Dental Floss: Where Did it Come From?
Believe it or not, the history of dental floss dates goes back many years. There even is reference in folklore states that indicates that “remnants” of dental floss were observed in the skulls of prehistoric humans.
Credit for developing modern-day dental floss goes to Levi Spear Parmly (17901859), a dentist from New Orleans dentist, who, as far back as 1815, recommended to his patients that they clean their teeth by running a piece of thread made of silk, through the spaces in between their teeth. Dental floss was not available in the marketplace, commercially available produced, until the Codman and Shurtleft company of Randolph, Massachusetts in 1882, produced unwaxed silk floss.
The first patent for dental floss was awarded to the Johnson and Johnson Company of New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1898. Several of the earliest known, commercially produced brands, ere Red Cross, Salter Sill Co. and Brunswick. When first manufactured, dental floss was made of silk. After World War II, a newer material, floss made of nylon, was designed by Charles C. Bass, a doctor. The nylon, it turned out, was a much better material, because it had smooth, cylindrical filaments that could be manufactured in a variety of sizes, all of which were stretchable and had greater abrasion resistance than silk. The fact that the nylon could stretch made it less likely to shred.
Not until after World War II, did dentists, such as Dr. Bass, stress the importance of dental floss to be used in conjunction with regular brushing, as the best way to remove the accumulation of plaque, the major cause of tooth decay.
Today, we continue to stress flossing even more seriously. A variety of newer products, make flossing even easier, with products that are easier to use and hold up better.