Dental floss is a bundle of thin filaments 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 or underneath them. Dental floss may be made of either plastic (nylon, Teflon or polyethylene) or silk, and can be flavored or unflavored, and waxed or unwaxed. An alternative tool to achieve the same effect is the interdental brush.
A review of trials concluded that flossing in addition to toothbrushing reduces gingivitis compared to toothbrushing alone. In this review, researchers found "some evidence from twelve studies that flossing in addition to toothbrushing reduces gingivitis compared to toothbrushing alone" but only discovered "weak, very unreliable evidence from 10 studies that flossing plus toothbrushing may be associated with a small reduction in plaque at 1 and 3 months."
Read more about Dental Floss: History, Use, Directions, Benefits, Floss Threader
Famous quotes containing the word dental:
“[T]hose wholemeal breads ... look hand-thrown, like studio pottery, and are fine if you have all your teeth. But if not, then not. Perhaps the rise ... of the ... factory-made loaf, which may easily be mumbled to a pap betweeen gums, reflects the sorry state of the nation’s dental health.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)