The NHS wants you to floss. Your dentist wants you to floss. But do the benefits really outweigh the tedium?
‘How often do you brush, Ralph?” a dentist asks Chief Wiggum’s son in Last Exit to Springfield, frequently cited as one of The Simpsons’ best ever episodes. “Three times a day, sir!” chirps the hapless Ralph, only to have the cold glare of the dental lamp shone in his face along with his orthodontist’s ire: “Why must you turn my office into a house of lies?”
If this scene seems familiar, it’s probably because you have been interrogated once too often about how often you floss. Invented almost 200 years ago, flossing has never caught on in quite the same way as a twice-daily brush – and a few years ago, a decent-sized study put the dental profession on the defensive by claiming that it might not actually be all that worthwhile. But the NHS didn’t change its recommendations on interdental care, and oral health specialists are as persistent as ever. So what should you be doing?
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