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it Changed MY Life!

Hi!  My name is Paul.  I am a flossing enthusiast and a flossing speaker (my hobby).  Welcome to FlossEveryDay.com, the website that inspired the motion picture "Crooked."  To purchase "Crooked" DVD go to www.DentalMovie.org.  

Paul's Amazing Story

Congratulations on making a resolution to floss every day.  Daily Flossing will put a sparkle in your smile and if you are like me it will also make you live happier, healthier, and more prosperously.  This is my story about how I established a LASTING DAILY FLOSSING HABIT after age 40.  And others younger and older who have heard my speech and read this site have told me that when they tried my lasting flossing habit formation method it worked for them too!  

Because you are reading this, we have something in common.  For a long time, your dentist has suggested you floss your teeth. 

My dentist, Gregg, in Florida and his hygienists tried to get me to floss for 20 years.  I appreciate their persistence.  God bless them.

I was raised in a good home, mind you, and learned to brush my teeth every day, but FLOSS never.

I would do it for about a week after a dental appointment, but it just never felt right, so I quit every time I tried.

After all, who in their right mind would take some string every day and run it between their teeth and watch their gums bleed?

And who has 10 minutes a day to mess with dental floss?

Well, I am happy to tell you that I have been flossing daily for over two years.  And I started after age 40.  The first big thrill of my flossing life was when after my first four months of daily flossing, my dentist's hygienist, Laura, looked in my mouth and exclaimed, "You've had a mouth transplant!"

So, I know how hard it is to start the daily flossing habit, but I want to encourage you. 

I kept notes from the early days I started daily flossing to share them with you so that you can enjoy the benefits of daily flossing too.  What follows are 7 principles based on my experience that will give you a step by step approach to daily flossing success. 

This is not based on somebody's theory of what will get someone to floss daily who never has before...this is how I did it.  And I am STILL flossing daily.

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #1

The only reason to floss is so your mouth will feel great every day.

"But my mouth feels fine now!  I don't need to floss," you might say.  I said the same thing for over 40 years.

Have you ever had a massage?  You might have felt fine before your massage, but for the rest of the day afterwards your felt great. 

Flossing does the same thing for your mouth if you do it daily for at least three months and keep doing it daily thereafter.

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #2

Wake up an hour earlier in the morning.

"You've got to be kidding me!  I'm not going to wake up an hour earlier just to floss my teeth!"

My dentist's assistants told me so many times, I can't even count, that flossing only takes a few minutes.  Every time I did it though, it would take me at least 10 minutes. 

Wise old Ben Franklin, in his autobiography, noted his schedule was to be in bed at 10:00 pm and up at 5:00 am.  Now that I have adopted this same schedule, I find I have more time to do all the things I want to do!  And now that I am good at flossing it takes me less than 5 minutes.

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #3

Never brush your teeth at all unless you also floss at the same time you brush once a day.

"Right, so you're telling me that if I don't floss, I shouldn't brush either?  My teeth will rot if I take your advice!"

If you brush every day, your mouth is used to feeling what is like to have brushed teeth.  It likes the feeling.  If you don't brush for a day or two your mouth will give you the hint that it isn't very happy with you.  You will want to kiss and make up with your mouth by brushing.  

And if you make a deal with yourself that you will only brush if you also floss at the same time you are linking a powerful reward, how your mouth feels when brushed, with all your flossing efforts.  I floss immediately before I brush just so I can't cheat!

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #4

Keep at least 5 packages of Glide dental floss (in the same flavor as your toothpaste) at home all the time.

"Why Glide?  What do I need that many for?"

I have tried about every dental floss there is.  And I like Glide because it is the easiest to pull, break off, and feels best between my teeth and under my gums.  You want it in the same flavor as your toothpaste because remember you are brushing and flossing at the same time.  Think of flossing as just part of brushing. 

If you have lots of floss on hand, if you run out of one you won't break your flossing habit - you just crack open another.  And when you first start flossing your body will rebel and do weird things to your dental floss like dropping the whole thing in the toilet or putting it down where the cat can get it and bat it around the house.  You want to have LOTS of floss on hand.

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #5

Floss in front of the mirror. 

"Can't I do this when I am watching TV or something?"

Remember flossing is just a part of brushing.  You brush in front of the mirror.  You floss in front of the mirror.

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #6

Use long pieces of floss and rinse and dry your hands between pieces used. 

"Why?"

Try to get through your whole mouth with only 3 or 4 pieces of floss.  It just makes it easier and quicker.  When you go through a piece you get a fair amount of junk and saliva on your fingers.  Rinsing and drying your hands between pieces gives you a better grip on the floss and gives you more of a clean feeling.

Creating the Flossing Habit Principle #7

Drop your used floss in the sink.

"Can't I put it in the garbage instead?"

Remember flossing is part of brushing.  You spit out your toothpaste into the sink.  You drop your floss into the sink.  After you are done flossing between all your teeth, you pick the floss out of the sink and dump it in the garbage.

HOW FLOSSING CHANGED MY LIFE

Now that I have told you how I started flossing, I promised also to tell you how it changed my life.  It is a powerful feeling to be in control of yourself.  Teeth not flossed are out of control.  Daily flossing was just one step.  Daily exercise soon followed which made me feel even better.  I then built the habit of eating more foods that are good for me and less that are not.  I built better work habits that made me more prosperous.  And I make time to do things I enjoy most.  I may have never known this happy life of mine if I hadn't started flossing daily.  I can honestly say these are the best times of my life thus far and I am hopeful and optimistic about the future. 

I am not a dentist and if you have questions about your dental health you should ask your dentist.  But I would love it if you would drop me a line and let me know if this helped you win at FLOSSING AFTER 40...OR AT ANY AGE!

May God bless you and happy flossing!

CONTACT US

Paul is a flossing speaker and his award winning speech, "I Figured it Out," is an inspirational, encouraging, and motivating speech for any meeting.  Contact Paul at FlossHabit@aol.com

Have a flossing story? Or a nominee for our Friend of Flossing Award?  Share it with us at FlossHabit@aol.com  

Join the Daily Flossing Club (membership cards and t-shirts available) at FlossHabit@aol.com

ABOUT US

Find out more about us by clicking "About Us" at the top of this page.

Paul is also available for teleconferences with dental professionals on using a positive approach to encourage and motivate patients to floss.