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how often do you floss your teeth?

Edit: I thought I would ask because I wonder if our gums are meant to handle it. I remember in college (7 years ago), a friend of mine had a friend whose dad was a dentist. He told his family not to floss every day. I should have asked why, but I didn't. Now when I floss, that interaction always comes to mind.

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Twice a day..... – The Quilt May 23 2011 at 13:27
Do I hear three, four, gone to once an hour! – Thomas Seay May 23 2011 at 13:48
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Look into "GUM" brand soft tooth picks. I find them superior to floss. – Tim Rangitsch May 23 2011 at 15:05

20 Answers

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About a week before my dentist appointment so that I don't get yelled at :)

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gotta love an honest answer! – tartare May 24 2011 at 3:39
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I used to floss everyday, twice a day. Now that I have been following a paleo diet I find my teeth just don't get as coated as they used to. My hygienist thinks I'm doing a super job keeping my teeth clean. But I tell her that it's what I am eating. I floss mostly everyday, but there are days when I skip. I also used to have periodontal disease which I cured without root scraping or surgery.

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I've got periodontal disease - I'd love to hear how you were able to cure yours if you can share? I hate that scaling and root planing, I brush and floss twice a day and it doesn't seem to me to make the problem any better. I'm assuming I'm just preventing it from getting worse maybe. – HeatherC May 23 2011 at 12:17
Check out dr ellies blog. Not Paleo, but explains things well. – Egk May 23 2011 at 14:46
@hcantrall: Sorry for the delay in replying I will be glad to share. I used something called the “Smile Method”. I picked it up at a local health food store. It was kit that contained a couple of very fine hypodermic needles and a book on how to use them. Basically, it consists of using a solution of Hydrogen peroxide or colloidal silver (both antibacterial) and using the needles to irrigate the affected pockets. It worked REALLY well. My previous dentist wanted to have me go through surgery and root scaling. I promptly looked for another dentist who would work with me to find another way. – Lila Jun 2 2011 at 18:22
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I don't floss, should I?

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yes flossingforlife.com good source – memostotle May 23 2011 at 19:09
Thanks for the link! – Rhubarb May 24 2011 at 0:25
Hell yes! Floss your back teeth and then smell it, hahahaha, you'll see why you need to floss!!!! – Carly May 24 2011 at 16:50
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Everyday..! But what is the significance of your question? Could you please elaborate.

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I floss every evening. I keep getting my favorite meats stuck in my teeth.

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I confess that I floss once a day before bed. However, since Paleo man probably didn't do it, I am concerned about the grave consequences that could arise from this. Maybe it would be more Paleo to go round with food particles hanging from my teeth, even though I would probably never get any sweet lovin' from women in that case.

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Perhaps Paleo man usually had more room between their teeth, and flossing is the way to compensate for having them so close together? I can see that being the case. Maybe they usually lost a few teeth by adulthood, or their jaws were bigger, or something. – Anonymous Coward May 23 2011 at 14:44
Hey, I second that. There were no orthodontists in the Paleo era. I keep running into people from developing countries whose access to orthodentistry was severely limited. I don't think they need to floss at all, since the gaps are rather wide and airy. I don't think they need to floss. So, yes, flossing isn't Paleo. But those who's had braces need to floss. – Namby Pamby May 24 2011 at 2:23
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I waterpik in the morning and at night. It's fun and it doubles as cleaning the bathroom with all the excess water spray.

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i have one and while i don't use it as often as i probably should, i gotta say, it's totally awesome. I got one cause a dentist of mine mentioned he wished people still used those more, and i'm glad i did. – tartare May 24 2011 at 3:41
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I got it on my brother's recommendation from the dentist. And I saw how well it worked. I LOVE the thing! – StephNY May 24 2011 at 13:02
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Twice a day. My teeth are very close together. If I miss flossing once the next time I floss it smells like an animal died in my mouth.

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Well if you're paleo, technically.... – Aughra May 23 2011 at 17:58
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once a day, religiously, with a water pic.

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Which toothbrush do you have, Rhonda ? – Ikco May 23 2011 at 19:14
I use a Sonicare. – Rhonda May 24 2011 at 6:58
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Oil pulling reduces the need for this.

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I oil pull as well and my teeth are very happy teeth from it! – Uggla May 23 2011 at 13:43
What do you do the oil pulling with? – Anonymous Coward May 23 2011 at 14:48
sunflower, or sesame oil – DudleyP May 23 2011 at 16:11
I use virgin coconut oil, I feel that the refined kind doesnt give the same cleansing effect. JMO. I only floss if I have eaten something that leaves junk in my teeth such as meats, nuts, berries, etc. and I usually floss before I oil pull to help stop the bleeding (I have really sensitive gums) – lalabomba May 23 2011 at 20:03
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I floss at least once a day, before bed always. Sometimes after lunch if I've eaten something stringy like brisket, etc.

Flossing is very important, as is brushing. Both are important for their mechanical action though, not for their chemical action, as in toothpaste ingredients. Thats why i floss regularly and use a homemade salt/baking soda mixture toothpowder for its use a surfactant-purposes instead of storebought toothpaste.

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1

I keep denta-piks around because I eat lots of foods that get stuck (roasts, dried beef, etc).

I probably "floss" 3-4 times a day.

Having Ketobreath most of the time sure doesn't help the mouthfunk... which gets marginally worse if I've got some jerky/roast/etc... stuck somewhere in there. I'll stop by produce sections of stores when I can remember to, and buy fresh mint to chew on throughout the day.

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My dentists have found no caviites after I started flossing. That was before my Paleo. Since I eat meat 3 out of 3 meals, I do tend to floss 2-3 times a day. However, it might be flossing this one spot where there is a gap that traps meat whenever I chew with that side of my mouth. It's a "meat trap" and I need to git it out of there or it will start smelling like a pile of fermented compost.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I only notice the smell when I get the trapped piece of meat out.

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My dentist taught me to floss using an up-and-down motion rather than pressing floss against the gum and sawing back and forth. If you're concerned that flossing is hard or destructive on your gums, give this a try -- it hardly places any pressure on your gums at all, but supposedly it's still good at removing food.

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I usually floss once a day. I admit sometimes I skip a day if I fall asleep before anticipated. I floss at work if I feel stuff stuck in my teeth (I have one of those little flossers on a stick for that, not as good as regular string floss but is great at work and as a secondary flossing method, though I would not recommend them for primary flossing) and a Waterpik that I adore for home and primary flossing. Sometimes, maybe a few times a month, I put some grapefruit seed oil in the water for an extra bacteria-killing boost.

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Once per day. Right before I go to sleep.

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I floss every morning and then whenever it seems necessary during the day. I still have my wisdom teeth, and one of them likes to get stuff stuck behind it. I have noticed my gum health has improved significantly since I started flossing regularly.

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Some ancient peoples were obsessed with oral hygiene and used special branches, which, upon chewing, splayed out into bristles, to clean their teeth. Some trees even have a natural mint flavor. Hand and mouth washing after meals is ubiquitous in many ancient cultures. Despite the changes in technology, hygiene (scent maskers, teeth cleaning, etc.) are human universals.

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Twice a day without fail and sometimes more at traffic lights. My father is a periodontist. Need I say more?

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Me too. I floss while driving in school zones, too. At 25 mph, flossing is easy! – Namby Pamby May 27 2011 at 3:43
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At least once a day. And yep, I floss while waiting at traffic lights too. Probably looks disgusting to onlookers but I don't care, my gums are practically bulletproof.

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