If you use the recommended 18 inches of floss daily, that adds up to 182.5 yards annually. That’s nearly two football fields of floss you’ll use every year!
Fun + Inspiration
5 fascinating floss facts
1. Football fields of floss
Bonus fact: 8% of Americans don’t use an inch of floss. That’s right. They say they never floss, which leaves them at greater risk for oral disease.1
2. There's no substitute
Many Americans admit having used something other than floss between their teeth.2
61% fingernails
40% paper
21% cutlery
14% safety pins
Bonus fact: 63% of people surveyed admit that they know better than to use unsafe, unsanitary and ineffective items to “floss.”3 Make sure to only use real floss, flossing tools or an electric flosser.
3. Useful any way you slice it
Floss can come in handy in the kitchen, too. You can use it to cut cake, dough and soft cheeses like fresh mozzarella and goat cheese.
Bonus fact: Here’s one hack we don’t recommend. The social media trend of flossing with a strand of hair is ineffective and possibly even dangerous for your oral health. Hair just doesn’t cut it as a form of floss.
4. The founding father of floss
The invention of floss is credited to a New Orleans dentist in 1815, who recommended a thin silk thread for cleaning between teeth.
Bonus fact: The origins of floss go back to ancient times. Our ancestors used items like pointed sticks to remove food from their teeth. Ouch!
5. A surprising reason for not flossing
9% of people who don't floss daily say it's because they think flossing is gross.
Bonus fact: Floss removes gross things from your mouth. About 40% of the work in cleaning food, plaque and bacteria from your teeth is done by flossing.
When it comes to floss, this is the most important fact — flossing daily helps protect you from cavities, gum disease and tooth loss. Check out our article for more facts about flossing.
