National Flossing Day

When was the last time that you flossed your teeth, honestly? Yeah, you probably have heard it from your dentist just about every time you have gone to have your teeth cleaned (or cavities filled, or teeth pulled…), but have you actually listened to the advice? No more excuses – yes, there’s actually a day to remind you to floss your teeth.

Well, it’s not just that – National Flossing Day exists to remind you of your oral health in general, but flossing in particular because that’s the thing that you’re most likely to overlook. Admit it, we all forget to do it.

History of National Flossing Day

National Flossing Day has been celebrated since the year 2000, to remind people of the importance of looking after their teeth. Flossing is an important component of this, and dental floss has been available since the late 1890s. Ironically enough, when Johnson and Johnson developed the first patented dental floss in 1898, toothbrushes were still quite expensive.

Originally, floss was made from thin silk threads, but by the end of WWII nylon had become prevalent. While it did take 102 years to come up with such a day as National Flossing Day, you shouldn’t really overlook your oral hygiene for that long. If you did, you’d lose all of your teeth long before that.

How to celebrate National Flossing Day

Celebrating National Flossing Day is quite simple – get up in the morning and floss your teeth (either before or after brushing, but both brushing and flossing are equally important to dental hygiene according to the American Dental Association).

Flossing day is meant to raise awareness about oral health, and as such, it would be a fitting occasion to schedule yourself a dentist’s appointment, especially if you haven’t visited the dentist in a while.

Some people have an irrational fear of going to the dentist, but you shouldn’t let this deter you (there are even dentists these days that will sedate you so that you can have dental work done.

But let’s say you’ve been to the dentist lately – in that case, you can check and see if you have dental floss at home. If you don’t have any, then National Flossing Day would be the perfect occasion to celebrate by going out and buying some dental floss.

Restaurants and cafeterias can observe National Flossing Day by providing dental floss with meals that they serve, and managers in other fields can promote the holiday by giving out dental floss to their employees for the occasion.

For the artistically inclined, floss art contests are not unheard of, and this would also be the perfect way to mark the occasion of National Flossing Day. Still not sure how to celebrate? Look on the National Flossing Council’s official website for more ideas.