentle flossing daily prevents that…keeps the gum tissue healthy…makes for a nice, healthy smile, especially as you get older