Individual flosser alternatives

[Erin77]

I've been trying to floss my almost two year old's teeth and I keep hearing how great those little individual floss pics are, but I HATE the idea of throwing away that much plastic! Anyone have a good alternative to trying to use regular floss and fingers (and getting bitten from time to time) or single use, plastic disposable floss pics? 

[~Adorkable~]

wow, im i supposed to be flossing my twins? I'm way behind with dental care, hop I'm not messing up this bad?

as for what to use, dont they have little reusable holders that you put your own floss in?  ah yeah, just did a search, will these help you? 

Flossaid Dental Floss Holder

[Erin77]

Yeah, we're supposed to be flossing them as soon as they have two that touch. I was so depressed to find that out! But there are some horror stories on here (and other sites) about early cavities, so I'm committed to doing it. I'm really looking for recommendations for the supply-your-own floss tools like you linked about. The reviews of that one call it "big and sturdy" which I think might not be good for a small mouth. Anyone use any like those that work well?

[dejagerw]

I use a combination of those individual floss pics and regular old floss. I don't regularly throw away the individual floss pics though. I hope that's not too gross. I just figure I don't throw away a tooth brush after each use, there's not that much difference. Plus I'm only flossing between a couple teeth, so they don't get that much use.
 

[GISDiva]

I am looking for a good kid's size one too, my son has super-tight teeth and we need to be more vigilant.  Like you said, I don't like the idea of throwing away those disposable ones all the time.  It seems like several companies make them, but I'm trying to find one that I know will fit in his tiny mouth.

Will be watching this thread...

[CheriK]

Unfortuntately, I haven't found anything that works as well for kids as the disposable.  All 3 of my kids (also DS & myself) have super-tight spaces.  I have a couple of spaces that the dental hygienist cannot get floss between, although I can myself.  All 3 kids have decay between teeth despite flossing since they had enough teeth to floss.  Baby teeth are supposed to have space between them, so for many kids flossing doesn't do much, but for those of us with no space flossing is absolutely necessary from the time teeth start erupting. But DD1 (11 years this month) just had her first dental checkup since we switched to the flossers and it's her best ever. Almost no tarter or plaque noted, especially between the teeth. And no cavities for the very first time.

Our dentist recommends the Y-shaped flossers w/ an angle.  Most of the "cute" ones designed for kids are flat & not as easy to use, especially for tight & back teeth.  I haven't yet ordered, but for DD2 who has SUCH tight teeth, our dentist recommended a specific brand - Glide Pro Health Deep Clean Angle.  They can be compressed to release the tension on the floss so are supposedly super easy to fit between tight spaces.  I'm hopeful this will help.   DD2 (almost 4) still hates flossing, has severe decay in between most teeth despite flossing probably 5x a week since babyhood. 

When we switched to the flossers, the nightly arguments and wars over flossing improved immensely. My older two (almost 11-year old twins) floss their own teeth at this point & greatly prefer the flossers. DD2 is still not happy about it, but it is better.  Much easier to fit a flosser in a small mouth than one of the reusable products that you wind floss around (too big for MY mouth, let alone a toddler's); I also don't like how much floss these waste - you have to use SO much to wind around the holder.  And easier to get the right angle than winding floss around adult fingers. 

We do not reuse the flossers.  Honestly, I was always taught that you use a fresh area of floss between every tooth, so even using a flosser once is hard for me to accept.  Our hygienist suggested dipping in mouthwash between teeth to reduce bacteria.  And with tight spaces, the floss shreds, so I can't imagine it's very effective reusing (sometimes I need to use 2 on DD2 because it gets so shredded that I can't finish with it)

I guess I weigh the benefits to my children with the environmental cost.  This is a short-term solution; as they get older & more manually adept, they will be able to use regular floss.  In the meantime, what's the individual cost w/ decay?  We do what we can, and our lifestyle is much less waste-producing than most, so I am okay with this.

[erigeron]

Oh jeez. I don't floss my 16-month-old's teeth either. I probably should because I've had cavities between teeth due to not flossing myself... I hate flossing my own teeth, hard to imagine doing a toddler's. Ergh. /useless comment