Why does some floss have so much wax on it? It doesn't even work.

Good question. Let’s start a club!

Read the labels, wax is for people like me with tight tooth contacts. Waterpik is the best !

Floss isn’t for everyone, even the waxed kind.

@Tropical_Willie I also have tight tooth contacts. I have fought many a battle with a dentist because I refuse to use floss PERIOD. The last time I used floss I broke a molar which started a domino effect of expensive and excruciating experiences in the dentist’s chair. And years later I’m still paying for that mistake.

I always had trouble holding onto a string of floss.

Use floss sticks. Problem solved.

Waterpiks are great but don’t do what floss can, knock plaque off the inner surfaces of the teeth.

Waxed floss is good for tight contact points, but under the wax that’s leftover can be anaerobic conditions that support the bad bacteria we’re trying to eliminate.

@jaytkay, Tie a knot to make a loop.

I think the OrthoB Ultra is the best floss I’ve tried. It has a fluffyish bulk that grabs and carries stuff out better than anything else.
For tight contact spots the Butler fine (unwaxed) is very good I think. Tiny bulk and can take a lot of tension before breaking.

I had this question myself and asked my hygienist. She said it makes no difference, they all work (or don’t work) the same. I hate tape type: it breaks too easily and is too slippery. Wax type, like mentioned, doesn’t seem to work. Unwaxed string type gets my vote.

I don’t know, but nothing beats Glide dental floss. Buy it and let me know what you think. There are huge differences between great and crappy dental floss.

You are simply disorganizing the bacterial biofilm with floss. You may or may not be totally removing it. It is only a problem for you when it becomes organized. If you use floss right, it doesn’t matter if it has wax or not.

It’s important to break up the bacterial colonies and get the food from between your teeth. A much better tool is those teeny bottle brush looking things. You will never have gum disease if you use one everyday, or floss. @snowberry I have replaced or crowned many teeth that people pulled the fillings out of with floss. They were always fillings that had come unsealed to begin with, or an improperly finished one.

@trailsillustrated Yeah, I can see that happening. Another dentist compromised that molar in the first place when I was 20 and didn’t know any better. I only had the tiniest cavity there, and the jerk hollowed out that tooth and filled it. Years later after the filling had degraded, this tooth CRACKED when I tried to pull my floss out. It had gotten stuck between the teeth. I had to have a root canal as a result. And the story goes on and on…

I absolutely prefer waxed floss string or tape because I have very tightly packed teeth. Some brands, by the way, are less or much less waxed than others. It just takes experimenting..

@trailsillustrated is referring to the GUM interdental teeny brushes (proxabrushes) for cleaning surfaces between teeth. An invaluable gadget. I keep some in my purse and next to the TV. They come in various widths depending how large the space is between teeth.

http://www.gumbrand.com/between-teeth-cleaning/interdental-brushes/gum-go-betweens-proxabrush-cleaners-ultra-tight-871a.html

I get the cheap rough floss, that glide stuff just does not work.