Flossing is an important part of brushing your teeth, but did you know some types of floss are better than others?
TikTok user and dental hygienist Kyrsten (@kyrsten.sprouse) weighs in on the dental floss brands—and which she doesn’t—in a video watched 116,900 times.
“I find it so funny, and I love asking my patients what kind of floss they use because they are, like, there’s different kinds of floss,” she said. “A lot of the answers end up being, ‘I don’t know, just the generic floss, the ones you guys give us.’ Which is just so funny because, as a dental hygienist, I am so picky about the floss that I use.”
Different types of floss
She went on to add while she doesn’t “love” Glide and will sometimes “reach for” the Johnson and Johnson, she’s a “woven floss girly, 101,000%.”
“And so, whenever I floss my patients, prior to flossing them, I say, ‘OK, I’m going to be using Dr Tung’s today, and let me know if you can feel the difference,’” she says. “And then I’ll floss them, and it’s thicker.”
She says, “And there’s definitely areas where I have to, like, try and work a little harder to get it into the contact. Like, it doesn’t just, you know, go in there nice and easy. And then I’ll be like, ‘Did you notice a difference?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s a lot thicker.’ Or, like, ‘Oh yeah.’ Like, that seems like it would work a lot better than, you know, something that, like, glides through.’”
She then went on to explain how, with some patients, she uses a combination of flosses. But when you need something lightweight, she doesn’t recommend Glide because, she claims, it has “forever chemicals” in it. Instead, she recommends Oral B Satin Floss.
“It’s always so funny, because people don’t think about it,” she added. “Same thing when I ask someone how long they brush their teeth for, they’re like, ‘I don’t know. I never think about it.’ They’re like, ’30 seconds.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, you have 28 teeth, and you brush your teeth for 30 seconds, so you’re spending like a second on each tooth row.’”
Viewers discuss preferred brands
In the comments, the majority of users said they preferred Cocofloss, while others had some general questions about dental hygiene. “Am I supposed to be flossing my very back teeth?” one asked. “I can’t reach them on my top or bottom.” While another asked, “How long are you supposed to brush your teeth?”
Woven floss is also recommended by Hatcher & Frey Orthodontics, citing its larger surface area to wipe away plaque. Meanwhile, TikToker Eda (@edacyu) shares Krysten’s concern about Glide. She went viral after discovering that the brand contains PFAS.
As she films herself picking up the branded floss, on-screen text reads: “When you find out out the only dental floss you liked and have used for a year straight is made out of teflon, and has been proven to cause cancer and heart disease.”
@kyrsten.sprouse i always tell my pateints that Glide has forever chemicals so they can choose/have the knowledge to get a different floss if they want
♬ original sound – Kyrsten 🦋
Kyrsten didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.
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