We get it. Flossing can feel like an extra, optional, unnecessary step in your oral care regimen. An extra step you don’t want to or need to do, and you may find yourself wondering if flossing really matters. About half of Americans floss regularly, and the other half floss on occasion or not at all. So, do we need to floss? We’ll talk you through the details here, but more than that, we’ll let you in on the RADIUS flossing secret that just might change your flossing life!
WHY WE FLOSS
A tooth has 5 surfaces. In simple terms: the left side, right side, front, back and top. Guess which ones get neglected by skipping the floss? That’s right, each side of your tooth is building up with plaque and sticky bacteria from food. Floss is the #1 tool to enhance oral care health!
Brushing gets 60% of your tooth clean, but flossing gets the other 40% that the brush bristles simply can’t reach. You wouldn’t clean only 60% of your body or only 60% of your dishes, so don’t skip it in your mouth either.
When you brush with a RADIUS toothbrush you are well on your way to covering all your bases (and all your teeth and gums!). The large brush head has more bristles designed to cover more surface area. It cleans a larger area of teeth while brushing, unlike smaller toothbrush heads. The bristles on a RADIUS brush also invigorate gum tissue while brushing, which reduces receding and bleeding gums. And, the bristles are designed at an angle to reach in between your teeth better than an average toothbrush head. Brushing and flossing with RADIUS is like a getting an A++ on your brushing report card.
Flossing prevents gingivitis. It’s a condition where accumulation of plaque and tartar at the gum line leads to red, swollen gums that bleed easily. It doesn’t take long for bacteria to build up and start causing pain or problems in your mouth. In as little as 24 to 36 hours plaque can harden on a tooth. Plaque generates acid. That acid contributes to those pesky cavities, or holes, in your teeth. Ouch! So, to avoid gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease which can later advance to periodontitis and bone loss, brush and floss consistently to keep them consistently healthy.
Your smile will look better when you floss. Your breath will smell better when you floss. That’s right, flossing leads to cleaner teeth and better breath!
We’ve talked about it before, but oral health goes hand in hand with overall health, and especially your gut and heart health. Unhealthy gums, in particular, can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
FLOSS INGREDIENTS TO STAY AWAY FROM
Yes, we want to clean the plaque from in between our teeth for better overall and oral health. But, we don’t want to put harmful chemicals in our mouth in the process. Teflon and fluorine are common in many of the big-name flosses you might even have in your house right now. Teflon and fluorine are PFAS (Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), which are a class of chemicals linked to a long list of health problems from certain cancers to hormone disruption. PFAS are an unhealthy, unnecessary ingredient you need to stay away from in your floss.
To make floss glide through your teeth more easily, the nylon is often coated with a waxy material. The problem is petroleum is the most common synthetic wax coating in dental floss. Carcinogens, like petroleum and the 1,4 Dioxane it contains, should not be in your mouth every day! Skip the triclosan, PFAS, and petroleum, and consider a floss with natural coatings and no chemicals, like RADIUS. You won’t find any harmful chemicals in our floss. Check out a full list of all the ingredients in RADIUS products, including floss.
It’s important to call out the impact of the ingredients on our planet, in addition to how they clean your teeth. Dental floss can be a real problem to the environment. Plastics in our oceans can suffocate and harm animals. This is a prime example of why we focus on the small things we can do every day to be better. One of those things is our packaging. RADIUS floss has 100% plastic-free packaging.
RADIUS FLOSSES
We work hard to give you options for floss that clean in between your teeth gently and effectively, without harmful chemicals and plastic waste.
VEGAN SPONGE FLOSS: The organic carnauba wax is what make this floss such a smooth glide between teeth. Our Vegan sponge floss has organic coconut oil and erythritol to help prevent cavities and remove plaque. It’s available in these perfectly blended refreshing flavors: Peppermint, Vanilla Mint, and Clove Cardamom.
NATURAL BIODEGRADABLE SILK FLOSS: The silk is made with pure silk, free from toxins you commonly find in other flosses. And, it’s spun on small machines at the CORSEDA Fair Trade Co-op in Colombia. We love that this cooperative helps support more than 100 families while providing an amazing product at the same time. This luxurious floss is available in unscented, with wax spun in candelilla wax, and Green Tea Jasmine, which is spun in carnauba wax from the Southwestern US desert.
LIFE-CHANGING ALERT
We love all our RADIUS floss, but here’s our secret weapon that has been known to convert some non-flossers into flossers.
VEGAN XYLITOL FLOSS SACHETS: We call these portable on-the-go packs floss sachets (because we love the french sound of it). So how does it work and why is it different from other travel flossers out there? The innovative small paper packets. You simply tear down the center of the sachet and you have a perfectly measured floss attached to the two ends of the paper. Use the edges of the paper packaging to protect your fingers as you roll the floss around them to floss. It’s THE easiest and most enjoyable way to floss. Life-changer! This travel floss comes in mint, silk, and cranberry.
Pro flossing tips:
- Keep the box of sachets in your shower as part of your routine! Watch RADIUS CEO, Saskia Foley demonstrate how these sachets work.
- Be gentle. It doesn’t take force to get rid of the bacteria and plaque. It takes consistency.
- Floss in the morning. Sometimes we think we are supposed to floss at night, but it doesn’t matter the time of day. Get it done early and get on with your day!
- When flossing, make a C shape with the floss and be sure to get the sides of each tooth, even the harder to reach molars in the back!
- Floss before you brush. Flossing breaks the plaque free and brushing helps clear it from your mouth.
- Stick with it. The body’s healing response is to send blood to an area to help it heal. If you ramp up your flossing routine you are stimulating your gums and triggering inflammation and bleeding. BUT, the more you floss, the less reaction your gums will have to flossing. Swelling and bleeding will go down naturally as you keep cleaning them by flossing.
You are going to love our RADIUS Floss so much you’ll want to take advantage of our subscription refills so these little lovelies will show up at your door every 1, 2, 3...12 months (you choose)!
