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Jun. 22nd, 2021 08:48 amField-testing Dental Lace as an alternative to nylon-based dental floss. I've found one too many creatures dead on the shore because of fishing line; the prospect of adding to the pieces of plastic rope that might be mistaken for something edible just doesn't sit well with me. Dental Lace comes in two varieties, one a compostable, biodegradable plastic made from corn starch (I had to look up polylactic acid but it's honestly kind of fascinating) and one made from silk. The PLA one is vegan, which I do not especially care about but which I know is important for some folks. The containers are little glass tubes with printed labels and a metal top. The refills come in compostable cellophane bags and ship in cardboard display boxes; packing material is plain brown paper. The company's based in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Both flosses seem to work all right, although they're a little less slick between the teeth than I'm used to, despite being waxed (they use candelilla wax, which is made from a plant that grows in the southwestern US and northern Mexico, hence the vegan status of the PLA floss). That's okay. I can deal with that. What I have to be careful of is that both kinds can break if I hold them too tensely when trying to get between particularly close-together teeth, and one of them- I think the silk- frayed a bit and left some fibers behind there that had to be cleared out with subsequent flossing. I was able to deal with the rest of my teeth, though- mostly. The bottom right rearmost molar and its nearest compatriot were not helpful, but in fairness I have run afoul of that with CVS nylon floss too. We will see how the two flosses perform over multiple days of use.
I can report that I stopped to look at the floss a couple of times when I was in the process of going from one side of the dental arcade to the other and very definitely saw yuk from between the teeth clinging to it, so that's a sign that this stuff is doing the work I bought it for. My dentist said that as long as a floss gets between my teeth and down and around where it's supposed to go, any variety is fine, so I'm good with that. (I'd originally bought a specific type of floss because it had the ADA Seal of Approval, but I'll settle for the Personal Dentist Handwave of Okay. Esp. since I'm already using ADA-approved toothpaste and fluoride rinse.)
If this stuff works out I'm gonna see if I can find enough room in the bathroom to get a six month supply of refills. They offer a subscription option but this is a non-perishable we're talking about here. Better to minimize the number of shipments and reduce the amount of shipping boxes/packing paper out there.
... yeah, I know, it's one very minor thing in a world full of waste and a personal life full of energy use and plastic consumption. I just keep coming back to that loon I found, and the fishing line, specifically. I don't want to be the reason for somebody else's find.
Both flosses seem to work all right, although they're a little less slick between the teeth than I'm used to, despite being waxed (they use candelilla wax, which is made from a plant that grows in the southwestern US and northern Mexico, hence the vegan status of the PLA floss). That's okay. I can deal with that. What I have to be careful of is that both kinds can break if I hold them too tensely when trying to get between particularly close-together teeth, and one of them- I think the silk- frayed a bit and left some fibers behind there that had to be cleared out with subsequent flossing. I was able to deal with the rest of my teeth, though- mostly. The bottom right rearmost molar and its nearest compatriot were not helpful, but in fairness I have run afoul of that with CVS nylon floss too. We will see how the two flosses perform over multiple days of use.
I can report that I stopped to look at the floss a couple of times when I was in the process of going from one side of the dental arcade to the other and very definitely saw yuk from between the teeth clinging to it, so that's a sign that this stuff is doing the work I bought it for. My dentist said that as long as a floss gets between my teeth and down and around where it's supposed to go, any variety is fine, so I'm good with that. (I'd originally bought a specific type of floss because it had the ADA Seal of Approval, but I'll settle for the Personal Dentist Handwave of Okay. Esp. since I'm already using ADA-approved toothpaste and fluoride rinse.)
If this stuff works out I'm gonna see if I can find enough room in the bathroom to get a six month supply of refills. They offer a subscription option but this is a non-perishable we're talking about here. Better to minimize the number of shipments and reduce the amount of shipping boxes/packing paper out there.
... yeah, I know, it's one very minor thing in a world full of waste and a personal life full of energy use and plastic consumption. I just keep coming back to that loon I found, and the fishing line, specifically. I don't want to be the reason for somebody else's find.
