10 other uses for floss

You may be surprised to hear this, but dental floss has lots of different uses aside from the traditional use we have all been taught. Not only does floss remove plaque and debris that stick to your teeth and gums, but keeping dental floss handy around the house may prove to be more beneficial than you might think.

Did you see the Carolina Panthers game recently where Cam Newton was seen flossing his teeth during the game? A valuable lesson for children and adults alike, that dental hygiene is always important, both on and off the field. So weather you eating oranges at halftime, like Cam Newton, or if you have just finished a meal, flossing is an important step in maintaining your dental health.

You may have heard about the investigative report that was released a few months ago by the Associated Press that cited “weak evidence” behind the importance of flossing. Well this “investigative report” has caused a firestorm of inquiries from patients questioning the recommendations by dentists and hygienists to their patients about the need for flossing. In addition, since the report first surfaced, it has been mentioned endlessly over the internet, on blogs and interviews, all wondering why patient’s have been encouraged to floss by their dental professionals if it doesn’t really work.

Well, contrary to the claims behind this investigative report, it is strongly recommended by the American Dental Association, dentists, and hygienists alike, that you continue to floss to maintain good oral and dental health. The same reasons that you have always been told for flossing are still true. Flossing is a method for removing bacteria and other debris that cannot be reached by a toothbrush, and helps to prevent cavities, periodontal disease, and other dental problems. It also increases blood circulation in your gums. So Floss!

In addition, to the benefits that you receive from using dental floss on your teeth, we thought it would be fun to share with you some additional uses for floss. Dental floss is inexpensive and much stronger than any thread. It works great to....

Use it to tie up rolled meats and poultry for baking, or sewing up your Thanksgiving turkey (recommend not using waxed floss)

Use instead of wire or string to hang picture frames and to repair or make wind chimes.

Works well for sewing on buttons or mending large holes in backpacks or canvas.

Bring along some dental floss on vacation to use as a makeshift clothes line in a hotel or camping.

Floss works great for cutting cakes, dinner rolls, and cinnamon rolls. It also works great to cut soft cheeses that are difficult to cut with a knife. Removing cookies from a cookie sheet can also be done using floss.

Remove pictures from old photo albums without damaging the picture. Just slide it under one corner and move it back and forth until you get to the other side of the photo.

To remove tight ring from finger when swollen

String pearls. It is thicker and is able to stick to and secure each pearl. It is very strong and won’t break.

Use to repair a broken shoelace until you can replace the lace.

And now our favorite, as a fishing line.

It should be noted that the reporter who wrote the investigative report when asked if he would still floss in light of all the evidence he presented in his report, his answer was “yes”. Well one good thing has come from this report, there has been a lot of conversation about the benefits of flossing lately, which in our opinion, any discussion on dental health, is a good thing.