{"id":36,"date":"2020-12-03T19:16:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T19:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/?p=36"},"modified":"2021-01-06T19:16:12","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T19:16:12","slug":"dental-floss-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/03\/dental-floss-history\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dental Floss Has Evolved Through the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/03\/dental-floss-history\/\" class=\"block-image-link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254.jpg\" alt=\"Boy using dental floss\" class=\"wp-image-37\" width=\"326\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 326px) 100vw, 326px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you know that dental floss has only been around for\nabout 200 years? Before then, it wasn\u2019t considered a crucial step like it is\ntoday for preventing decay and periodontal disease. Even though your great\ngrandparents had access to this dental tool, it has changed a lot throughout\nthe years. Read on to learn more about the history of dental floss and how it\u2019s\nevolved to be an essential tool in modern dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Invention of Dental Floss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you probably predicted, floss was created by a dentist.\nHis name was Levi Spear Parmly, and he practiced in New Orleans back in 1819.\nThere are certain areas in the mouth that food and plaque get stuck, but a\ntoothbrush can\u2019t quite reach. Ultimately, this would lead to gum irritation,\ngingivitis, and even periodontitis. A waxed silk thread was Parmly\u2019s creative\nsolution to this problem. In fact, he believed it to be the most important part\nof oral care. He even wrote about it in his book: <em>Practical Guide to the\nManagement of Teeth<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Now Available in Stores<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though dental floss was invented in the early 1800s, it\nwasn\u2019t until 1882 that it was seem more widely in stores. A company called\n\u201cCodman &amp; Shurtleff\u201d began selling unwaxed silk floss. Until this time,\ntoothpicks were more commonly used to dislodge food from the teeth. Johnson &amp;\nJohnson were eventually able to secure the first patent for silk dental floss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Switch to Nylon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Silk was primarily used to make dental floss, but it had a\ntendency to shred. That\u2019s why Dr. Charles C. Bass created a dental floss made\nfrom nylon instead. To this day, nylon is still one of the most widely sourced\nmaterials used to produce floss. Shortly after the development of nylon floss,\na waxed version came out. This was popular because it tended to be more\ncomfortable, especially for people who had smaller gaps between their teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Essential Dental Tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t until the 1970s that floss became mainstream in\nNorth America. This is when dentists started to recommend that their patients\nfloss at least once a day for optimal oral health. However, this still hasn\u2019t\nbecome a regular practice for many Americans. According to studies by the\nAmerican Dental Association has shown that only 16% of Americans report\nflossing daily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dental floss has changed a lot in the last couple centuries,\nand it is has come a long way. Flossing is an essential part of your oral\nhygiene regimen. By doing so daily, you will be able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">prevent oral\nhealth issues<\/a> and better maintain a strong, healthy smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/dr-john-kuan.html\">Dr. John Kuan<\/a> earned his dental doctorate from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco where he completed the only three-year dental program in the country. He regularly attends continuing education courses to keep his knowledge and skills sharp. For more information on proper oral hygiene or to schedule an appointment at his office in Royse City, visit his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call (469) 723-4000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Did you know that dental floss has only been around for about 200 years? Before then, it wasn\u2019t considered a crucial step like it is today for preventing decay and periodontal disease. Even though your great grandparents had access to this dental tool, it has changed a lot throughout the years. Read on to learn more about the history of dental floss and how it\u2019s evolved to be an essential tool in modern dentistry. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/03\/dental-floss-history\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Evolution of Dental Floss, Royse City | Brush Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dental floss hasn\u2019t been around forever. Here\u2019s how this essential dental tool came about and evolved into what it is today.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/03\/dental-floss-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Evolution of Dental Floss, Royse City | Brush Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dental floss hasn\u2019t been around forever. Here\u2019s how this essential dental tool came about and evolved into what it is today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/03\/dental-floss-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brush Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-03T19:16:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-06T19:16:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brushdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"brushdental\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"brushdental\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"brushdental\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/01217de31546339e49e767749b150d55\"},\"headline\":\"How Dental Floss Has Evolved Through the Years\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-03T19:16:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-06T19:16:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":517,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Evolution of Dental Floss, Royse City | Brush Dental\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/03\\\/dental-floss-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/Child_flossing__1597775136_62254.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-03T19:16:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-06T19:16:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brushdentist.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/01217de31546339e49e767749b150d55\"},\"description\":\"Dental floss hasn\u2019t been around forever. 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