Granted, flossing is a bit of a hassle. But the reward is clean and healthy teeth. At least if the additional cleaning is carried out consistently and with the right product. Öko-Test reveals which ones are suitable.
The Germans take better care of their teeth. This is laudable and makes for a handsome smile. In addition, this also saves one or the other expensive and painful visit to the dentist. In addition, thorough oral hygiene not only serves to keep the teeth healthy, but also the entire body and can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
In addition to the daily obligatory routine of brushing your teeth, some people regularly use dental floss beforehand. Everyone should thread 180 meters of it through the spaces between the teeth in order to remove bacterial deposits and food residues where the toothbrush reaches its limits. “Only 18 meters are bought per capita and year,” says Professor Roland Frankenberger, President of the German Society for Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine (DGZMK).
However, the reluctance cannot be due to the lack of selection. Dental floss is made of different materials, waxed or without a coating, with and without fluoride, for narrow and wider spaces between the teeth, for people with braces, implants or bridges. And also for people who live vegan.
Öko-Test examined 43 dental flosses. Most of them have a wax coating, six floss are unwaxed. The prices for the dental floss and tapes are between 0.01 and 0.18 euros per application (price per 0.5 meter). The four examined special or fluffy dental floss are available for 0.4 to 0.18 euros.
The list of the ingredients of the goods has been checked for controversial, questionable or unnecessary substances such as PEG/PEG derivatives, antimicrobial agents and synthetic polymers as well as for the waxes used. The providers were also asked what material their dental floss was made of and whether the packaging contained recycled plastic. The packaging material and the dental floss dispensers were also analyzed in a laboratory for environmentally problematic chlorinated compounds.
The result: 14 dental floss cut brilliantly clean with “very good”, 14 other dental floss can also be recommended for cleaning with “good”. The waxed “Happybrush Superclean dental floss, waxed”, on the other hand, rattles off with “poor”. This is because the product contains the organohalogen compound chlorhexidine. Just like the “Dontodent dental floss antibacterial” (“sufficient”). However, the benefit of the antibacterial additive is questionable. Chlorhexidine, on the other hand, confuses the sensitive oral flora, is allergenic and can lead to discolouration and taste irritation. PEG/PEG derivatives were also used for the smoothing layer on the Happybrush product.
Fluoride was added to 15 dental flosses in the test. The mineral strengthens tooth enamel and has been proven to prevent tooth decay. Medical guidelines therefore recommend brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste. According to the DGZMK, however, it is unclear whether fluoridated dental floss offers even more effective protection. However, there was no point deduction for the addition.
And something else: Only two products in the test – the “Vömel dental floss” and the “Yaweco dental floss” – consist of the natural substance that gives it their name and were both rated “very good” (waxed, 0.18 and 0.05 euros respectively). Most other manufacturers use plastic threads made of nylon, PTFE (Teflon), polyester, polyamide or polyurethane. The three suppliers Outdoor Freakz”, Smyle and Yaweco rely on fibers made from bio-plastics.
Now that this has been clarified, a selection of the products that have been found to be very good follows. Let’s start with more waxed ones: “Dontodent Dental Tape Extra Glidable” from DM (0.1 Euro), “Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Dental Floss” (0.05 Euro), “Outdoor Freakz Natural Dental Floss plastic-free and vegan, carton” (0, 02 euros) and “Today Dent dental floss, waxed, mint flavor” from Rewe (0.01 euros).
Among the unwaxed dental floss, these two received the best grade: “Diadent dental floss, unwaxed” by Netto and “Natuvell dental floss Classic, unwaxed” (both 0.01 euros).