Here at Seven Lakes Dental in Smokey Point, WA we know that flossing your teeth is very important.  That’s why your dentist and hygienist tell you to floss your teeth every day.  But did you know that there are many other uses for dental floss?  Flossing teeth is still our favorite use, but we’ve put together a list of our favorite uses other than flossing.  Here is our top ten list:

  1. Cooking with dental flossCooking- There are a number of ways to use dental floss in the kitchen. One of the hardest parts of making cinnamon rolls is cutting the rolled up dough into individual cinnamon rolls. Slide the dental floss under the rolled up dough and then rap it over the top. Then pull in opposite directions over the top of the roll to make the floss cut through the dough. Works better than a knife! You can also use dental floss for cutting cakes. Stretch the floss tight across the top of the cake and then pull down to cut a straight line across the cake. You can also do this with soft cheese.
  2. Sewing- If you have a button that keeps coming off, you may need to sew it on with something a little stronger than thread. Sew it on with dental floss next time for a secure hold that will last a long time. You can also use it for other repairs that need something a little tougher than thread, like a seam in a shoe or denim.
  3. Rings- If you ever find that your finger is swollen and you can’t get your ring off, you can use dental floss to help. Start wrapping the floss around your finger close to the ring. Then continue to wrap it around close together until you get past the swollen spot. The ring should slide right off.
  4. Gardening- Use dental floss to tie up climbing plants in the garden, or in plant pots in your house. You can color it green with a marker ahead of time so it blends in and doesn’t show.
  5. Decorating- String popcorn on dental floss to string it on the Christmas tree for decoration. You can also use it to hang ornaments on the tree or decorations from the ceiling.
  6. Rope- You can use dental floss to keep the ends of a rope from fraying in a process called ‘whipping’. You wrap it tightly around the end of the rope to prevent the rope from fraying and coming apart. For proper whipping instructions you may want to consult Google.
  7. Shoe Lace- If you break a shoe lace and need a temporary fix you can use dental floss. Multiple layers of floss are quite strong and can hold until you purchase new laces.
  8. Hair Tie- In a pinch you can use floss to tie your hair up if you don’t have a hair tie handy.
  9. Picture Hanging- Instead of using wire on the back of pictures for hanging them, you can use dental floss. It won’t scratch your walls like the wire does.
  10. Luggage Lock- You can tie a couple layers of dental floss through the holes in the zippers and other loops on your luggage that are there for locking your luggage. This will make it hard to get your luggage open when you don’t have a luggage lock. It’s too tough to break with your hands so a thief looking for a bag to quickly rummage through will pass yours by for an easier target.

We hope you have enjoyed our list of top ten creative uses for dental floss.  If you have ever used floss in one of these ten ways let us know how it went.  And if you have a tip that you think should be on our list please add it in the comments below.  We would love to hear from you.   Always remember that you should floss your teeth every day, and that is really our favorite use for dental floss here at Seven Lakes Dental.
Make sure you schedule regular dental check-ups to keep your teeth healthy and strong. Visit our Marysville location if you live near Marysville, Arlington, and Smokey Point. Visit our new location on Camano Island if you live on Camano Island or in the Stanwood area.