Most of us think of dental floss as just one of those tiny harmless bathroom products. But it could not be further from the truth. Chances are the dental floss you’ve been using is coated with a perfluorinated polymer (PFC), the same substance that keeps your food from sticking to a Teflon pan.
The Trouble with PFCs
Many floss companies add a non-stick chemical to help floss slide easily between your teeth. Unfortunately, PFCs are not only carcinogenic, but they affect your hormone levels, damage your immune system, and even cause cancer. The amount you absorb from one round of flossing is comparatively small, however, the problem is, PFC compounds don’t break down easily and are easily stored inside our bodies.
More dangers in dental floss
- Petroleum-Most dental floss is made from nylon, which is a petroleum based product. Nylon is one of the most harmful textiles; it contains toxins residues that can cause health problems such as cancer, skin allergies, dizziness, headaches, system dysfunction.
- Flavors and additives. These can include fluoride. The summary of one dental floss patent states: “Porous, high strength (PTFE) dental floss is coated with micro-crystalline wax. If desired, the floss may also incorporate one or more active tartar control, anticaries, antiplaque and/or antibacterial actives and/or dentally acceptable agents such as polishing and abrasive agents, coolants, flavorants and/or coagulants.”
Safer solutions-natural dental floss
The fact that ingredients aren’t usually mentioned on the packaging, makes choosing a natural alternative hard. Look for unwaxed or natural vegetable wax coatings, and no flavorings. (such as this )
