My dentist's receptionist made me rethink my whole flossing routine

Last Tuesday I went in for a cleaning, and this older receptionist named Carol saw me checking in and said, 'You know, your gums are probably mad at you right now.' She wasn't a dentist, she just had this smile that said she's seen everything. Then she told me she used to floss once a month until her hygienist showed her a photo of her own gums at age 50, and that was it. I got home and actually flossed that night for the first time in maybe a year. Anyone else had a stranger's offhand comment stick with them way longer than it should?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_linda22d ago

My hygienist told me the exact same thing back in 2018, and I still only floss about twice a week. Dentists have been pushing this guilt trip for decades, and honestly my gums are fine. Carol's not a professional, she's just a receptionist who saw one gross photo. You went a whole year without flossing and your teeth didn't fall out, right? That should tell you something. The whole flossing thing became a fad after that big 2016 news story about weak proof, yet nobody stopped buying the little wax strings. I'll take a few angry gums over a ten minute bedtime ritual that makes my fingers smell like mint toothpaste any day.

ivan_mason21d ago

Actually yeah @the_linda, you changed my mind. Maybe I'll ditch the guilt and floss when I feel like it.