FLOSS HOLDERS
There are only 3 brands of floss available in India:
Johnson & Johnson – the oldest
Colgate Floss & tape
Oral B – a late entrant which gives more variety & flavours
The two most important aspects of flossing are : wrapping the floss around the tooth and using a new section of floss for each contact. Wrapping allows the floss to go below the gumline, to remove plaque in areas that a toothbrush doesn’t reach. Using a new section of floss allows the plaque to be removed. If the same section is used, the bacteria is redistributed to other areas.
Currently, there are no major options for floss holders.
The standard floss holder is ‘Y’ shaped and looks like a slingshot or forked prong device, where the floss is strung taut between the two prongs (there are many variations, see photograph above). The advantage of using a floss holder is the accessibility it affords to otherwise inaccessible areas.The limitation is that the floss cannot wrap around or conform to the tooth. The ‘taut’ floss can cut the gumline in the front and back of the tooth where it rises.It is cumbersome to ‘advance’ soiled floss and cannot be used with bridges.It has to be used very carefully.
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