A few years ago, I found a dental floss that I really like, and I started buying five or more packages at a time to avoid '2-inches-left' incidences when I didn't realize I was running out. The floss is Reach Gum Care, the woven-floss variety.
Remains of its use appears in prior posts (day #19 and 35 days' worth of trash). When collected over a month or more, it ultimately looks like this:
\
I would prefer to continue to use this floss because it's super gentle on my gums, and it appears that the floss is made of woven cotton which (at least at first glance) seems like a better solution than floss made of other materials such as nylon, teflon or silk. It's packaged in disposable hard plastic, however.
Dental floss was invented in 1815 by Levi Spear Parmly who used silk. Today, dental floss is often made of nylon and is mass-produced in factories.
According to this five and a half minute National Geographic video, floss is made of plastic beads melted down to form nylon thread, a "fiber-forming
substance of a long-chain synthetic polyamide". Essentially, this dental floss is made of plastic, or thermoplastic to be specific, and it comes with environmental costs.
Nylon takes about fifty years
to break down in the environment, and discarded floss (especially when it’s
thrown in the toilet) can clog sewers, pollute lakes, and harm wildlife.
Floss is also often coated with a petroleum-based wax. (Retrieved from http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/1204/harmful-ingredients-in-dental-floss.htm)
Newer dental floss technologies include floss made of teflon instead of nylon. This appears to be the basis for the 'tape' style of floss.
Floss made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is becoming increasingly
popular... Many
people like it because it doesn’t shred and is easier to “glide” between
tight teeth and around braces.
PTFE belongs to a class of perfluorochemicals (PFCs)... Studies also show that nearly all people, regardless of age, have some PFCs in their blood. They have been found in samples of human breast milk, and in the blood of newborns.
The way PFCs get into human blood is not known at this time. We could be
exposed through food, water, or the environment where the chemicals have
been spilled or released (including in house dust), or by using the hundreds
of commercial products containing them – like dental floss and other
personal care products, carpets manufactured before 2002, and the
grease-resistant packaging in microwave popcorn bags and pizza boxes. (Retrieved from http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/1204/harmful-ingredients-in-dental-floss.htm)
The risks of PFCs may include cancer, endocrine disruption, neurological
problems, suppression of the immune
response and ADHD.
Another option is dental floss made of silk, for which a company called Radius seems to be the primary producer. Silk is biodegradable, but comes with its own risks and controversy. It's "frowned upon by many pro-animal rights environmentalists" and may involve "risky chemical sterilization".
Alternatives to floss include the Stim-U-Dent, little wooden sticks which, according to their website, "is made in China from wood grown in managed forests in Wisconsin". (A few FAQs later, the website states that their products are manufactured in the United States. Which is it?) Another blogger suggested that this is what she chose in favor of a 'zero waste' lifestyle. Not exactly zero waste. (I may give them a try, but don't anticipate that these would replace flossing.)
comes
from managed forests in Wisconsin – it’s biodegradable and sustainable -
See more at: http://www.bleedinggums.com/faqs/#sthash.4lOiFN5C.dpuf
comes
from managed forests in Wisconsin – it’s biodegradable and sustainable -
See more at: http://www.bleedinggums.com/faqs/#sthash.4lOiFN5C.dpuf
comes
from managed forests in Wisconsin – it’s biodegradable and sustainable.
- See more at: http://www.bleedinggums.com/faqs/#sthash.4lOiFN5C.dpuf
comes
from managed forests in Wisconsin – it’s biodegradable and sustainable.
- See more at: http://www.bleedinggums.com/faqs/#sthash.4lOiFN5C.dpufAnother blogger said she found these
All in all, there's lots of argument and advice out there, including these recommendations for 'natural' floss, and this blogger's conclusions. I tend to agree with the author of this article, however, that to floss or not to floss is to choose one risk over another.
I'm still going to floss, just like I'm still going to use toilet paper.
Recently, when I ran out of my stash of the Reach Gum Care woven floss, I checked at my local organic food co-op and alternative pharmacy, and found a couple options.
There's the silk-made, non-nylon floss, but it either comes in a roll that is packaged in a traditional hard-plastic case, or in single-use packages. The hard-plastic case of the floss I'd been using was the primary reason I began looking for alternatives, so this is not really a helpful option.
Single-use might be nice for traveling, but not for everyday.
I did find a cardboard-packaged option:
The floss is nylon and wrapped in a small plastic bag inside the cardboard container. The cardboard container is the main reduction in disposable plastic. It works fine, and I don't mind it.
I still prefer the woven, however. So I wrote a letter to Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Reach woven floss, to see if they'd consider selling the spooled floss without the case for those of us who would reuse our old cases. (According to the Reach website, it looks like the woven floss is now being made by Listerine, a different product line, though within the same division: Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc.).
Here's a copy of the letter:
Let's see if they respond....
P.S. here's the contact page for Johnson & Johnson, in case you've made it this far and want to write your own letter.
P.P.S. On September 17th, there was an article about a hygienist who discovered the dangerous side effect of plastic beads in one's toothpaste. Check it out: Dental Discovery May Prompt You to Change Your Toothpaste.
