If you dutifully get your teeth cleaned every six months, you’ve probably been painfully aware that you should be flossing. From your dentist to your hygienist, to the poster in their restroom, they’re all beating the same drum: flossing is important. Flossing has a lot of upsides: cleaner teeth, fresher breath, reduced chance of health problems like cavities, gum disease, and even heart disease. Unfortunately, flossing has a dark side too, because conventional dental floss can expose you to harmful chemicals and be problematic for our environment.
So, instead of giving up on flossing altogether (and incurring the wrath of our dentists!), we’ve put together this Natural Dental Floss Guide, packed with natural and biodegradable dental floss options to keep your mouth (and our planet) smiling.
What’s so bad about conventional dental floss?
From the treatments used on the floss itself, to its packaging, conventional dental floss leaves a lot to be desired. Here’s a breakdown on the top ingredients to avoid for natural, biodegradable dental floss and a few products we like.
Top 3 Things To Avoid for Safer, Natural Dental Floss
1. PFAs
Conventional dental floss is often treated with substances from a family of chemicals called PFAS or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. This class of chemicals is used to repel liquids in a broad range of products, such as nonstick cookware, raincoats, and outdoor gear and much more. These chemicals are so pervasive that they’re present in our bloodstream. People with higher concentrations of PFAS in their blood have increased health risks including cancer, liver disease, heart disease, and immune system suppression. Avoid products that contain the terms “PTFE” or “ Fluoro-” in the ingredients.
2. Plastic and Single-Use Packaging
The fact that plastic is bad for humans and the environment is pretty well known. Consider this: the average floss container only lasts for around 2 months if you floss once a day, so that’s a minimum of 6 containers per year, per person that will be sitting in a landfill for a few hundred years or however long it takes for it to breakdown into smaller, toxic units that are then absorbed into our ecosystem.
3. Nylon
Many conventional dental floss products are made from nylon, an alternative to silk that was created in the 1930s, which does not biodegrade and is difficult to recycle. Nylon is also hazardous to marine life, who can become tangled in the fibers as nylon is designed to be tough to tear (which is why your floss comes with that little blade to tear it).
Safer Options for Natural Dental Floss
How can you not love the internet? It brings us closer to great, responsible brands that are making safer, natural dental floss.
Our Top Pick:
Georganics is a natural and compostable dental floss made with Ahimsa Silk (known as Peace Silk), Candelilla Wax and Spearmint Oil. It comes with a reusable glass container and metal dispenser and is packed in a fully compostable kraft box. The metal dispensing lid allows you to easily cut the floss to your desired length. The glass container can be used again and again by purchasing refills and the brand offers a subscribe and save option. The ingredients include Ahimsa Silk Floss, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, organic Spearmint Oil.
Next Best Thing:
Bambo Pure Silk Eco Floss is organic, non-toxic, zero waste, eco-friendly and biodegradable. The floss is made of the high-quality natural silk fiber and coated with candelilla wax, featuring a mint flavor. It comes with a reusable, refillable glass jar to minimize waste.
Best Drugstore Brand:
We’re not going to lie: it’s going to be tough to find a plastic-free option at a drugstore, but Radius does offer a biodegradable, natural silk dental floss that is not treated with PFAS and can be found at health stores and some drugstores.
Learn More
Dental floss is a product you come into contact with daily, so finding a safe option is something to take seriously as chemicals can build up in our bodies over time. A great way to get started in finding natural dental floss, or anything else, is EWG Skin Deep database, a great resource for researching products.
At Force of Nature, we’re real humans with messy kids and pets and teeth that need flossing, too. We’re dedicated to making the world a healthier place, educating our customers on how to find safer products, starting with the cleaning products in our homes. That’s why we created our revolutionary cleaning system, Force of Nature, which utilizes simple ingredients to create a toxin-free, natural cleaning solution that’s also a powerful, EPA-registered disinfectant & sanitizer.
