Floss or Floss Swords - What is Your Preference?

 Floss sticks are quickly becoming the way of the world. They are easy to use, make flossing quicker and saves you from getting the string imprints in your fingers, but it is really the best option?

Traditional dental floss has been used for years. It is tested, approved, recommended and used by most dental centers. It is great at removing the excess food particles, plaque and bacteria between your teeth. However it is really difficult to control. It takes some work and technique to make sure that you do it right, especially if you are trying to get in between the back molars. It also requires that you stick your fingers inside your mouth, which is a problem for some people. However it is really effective at cleaning your teeth properly.

Floss Swords are less intrusive in your mouth. They are simple and easy to use and allow you to reach the back molars without much trouble. However, their effectiveness is in question. Ideally, when you floss with traditional floss, between each tooth you pull a fresh piece of floss. With a floss sword, you use the same piece until you are done. This can transfer bacteria from one to tooth to another. One could argue that if the sword is rinsed before each tooth that it wouldn't do that, but does anyone actually do that? 

Personally, I use both. In some areas of my mouth, my teeth are tight to each other and it is hard to get the thick piece of floss or sword between them, so I use traditional floss on those. I use traditional floss on all of my front teeth and I use a floss sword on my molars. I do rinse the floss sword after each tooth, but that's just me. 

It basically comes down to your preference and the recommendation of your dentist and hygienist, so make sure you check with them. Whatever one you choose you will definitely get kudos for flossing. That's the part of dental care that is skipped the most!