Best Dental Floss Review and Buying Guide

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The places between teeth and near the gum line are often the spots where gum disease may start. That’s why dental floss is so necessary to have in your medical kit. It helps clean those places, which are often unreachable when brushing with an ordinary toothbrush. In our article, you can read all the main information about dental flosses — how to use them, their types, and short reviews on the best ones. Keep on reading to learn more about this useful invention!

Top-5 Dental Floss Options for Preppers

Top-5 Dental Floss Options For Preppers We’d like to begin our article with a top-5 of flosses that we consider to be the best on the market. While writing this list, we took into account not only their effectiveness but also other qualities such as medical safety and eco-friendliness.

 

1. Humble Co. Natural Floss

The Humble

These cornstarch-based, biodegradable floss picks are a great choice for vegans and ecologically conscious people. If somebody thinks that it lowers its effectiveness, it’s totally wrong — this floss is excellent at cleaning up plaque and pieces of food.

2. Listerine UltraClean Floss

Listerine Ultraclean

Many dental medicine and hygiene specialists strongly recommend it. It’s very effective at cleaning up excessive amounts of plaque than an ordinary toothbrush simply can’t reach. Thanks to its durability, you don’t need to worry that it will tear apart. Also, it has a very pleasant mint flavor. Keep one in your medical kit!

3. Dentist fave Cocofloss

Cocofloss Coconut-Oil

This one is another great vegan, eco-friendly, and completely ethical floss. It is a round-shaped woven floss with wax coating and five hundred fibers. Cocofloss contains coconut oil (hence its name) and has a wonderful smell. Also, it doesn’t contain sulfate, gluten, and paraben, which makes it not only ethical but also safe.

4. Oral B Super Floss Threaders

Oral-B Dental Floss

It is a floss created especially for people who have got various dental appliances — for instance, braces, fixed bridges, or retainers. It’s divided into three parts. One of them is stiff floss picks — for cleaning under those things, another resembles a sponge and is designed to move around them, and the third one is an ordinary mint-flavored floss.

This floss is often used by specialists during their practice, and it speaks volumes about its quality.

5. Tung’s Smart Floss

Drtung's Smart Floss

The last but not the least in our top-5 is Dr. Tung’s Smart Floss. This is a waxed flavored floss made of polyester. Because of its stretchiness, it can easily glide between teeth. It goes in a biodegradable package and has a pleasant flavor of cardamom.

6. Oral-B Glide

Glide Pro-Health

Oral-B Glide is often thought to be rather controversial. On the one hand, some researchers say that it contains potentially harmful chemicals such as fluorine, so it can be unsafe to use this floss constantly. But on the other hand, it’s thinner than most other flosses, which makes it useful for people who have too narrow spaces between their teeth. Its size and wax coating let it easily slide there and clean out pieces of food. Despite its thinness, it’s really durable and has a very low risk of tearing. So, albeit with some of its components, it’s a high-quality and reliable floss that can be used from time to time.

7. Waterpik Aquarius

Waterpik Aquarius Water

Waterpik Aquarius, or WP-660, is a water flosser. Such flossers, also called irrigators, are a great choice for those who have difficulties with ordinary floss – for example, people with tooth implants or any kind of dental work. It is great for everyday use at home. It’s way more efficient than most classic-type flosses. Its effectiveness is stunning — it can clean almost 100% of dental plaque even in most hard-to-reach places. Moreover, it has many additional useful functions: a pacer, a gum-stimulating water massage mode, and other ten modes, seven various tips, and a water control button.

8. Waterpik Cordless Freedom

Water Flosser Cordless

As the previous model, it can clean the plaque almost completely and also shows much more effective than typical string flosses. This water flosser easily reaches such places that even the thinnest of ordinary flosses aren’t able to reach. Also, like the Waterpik Aquarius, it is strongly recommended for people with dental work since it removes plaque near it three times better than even special super flosses.

9. Waterpik Cordless Advanced

Waterpik Cordless Advanced

A small, noiseless, and lightweight water flosser with four tips and three water pressure modes. It can be turned fully around its axis. Unfortunately, its water reservoir is not very big, but this model is ideal for camping, traveling, prepping, and hiking.

10. Waterpik Flosser for Kids

Waterpik Water Flosser

Proper dental hygiene is essential not only for adults but also for children. It’s extremely important to teach your kid how to floss from very early years. That’s why special children’s flossers like this one are needed. It’s got a small size and bright colored design that your kid will definitely like! But despite the fact that it’s made for children, it’s no less effective than adult water flossers. Just like them, it removes almost all plaque from all over the mouth.

We tried to include flosses of different types so that you can choose for yourself what suits you the most.

Main Dental Floss Types

Main Dental Floss Types Dental floss may seem a basic thing, but it’s got many varieties, every one of which has its own upsides and downsides. So, let’s look more closely at the main dental floss types:

  • Waxed floss is a typical dental floss covered with a thin layer of wax. On the one hand, it’s way more durable than the unwaxed one, but on the other hand, floss with a wax coating is not so tight, and cant be used in some extremely hard-to-reach spots.
  • Unwaxed floss — a thin, compact floss made of nylon. This type is great for you in case your teeth are situated too close to each other, and the spaces between them are tight. The disadvantage of such a floss is its lack of durability — sometimes it tears.
  • PTFE (Polytetrafluorethylene) — a material that often can be met in various innovative types of fabric such as Gore-Tex. Such floss is much more durable than an ordinary one and almost doesn’t get stuck.
  • Super floss — a floss that resembles yarn with stiff ends. It’s primarily made for those who have dental bridges or braces.
  • Dental tape — a flat, wide variation of dental floss. Just like ordinary floss, it can be coated or uncoated with wax. If you’ve got less tightly located teeth, this type may seem more convenient to you.

Disposable Flossers. What are They?

Disposable Flossers. What Are They?

Another great variant suitable for kids is a disposable dental flosser since they usually can’t properly maintain the cleanliness of floss holders.

How to use a disposable flosser? In the same manner as an ordinary thread floss (you can see the video below). Bend the floss around your tooth in a shape that resembles the letter C. Then, carefully move the floss under the line of your gum, and then lift it to the upper part of the tooth. Repeat several times.

Electric Flossers. Are They Effective?

Electric Flossers. Are They Effective? An electric flosser is also a great option for children or other categories of people who have trouble flossing with a regular floss. The majority of such flossers have convenient handles. Also, there are some models with angled heads, which helps them to clean even wisdom teeth with ease. In addition to that, electric flossers carefully stimulate the blood flow in the gums, thus preventing diseases in the mouth. However, little children, elders, or other people with a weak grip need to use such a flosser only under the control of another person.

How to use a Floss?

How To Use A Floss?

We’ve already mentioned that flossing your teeth is extremely useful for everyday oral care. But it’s important to do it the right way. Otherwise, you can do more harm than good. A short video below briefly shows the main steps of this process.

All this can be performed with any kind of dental floss. The main thing is whether you do everything right. You’ll need to go through all of your teeth, including the back ones. It’s necessary to cover all the possible areas.

Flossing with a handheld flosser

Flossing is a truly essential part of dental care. But for some people, it can be difficult. It’s, for example, little kids, people with arthritis and other finger impairments, and just those who are disgusted by the mere idea of putting a finger inside their mouth. For these categories of people, there’s a thing called the floss holder. It’s a device specially created to hold dental floss in place so that it doesn’t need much manual dexterity. A floss holder looks like a handle with a curve on its end.

Dental care with a handheld flosser doesn’t differ very much from other types of flossing. Firmly take its handle and insert the floss between your teeth. It doesn’t matter from which teeth you will begin — upper or lower ones. Carefully slide the floss between the teeth, moving it the same way as if you used ordinary floss.

This principle of cleaning is pretty much the same for electric flossers.

Flossing for those who have braces

In case you’ve got some kind of dental work such as braces, you need to be extra careful when flossing your teeth. Otherwise, the floss can easily get caught on it. A great variant is to buy an orthodontic dental floss that is equipped with floss picks or a special device called a floss threader. On the one side, it has a loop, and on the other, a pick.

To use it, firstly put the floss into the loop, then place the pick under the braces, pull it out, and then floss as usual.

Teeth Flossing Importance

Teeth Flossing Importance

Many people mistakenly think that teeth flossing are something unimportant and unnecessary at, so they only brush them. But it is an important oral hygiene practice. It helps to get rid of plaque and stop it from building up. A toothbrush simply can’t clean all the places in your mouth. That’s why you need a floss that can get to even the most hard-to-reach areas.

Also, this practice makes teeth visually more white. And that’s easy to explain — if they’re clean and free of plaque, they start to look completely different, just like a carpet, a floor, or anything else after a thorough cleaning.

But the most surprising thing is that the benefits of flossing aren’t limited to dental and oral health. It also can affect other parts of your body. There’s a lot of proof (although not fully scientifically backed) that periodontal illnesses can cause heart problems. According to some specialists, oral infections, like any other ones, raise the blood level of inflammation. This can lead to clotting and hindering the blood supply of the heart. Also, some experts suppose that oral microbes can get to the blood vessels and cause cardiovascular diseases.

In addition to that, flossing can decrease the risk of teeth decaying and gum problems since they’re usually caused by plaque, and flossing helps to remove it. When done properly and combined with using a high-quality toothbrush (some experts recommend an electrical one), flossing can keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Why is flavored floss so great?

All those kinds of dental floss can be in various flavors. Flavored floss is great for little kids since they tend to like tasty things. For adults, it’s very useful too — a floss with a flavor can freshen your breath and remove unpleasant odor.

If both your floss and your toothpaste are mint-flavored, their tastes can clash with each other. To avoid this, we recommend you to choose simple unflavored floss after brushing your teeth and the flavored one in the middle of the day.

Best Dental Floss Takeaway

Best Dental Floss Takeaway

When you’re flossing your teeth, it’s necessary to do it with great care — especially if your flosser is electric. Never do any sharp or fast movements because it can hurt your gums. Always pay attention to your own feelings. Don’t do anything that is even slightly uncomfortable or painful for you. And of course, don’t forget to read the instructions very thoroughly before using the floss. An even better variant is to consult with a doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions — FAQ

Is it good to floss your teeth?

Of course! Flossing your teeth is an essential procedure for oral hygiene. It helps to keep teeth clean, remove plaque and food pieces in areas that are hard to reach for a toothbrush, and prevent gingivitis, cavities, and many oral (as well as other) illnesses. Also, this simple procedure can make your teeth whiter, and if your floss is flavored, it can give you a fresh breath. The main thing is to floss regularly and follow all the rules and instructions.

How beneficial is flossing?

Any dentist will confirm that regular flossing is very beneficial. You can read about it in the main article and the previous question. It has numerous advantages, from preventing lots of diseases to whitening your teeth visually. For a proper mouth cleaning routine, a toothbrush and toothpaste is often not enough since pieces of food can get stuck in hard-to-reach places, and only floss can remove them.

Does Glide floss have fluoride?

Unfortunately, Oral-B Glide floss contains some amount of fluorine. That’s why we don’t recommend you to use it because this chemical isn’t safe at all. It can lead to several diseases such as infertility, obesity, and even some types of cancer.

Is waxed floss bad for you?

No, it isn’t. Some people are afraid to use this type of floss since they’re concerned that the wax will stay between their teeth and cause some trouble. But it’s wrong. Waxed dental floss is absolutely safe. The wax neither builds up nor leads to allergic reactions, nor causes any other harm.

Is dental floss stronger than thread?

Usually, dental flosses consist of Teflon or nylon, which makes them more durable than ordinary threads. That’s why some people use it to sew up holes in clothes, bags, and other things. But some flosses (typically simple unwaxed ones) aren’t so strong. So, the main thing is to choose the right floss. If you want to sew with a dental floss, its safety is not so crucial, so you can buy even a floss with PFAS or other harmful chemicals.

Does Oral-B floss have fluoride?

Not all Oral-B flosses contain fluoride and other harmful chemicals. Some of them are perfectly safe and non-toxic. But some, like Oral-B Glide, do contain fluorine and PFAS. So, we advise you not to use it. There are lots of other dental flosses that don’t contain those chemicals and are much safer to use.

What is woven floss?

Woven floss is a type of floss that is made up of multiple thin threads. Those threads are twisted into one. Usually, they’re produced of cotton or nylon. Many people prefer this kind of floss because it’s much softer than regular floss.

Does Listerine floss have PFAS?

As the manufacturer itself says on their website, dental floss produced by Listerine doesn’t contain PFAS. So, you shouldn’t worry about it — Listerine flosses are safe.

What is Glide dental floss made of?

Oral-B Glide is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, or simply Teflon. Unfortunately, this material is not very safe. It can lead to several illnesses, that’s why it’s much better to choose some other floss.

Author

A former USA Army sergeant and a highly educated survivalist and prepper with a degree and interest in Engineering and Electronics, Mike Millerson applies his extensive expertise in survivalism, homesteading, backpacking, hiking and hunting, spreading his deep knowledge about handling emergencies and prepping for them reasonably and effectively.

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