mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Dentally, I mean, not mentally. (Obviously you floss mentally with us, hence your reading of this blog.) But dentally-wise, it’s a legitimate question — I know when something’s stuck between my teeth, the urge to get it out can be overwhelming. In such situations I rarely wait until I get to a roll of dental floss; instead I reach for whatever’s available: a business card, an edge of folded paper, even the tip of a sharpened pencil has sufficed. And I know I’m not alone: a recent survey by the British Dental Health Foundation found that 60% of people picked their teeth with the nearest available toothpick-like object, “needlessly risking their dental health.”
What sorts of objects? Survey respondents provided a laundry list of things most people wouldn’t want in their mouths under any other circumstances, like screwdrivers, scissors, earrings, needles and knives. And it’s not just the famously dentally-challenged Brits; a quick Googling reveals medical forum threads with titles like “I picked my teeth with a matchstick and a splinter jammed between them and OWWWWW,” and even a (possibly fictional) story about picking one’s teeth with a utility knife while driving: “I glanced at it. I was holding a utility knife. The blade fully extended. The voice in my head became clearer. It was saying ‘Don’t do that. Razor blades are sharp. Razor blades are not toothpicks.’” Yikes. Indeed they are not.
The alternative, however — not picking your teeth and leaving food in there — is also not great; according to the same finger-waving dentists who sponsored the teeth-picking survey, leaving food stuck in your teeth all day increases the likelihood of gum disease and bad breath. The only solution, it seems, is to carry floss with you.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve flossed with?
Photo note: for all you eagle eyes out there, that’s first-lady-of-California Maria Shriver, caught picking her teeth at a red light. The business card she’s using belongs to “Angela Marsden, Foundation Director.” That’s embarrassing for both Angela and Maria — and one reason why picking your teeth with a business card may be more dangerous than picking them with a screwdriver.
You know those tear tops on plastic snack bags? “Tear here to open, now with resealable zip top!” I had just opened a bag of craisins for my son and found the little strip that I tore off to be quite useful for clearing out the trap door.
posted by Jill on 7-10-2008 at 7:40 am
I like to tear a strip off of the plastic bags that you get from the grocery store or Wal-mart. They’re flat & thin, perfect for getting out popcorn shells!
posted by Brandy on 7-10-2008 at 7:47 am
I recently spent $6k on my mouth and not two days after a new crown on a bottom tooth, I bit down on one of those red hot firebally candies and broke a piece off the crown.
I went to the dentist who told me that my tooth was not exposed underneath, and that my dental insurance would not repair the crown for 4 years and if it didn’t bother me I could leave it until then.
Well, I often find I need dental floss. So now I just carry it with me.
The funny thing is that I think I am giving it out to others far more than using it myself.
Just buy several and throw some in your car, in your desk, in your purse and be done with it.
posted by Karen on 7-10-2008 at 7:48 am
I have been known to use my own hair in a pinch. Sometimes it’s not a hygiene issue, it’s an annoyance issue!
posted by Rachel on 7-10-2008 at 7:55 am
I keep floss in my desk and my purse, but I have absolutely used my own hair when in a pinch.
posted by Adrienne on 7-10-2008 at 8:27 am
My late father was a dentist. Flossing is over rated. Yes it is uncomfortable and it doesn’t look good when food gets stuck in your teeth but if you brush your teeth regularly, your teeth will be fine. Wierdest thing I’ve used to get food stuck in my teeth out? Fingernails and persistance.
posted by Mr. T on 7-10-2008 at 8:32 am
I’m a fingernail user myself, though I keep meaning to take some of those one-time use floss/toothpick thingies to work. I keep toothpicks in my car’s glove compartment. I’ve had to keep uber-clean teeth my whole life do to a propensity toward cavities, so I can’t stand anything in my teeth. My mom is smarter and just keeps a lil roll of floss in her purse.
posted by nutmeag on 7-10-2008 at 8:55 am
Once, when I was little, my Dad in a pinch used a dollar bill to floss! Of course I yelled at him, and he told me never to tell anyone. Hi Dad!
posted by Lelah on 7-10-2008 at 9:05 am
Once I was playing in front of a lot of people, and had this massive piece of food wedged between two of my teeth. It felt awful, and looked worse. So I was trying everything I could find and nothing was working, until I looked down at my guitar and realized the high e string looks kind of like spanish inquisition floss, but hey, it worked :D
posted by Josiah on 7-10-2008 at 9:09 am
I will often take out an earring and use the post to get that stray piece of broccoli, etc. I try to carry floss around, though.
posted by Lisa on 7-10-2008 at 9:20 am
I’m so bad about having stuff in my teeth - have to get it out STAT! Some of the objects I’ve used include: aluminum foil (which includes the foil from a pack of push-out gum), Post-Its, postage stamps, a chewed pen cap, my own hair, and even the little helicopter things that fall from trees. I never said it was pretty.
I try to avoid paper products because if you think steak in your teeth is annoying, try a hunk of envelope.
posted by Gross on 7-10-2008 at 9:20 am
Back when I had a “job”…
I once joked that it was useless to spray our microphones with Lysol, since we all picked our teeth with the same ink pens anyway. The other people in the room all started looking nervous and guilty.
posted by Miss Cellania on 7-10-2008 at 10:00 am
I think it’s well established that the fare cards for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) are by far the best toothpicking device.
posted by Jeff on 7-10-2008 at 10:15 am
Post-its work great and they’re always available, fold them in half but don’t crease the fold, slide it through and get a sweeper bonus at the end.
Otherwise fingernails are perfect too. I’m pretty sure that’s the main reason humans evolved fingernails.
posted by Katy on 7-10-2008 at 10:19 am
I’m glad i’m not the only one who uses their own hair to floss with! I have used so many different things, its kinda pathetic…some of the chosen items have been: Tape, my own hair, laminated paper, post its, paper, gum wrappers, fingernails, small pieces of plastic, etc….there are so many differet choices…or should I say things that rescue you from the pieces of meat between your teeth that feels like the size of texas.
posted by Jessica on 7-10-2008 at 10:42 am
I’ve used a paper clip before–that has to be the strangest I’ve used.
Mr. T–I’ve never been an avid flosser, and always lied about it to the dentist and they never seemed to catch it. Now I’m wondering if what you’re saying is true…
posted by Orange on 7-10-2008 at 10:56 am
Post its, gum wrappers, envelopes, paper clips, I’ve used them all. But I totally grossed out my daughter when I used a steak knife. When any of the residents in our house need to know if they have gunk stuck in their teeth, we use the code “Is Sara home?” Not sure how that started - I learned it in college from one of my roommates.
posted by Karen K on 7-10-2008 at 10:57 am
I ALWAYS use strands of my hair when I’m watching TV. My boyfriend says it disgusts him, but I don’t care.
posted by Amelia on 7-10-2008 at 10:59 am
i know a whole family of adults that routinely use the paper edge from sweetNlow packets to floss after a meal in, well, pretty much every restaurant I have ever visited with them. while still sitting at the table.
my exbf used to always take the bottom half of the plastic from my cigarette pack to use for tooth picking while driving.
posted by boston on 7-10-2008 at 11:09 am
the elastic on my tube socks works well.
posted by crackheadbob on 7-10-2008 at 11:19 am
Paperclips. Used them for years and I have them laying all over the place - work, home, car. . . Drives my wife nuts.
posted by gwdMaine on 7-10-2008 at 11:34 am
I once had a boss who used an x-acto knife to pick his teeth; the same one he used to clean underneath his fingernails…
posted by paul on 7-10-2008 at 11:48 am
Sewing thread. Which can suck if it breaks. I’m a bad one for getting popcorn shells between the tooth and gum, I will pick and pick until bloody, those things hurt!
That said, even though I’m not a flosser, I am obsessed by the quest to find the perfect flossing tool… for my husband. I’ve bought him all different kinds of picks and things… from the Japanese $2 store, every kind of drugstore. The latest is really cool, it’s sort of an ultrathin metal blade, but I can’t think of the product name.
Recaptcha: Tonsina Bulgars
(Tonsil Bulgers?)
A very loud Slav Dental Assistant
posted by Mare on 7-10-2008 at 11:51 am
OMG !!! the absolute BEST substitute for floss is a cigarette pack wrapper!!
but i quit smoking so now i just use a post-it note.
i went to dinner with some coworkers that i didn’t know very well and one of them pulled out one of those flossing stick things and FLOSSED HER TEETH AT THE RESTAURANT TABLE!!!! HOW GROSS!!! i was so embarassed. people are so rude these days!!!
posted by motorkitty on 7-10-2008 at 11:53 am
Orange, the truth about teeth is that food stuck inbetween them has a tendency to work itself lose over a period of time. Teeth and gums seem to loosen and shift given a certain amount of time and pressure. When I go to the dentist I tell them to spare me the lecture. Once they know my late father was a dentist, they back off. If you keep your teeth brushed regularly (I do it after each meal including lunch) you are doing about 99.5% of what you need to keep your mouth happy (not including chewing gum if you have fillings).
posted by Mr. T on 7-10-2008 at 11:54 am
I’ve used pretty much all that’s been mentioned except for the strand of hair - I’ve never heard of anyone using that before. I learned something new!
Nowadays I just make sure I have access to dental floss wherever I go - there’s nothing like the flavor combo of mint and whatever got stuck - lol.
posted by PDIDDY on 7-10-2008 at 12:03 pm
I love that someone used a helicopter seed from a tree, hahah. I don’t know about the whole hair thing! I feel like mine would snap and then I’d have a piece of hair stuck in between my teeth as well, which is insanely annoying.
posted by Brittany on 7-10-2008 at 2:24 pm
Like, Lisa, I rely on an earring when my dental floss (always in my purse, desk drawer, etc.) is out of reach. In my case, though, I usually use only the one-piece earrings, like a hoop with the post attached. If I tried taking apart a two-piece earring, I’d certainly drop the back (because I’m often doing this maneuver in odd places) and then have a different problem.
But don’t forget the good old toothpick! Most restaurants still have them around, as does the cafeteria where I work… But please, don’t pick (or floss) in front of others!
posted by Therese on 7-10-2008 at 2:45 pm
Wow. Am I the only one that uses the end of a straw? It’s totally better than Post-Its.
And I must say, the timing of this article could not be more ironic, because I currently have a large piece of sausage from my mid-afternoon breakfast sandwich stuck in my teeth. Good thing I got an iced coffee to go with it!!
posted by Cassie on 7-10-2008 at 3:05 pm
Wow, completely forgot the obvious solution - the straw! I have to bite it to get it to the proper width first, but it sure does the trick.
I am happy to hear that I’m not the only person flossing with such strange items! This article truly made my day :)
posted by Gross on 7-10-2008 at 3:32 pm
This is definitely strange, and a little hard to explain. There was this (artistic) toy called Shrinky-Dinks, it involved thin pieces of stiff plastic sheets. I discovered that a sliver of the plastic was the perfect thickness, and stiffness to get between your teeth.
posted by Tdave on 7-11-2008 at 1:17 am
I carry floss &/or a little pack of disposable brush picks.
On a family vacation, my sister-in-law & I bought the brush picks since 2 little containers of 60 each were packaged together.
Our code alerting each other to something in our teeth or to ask if there was something in our own teeth was to say, “You need some lipstick”, or “Do I need some lipstick?” For a guy, you could substitute “blistex”, etc.
posted by Toots on 7-11-2008 at 8:55 am
My mom will kill me if she sees this, but I have to share. She has a false tooth that is held in place by metal arms. It is easily removable for brushing. I’ve seen her pull the tooth out after a meal and use the metal arms to pick her other teeth!
posted by Shannon on 7-11-2008 at 10:25 am
Hmm..fingernails I guess. Typically, if I feel that I have food stuck between my teeth, I just chew some gum. That seems to work the best most often.
And while your teeth might be ok without flossing, your gums perhaps not-so-much.
posted by Dawn on 7-19-2008 at 9:43 pm