Sheri's Solutions: 'So, I don't have to floss?'
This article was originally published on DrBicuspid.com by Sheri Doniger, DDS
August 10, 2016 -- "So, I heard you don't have to floss. You guys may have been wrong all these years!"
Wow. What a wonderful break for dentistry. To be able to talk about something we love and patients, well, don't. The news story broke that flossing did not have enough studies to show clinical significance in helping oral care.
I found this to be a great gift to dentistry. For a very loud news week, especially if you live in the Chicago area, flossing was the shining star! Dentistry was united in its response. This story was covered in more than 150 sources online, in print, and on television. The ADA, American Dental Hygienists' Association, and American Academy of Periodontology discussed the importance of flossing specifically and oral care in general. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also posted that "flossing is an important part of oral hygiene practice."
This was not a negative story, in which a breach of infection control occurred or a patient suffered adversely from treatment. This was a story to start a conversation. And, start a conversation we did!
Flossing was certainly a topic of conversation. I overheard people talking about it in the grocery store! I started a conversation between reps in my aerobic weight class, saying that, yes, you still have to floss. That one comment drew many questions after class. One of the best questions was: "Can you tell when we don't floss every day?" Of course we can! That led into a discussion of creating oral care habits.