And yet there is more to it. Last weekend, I learned after watching the documentary "The Devil We Know" (a must see if you haven't watched it yet) that tooth floss is not necessarily a safe product. What? Yep, I had the same reaction. A little research online was quickly informative. Some dental floss products are coated with perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAs), a type of chemical used in Teflon pans that makes them non-stick. This type of chemical helps make the floss glide in between teeth making the flossing experience more enjoyable. However, it has also been linked to adverse health conditions such as thyroid disease and high cholesterol, both of which are very prevalent in today's society.
Now, you might be thinking that this is not a big deal since nobody eats the floss. Well, a recent study from the Silent Spring Institute detected fluorine, a component of the PFAs, in a number of brands of dental floss. Moreover, PFAs were detected in the blood of individuals in the study. Granted there are many sources of PFA exposure in our daily lives, from Teflon pans to fast food containers, but the individuals in the study all reported using the same brand of tooth floss, one of the ones that tested positive for fluorine.
Given all the facts, we have switched over to a more natural tooth floss that did not test positive for fluorine. The flossing experience is not the same since this floss does not glide in between teeth. However, I have the peace of mind that I eliminated a source of dangerous chemical exposure. I just wished I had watched this documentary earlier. Who would have known that dental floss can have ingredients to it?
*This post is not sponsored and reflects my own personal opinions.*
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