Tom's of MaineNatural Waxed Antiplaque Flat Floss, Spearmint, 32-Yards, Pack of 2

Doesn't shred as easily as some I've tried and the packaging is minimal.

Only floss I use

My dental hygienist said to tie a knot in my dental floss to help get out an embedded herb stuck in my gum. I’ve also had good results doubling a thinner, slippery floss. Tom’s floss is hearty and does a great job for everyday flossing. I typically use finger cots on my index fingers to help maintain traction and have the floss not slip.

First, if you have Glide floss, throw it away now and stop poisoning yourself. It has more than 4x the amount of PFAS of the worst offending flosses in this regard and they have too much to bear. Then buy this. It's basically string and flavored beeswax. The string is sized well so you only need one strand to get proper flossing action. (Look up "PFAS and floss" to learn more.

The extra thickness of the floss is just right for me in dislodging food particles. I go out of my way to order this product and make sure I always have it on hand. Nothing else is quite like it.

Tom's of Maine floss is nice and wide and is waxed with healthy ingredients, not Teflon. It is minty as well. A great part of keeping my teeth clean.

The odor of spearmint is TOO strong even before I opened the package - way too much mint. This product will help deodorize my garbage can though :)

The variety of dental floss seems to be ubiquitous in the market. Just a quick trip to CVS, Walgreen’s, or your favorite supermarket will make you dizzy trying to decipher the marketing gimmicks while you attempt to select a floss compatible with your dentition. What’s here today is often discontinued or unavailable tomorrow and this is understandably a source of frustration for many consumers. Tom’s of Maine has an excellent reputation and legacy for producing some fine products and was one of the first pioneers in the industry to market naturally-sourced and environmentally responsive health products to consumers back when there were virtually no other players in the marketplace.If you have very tight, crowded teeth, this is NOT the floss for you and you need read no further. However, if you have normal space tolerances between your teeth, read on my friends:Advantages:1. Nylon filaments coated with bee, carnauba and jojoba waxes, Acadia senegal gum and natural flavor.2. Strong filaments are exceptionally good at resisting shredding and tearing. Considerably stronger than most flosses without the potentially concerning long-term exposure to PTFE used in Glide floss and many other generic flosses marketed as “high tech” floss. Nylon is inert and safe to use for daily flossing.3. No artificial sweeteners, animal-sourced ingredients, artificial colors, flavors, dyes, fragrances, preservatives or synthetic waxes.4. ADA Accepted Seal5. Excellent at removing plaque (aka “biofilm”) and other food debris for folks with NORMAL space tolerances between teeth.Concerns:1. In 2006, Tom’s of Maine became a majority-owned subsidiary of the mega-giant Colgate-Palmolive Corporation, manufacturers of many US household HBA’s (health and beauty aids). Unfortunately, this is not disclosed on Tom’s products, which for some consumers, might create the perception that Tom’s still remains a small, completely autonomous, independent company. Consumers will also need to look more carefully on the box of floss to notice the words “Dist. By”, since this product is manufactured in Malaysia and only packaged and marketed (i.e. “distributed”) in the US by Tom’s of Maine.2. Tom’s prides itself on its Sustainability and Stewardship Platform, which they proudly recited to me in scripted recitation when I called their “Citizen Advocacy Team”, a fancy moniker for “POCS”or Plain ‘Ol Customer Service). However, the Tom’s associate who spoke with me was unable to explain what was sustainable about nylon, needing to “research” and “explore” my inquiry. The material for this product is nylon-a synthetic polymer (polyamide). To the best of my knowledge, nylon is not a “naturally-sourced” material-only the coatings are consistent with their stewardship and sustainability platform. Successive attempts to reach out to Tom Chappell were unsuccessful but Tom’s DCS (Director of Consumer Services) was both responsive and helpful in acknowledging areas requiring additional training and product transparency.3. From my own review and product research, most dental floss manufacturers fail to disclose the material used to produce their floss. This can be a major concern to consumers having allergies or other intolerance to a host of substances introduced into dental flosses whether it be waxes, petrochemicals, artificial sweeteners or use of GMO’s. Greater transparency in this area is needed in the industry. In fact, many manufacturers do not even have this data available to their own customer service/product specialist reps in their call centers. This includes most of the major manufacturers as well as Dr. Tung’s which is simply a call center.4. This floss is indeed “flat” as indicated on the product box and dispenser; however, those having tight space tolerances between their teeth may wish to be cautious not to assume that flat implies thin enough to floss comfortably and/or completely for some individuals-particularly those who have dentures, crowns, braces or other types of dental appliances. “Feels a bit like twine” as other folks have accurately reported.Recommendations:1. For those who wish to avoid the use of PFTE-based floss e.g. Glide and others, Tom’s is a good choice for many folks. However, I would not recommend this particular product for those with crowded teeth. I was unable to comfortably work the floss between many of my teeth and unable to remove the floss vertically ( in a “u” shaped motion) as recommended by standard dental protocol on many of my tight teeth.2. Those who unfortunately share my dentition of crowded teeth or have braces, dentures or crowns may wish to consider these excellent choices for non-PFTE flosses: Eco-Dent’s GentleFloss and Dr. Tung’s Smart Floss. Oral-B’s Glide Floss, SuperFloss, Essential Floss and Complete Deep Clean Ultra Floss all are manufactured with PTFE and I have separately reviewed Glide as a reference point for consumers.To Your Good Health! CD