Do you floss?

[USUaggie]

I just had this conversation with my girlfriend - my parents never really taught me to floss when I was a kid and I started flossing last year because I thought maybe the interviewers had worked with teeth enough that they could tell I didn't floss and wouldn't take me seriously about oral hygiene

Honestly, how often do you guys floss?

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[JavadiCavity]

I honestly can't believe there are 4 ppl so far that don't floss. I hope they are joking. Do they brush? Rinse with mouthwash? Come on guys, you are going to be dentists. That's like going to a doctor that specializes in lung cancer but you see him outside smoking right before your appointment.

 

[ISU_Steve]

I honestly can't believe there are 4 ppl so far that don't floss. I hope they are joking. Do they brush? Rinse with mouthwash? Come on guys, you are going to be dentists. That's like going to a doctor that specializes in lung cancer but you see him outside smoking right before your appointment.

Don't laugh. I work with a pulmonologist who is the biggest chain smoker I have ever met.

Personally, I rinse with mouthwash, brush, floss, brush some more, and rinse again with mouthwash.

 

[45540]

Nope. I brush 4x a day and use listerine. Usually every other week I'll get bored and actually floss though.

I still had a 2% bleeding and 14% plaque score on my last bleeding score and plaque index. I didn't feel too bad.

 

[dexadental]

I wear braces so flossing takes a good 10 to 15 minutes. LOVE the super floss stuff with the hard ends to get through the metal. I love flossing! My entire dental care routine probably takes a full 45 minutes out of my day (combined morning and night)

 

[Tzips]

My entire dental care routine probably takes a full 45 minutes out of my day (combined morning and night)

I try to floss every day, but usually end up doing it only 3-4 times/week because half the time I'm too tired to make the effort. If I had to spend 45 min on it - like I did when I had braces (I think I flossed like 1-2/MONTH, then) - things would be Not Good. I'm inspired by your dedication, though, and I think I'll go floss right now...

 

[cowsgomoo]

Does flossing with twizzlers count because I do that multiple times daily hell I even go crazy and do it every half an hour too.

 

[jdcinza13]

This may sound stupid, but, I usually floss with the little dinosaur flossers that you get at the grocery store. I don't know their exact name, but they work great and I can keep them in my school bag, in my desk at work and in my car. They work great and they make it really easy to floss when you're in a car or wherever. It'll take care of about 90% of what normal floss does and it's a lot faster.....

 

[grinningrice]

When I was young, I was a compulsive flosser. I flossed after every meal and when I was bored. I think I flossed about 6-8 times a day. After I got braces....I think I flossed like once a week. After I got my braces off I floss on a daily basis.

 

[DrTacoElf]

2x per day I

floss
rinse with water
brush teeth and tounge with colgate total
wash out mouth
brush with water and rinse
rinse with listerine cool mint for 1 minute
rinse with water


anyone ever tried the golden listerine (it will f you up if you haven't , I don't think you can ever call yourself a real dentist if you haven't experienced the pleasure )

 

[IcemanDDS]

Haha, yea that original Listerine you mean? Tastes like crap and burns like heck after several seconds. Yea I just got a Sonicare Elite toothbrush and man that thing works. I might be going too rough on my gums though, cause the gums around one of my lower molars seems to be receeding . I do recall though that I drill that area pretty good with the Sonicare, and it might be too rough. But about flossing, I dont floss everyday I'll admit, but I do every couple days, or whenever I eat sumthin pesky. Need to improve that!

 

[JMJRDH1]

I honestly can't believe there are 4 ppl so far that don't floss. I hope they are joking. Do they brush? Rinse with mouthwash? Come on guys, you are going to be dentists. That's like going to a doctor that specializes in lung cancer but you see him outside smoking right before your appointment.

KNOWLEDGE does not = BEHAVIOR CHANGE

Many people function based on this statement and while it is not an answer to why people do wacky, ass-backwards things, it comforts me when I observe people doing them!!

 

[45540]

I think we took classes about this last semester. I floss this month because I have to pass a bleeding and plaque score for pathobiology, but I'm not going to keep on doing it every day after friday. So knowledge isn't motivating me to floss, if i get a cavity one of these days i might, but so far I haven't

Something like self-actualization is when i start doing it because I feel the need and not just because the doctor is telling me to.

 

[kato999]

I try to floss everyday, but usually end up flossing once a week or so. I have never had caries or gingivitis so I don't think I need to change my behavior too much.

Interesting point, one of our instructors told us that it is better to floss after brushing because you push the flouride interproximally. I liked flossing before brushing, but am at least trying to change that.

 

[IcemanDDS]

I try to floss everyday, but usually end up flossing once a week or so. I have never had caries or gingivitis so I don't think I need to change my behavior too much.

Interesting point, one of our instructors told us that it is better to floss after brushing because you push the flouride interproximally. I liked flossing before brushing, but am at least trying to change that.

doesnt make sense to me to floss after you brush. You'd think you want to remove food/plaque from between teeth so that the toothpaste and fluoride can get in there and do its thing. That's the way I do it until proven otherwise