vintage postcards
Ming at Spok-Spok headquarters asked about the history of dental floss.
Levi Spear Parmly (what a name) sang the virtues of silk floss in 1815. He was a dentist from New Orleans and is credited with the invention. He must have always had crayfish or red beans and rice stuck in his chompers:)
Yikes! According to the American Dental Association only about 12 percent of Americans floss daily, 39 percent floss less than daily, and 49 percent do not floss at all. 
Confession: I neeeever floss. Don't tell my Mom!
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Dental Floss Factoids
Posted by Marie Reed at 11:00 AM
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11 cool cats commented:
Now I need to know exactly what Gardol is! Sounds like tooth teflon.
Marie - I never flossed either. Until about 4 days ago. I had an aching molar. I flossed the hurting part, and lots of old food came out. I flossed there after every meal, and food always came out, even after I'd brushed first. I think I'll be flossing that little spot the rest of my life :( BUT, the molar isn't aching anymore, since I started flossing it!
his name sounds like spearmint...m.k. that's what started me flossing, nowi do it daily (ha ha you gonna get all our flossy stories.)
Marie Isabelle Reed! I can't believe that you have NEVER flossed! Little Miss "No cavity in her life."
I floss sometimes. I remember Colgate being advertised with Gardol! (Doesn't Gardol now sound like something you should put into your car?)
Kolynos toothpaste is still sold here. Since we had a collie once, we call it "Collie Nose."
I floss occasionally, but not regularly.
Looks like you are in trouble with mom!
Put me down for occasional flosser. I floss for sure just before I go to the dentist so I can say I floss w/o lying about it.
I forgot about Gardol. It was just another of those non-existent ingredients. Nowadays we hve to watch for the ingredients that exist but they "forgot" to mention. Where's my lead free toothpaste?
Cynthia
I also have a confession: I LOVE flossing! Is that weird? Maybe so. But I just don't feel really clean until I do it, and you know, ever since I started I don't have to lie to my dentist!
Thanks for the history lesson. With friends like you, who needs google?!
hehehe
"Louis" had forgotten about 'Gardol.' Maybe that early propaganda from Colgate is why he usually buys Colgate now...and he had completely forgotten about Kolynos. That brand must have faded in the '50s...
Very interesting, as always. It never crossed my mind to wonder who invented dental floss and why! I'm part of the 12% who floss daily; and on top of that I own some of those metal dental instruments with really sharp points and I go after plaque build-up every month or so. Sounds obsessive, but I want to keep all my teeth when I get really old! My dentist always comments on how good my teeth and gums looks though, which makes me happy.
I also have to confess: I started flossing a year ago when my dentist said I would lose my theeth if I would not floss.
Now I get problems with my gum if I do not floss regularly at least once a week (it bleeds), but that is only since I am 50, before that I did not even clean my teeth every evening, only in the morning... and my teeth were quite OK.
(Please don't tell my mom, either)!
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