Do you floss your teeth?

[poster]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Every night before bed, even though at times I don't want to do it. It's best to do it at night as overnight is when plaque builds up the most according to my dental hygienist.

I neglected it at times throughout my life, but now I can't imagine not doing it every night. It is disgusting when plaque builds up in your mouth. It also makes the 6 month cleaning less painful.

I have a long Ripken like streak going. Can't remember the last time I missed flossing, may have been the Halloween before last when me and wife got really lit. Woke up the next morning not knowing what happened and realized I didn't floss. Had a long streak going before that night as well so I am dependable.

[ODogg]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Yeah I always do it right before bed myself. That is when you should always do it. And you're right, my cleanings are so much easier now thanks to flossing. I always do it each night, like I said the only time I don't is when I drink alcohol and forget, so i can relate to your story.

[Jonesy]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

So it seems the most popular response so far is never. Interesting....

Those flossing tools Max mentioned are a godsend for me. I really suck at using regular floss but those things make it much easier even though they do break fairly easily at times.

Like some of you have mentioned it's pretty gross to see how much crap you can still get out of your teeth even after giving them a good brushing + mouthwash. It also helps reduce the chance of bad breath as well.

It's still a royal pain in the *** though so i don't do it everynight but i really should. I do notice that if i go a week or more without doing it when i go back to flossing my gums bleed a fair bit which ain't much fun.

I had a root canal and crown done a few years ago after I cracked my tooth in half on a supposedly pitted olive that still had a huge pit in it. It wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be but it did hurt the wallet.

[ODogg]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

You ain't kidding man, i've spent about $15,000 on my teeth in the last 7 years. And yes I have insurance. Total cost inc. what they paid is probably about $30k. So you best believe with that amount of money in my teeth i'm going to keep up on it now.

The secret to flossing IMO is using a LOT of floss and wrapping it many times around your fingers. When I started out I tried to use too little and it kept falling off my hand. I was trying to avoid wasting it. But now I don't, I use a ton and figure, it's only $1.50 or whatever for another thing of floss and it makes it so much easier.

[Jonesy]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Holy crap O 15K! Bloody dentistry is so expensive.

My father in law has neglected his teeth for his whole life and now has to have most of them removed and is getting those permanent fake ones that a screwed into the jaw with titanium screws. Each tooth is going to cost a few grand so he is looking at over 60k once it is all said and done. He can afford it but that's still a heap of money for teeth.

He jokes that when he dies we have to come and remove them because they are to good to go to waste.

[jnofx]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

I HIGHLY recommend those floss-pick things that Max posted a picture of, but they make better ones. Instead of being vertical like that, the floss part is rotated 90 degrees, making the teeth in the back of your mouth much easier to access. Flossing has become much less of a pain since I discovered those. I recommend them to 100% of everybody. If someone actually wants me to take a pic of the package and post it so y'all know what to look for, I'm glad to do it. Just too lazy to do so right now.

If you don't have dental insurance, flossing becomes an absolute necessity, since you're basically making financial decisions every time you clean you're teeth.

[~LiverpoolRed~]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Every night without fail.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

I floss every night with the only exception being when we run out of floss.

It blows my wifes mind, but regarldess of how drunk I am, I still brush and floss my teeth and wash my face before going to bed.

[ESPNdeportes]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

I fit squarely in the 3-5 times per week group.

[Spectre]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Nightly while watching TV- I don't even think about it and can do virtually anything while I'm flossing.

[ODogg]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Same here Spectre. I do it before bed while watching the news. It's pretty much a habit at this point, i don't think much about it being a 'chore' or whatever..

[Sportsforever]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

I'm kind of weird I guess in that I really enjoy flossing...in fact, I can't stand to not do it knowing that food could be caught between my teeth. I floss at least once a day and often more than that depending on what I ate. It has paid off, however, in that I have never had a cavity my entire life and every time I go get my teeth cleaned they basically tell me there isn't any plaque to take off.

[ODogg]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

before I flossed i had 9 cavities and since i have always flossed i've had none either. i enjoy it after i eat a food where stuff gets stuck in your teeth, like chicken for example.

[Jonesy]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Yeah i eat a fair bit of chicken and steak and it's kinda disgusting going to bed knowing that i may have bits of rotting meat still stuck somewhere between my teeth if i don't floss.

So if your gums bleed when you do it is that a sign of bad gums / teeth?

[ODogg]

Re: Do you floss your teeth?

Yeah i eat a fair bit of chicken and steak and it's kinda disgusting going to bed knowing that i may have bits of rotting meat still stuck somewhere between my teeth if i don't floss.

So if your gums bleed when you do it is that a sign of bad gums / teeth?

I asked my dentist and he said that it's normal unless you see a lot of blood and you see it all the time. But if you see a little bit of blood on occasion you probably just flossed a little too hard.