When was dental floss invented?

Answer 1

The concept of dental floss was put forward in the early 1800s by Levi Spear Parmly, who recommended that people floss with silk floss. Parmly belonged to a well known family of dentists. In his book entitled A Practical Guide to the Management of the Teeth, published in 1819, Parmly advocated flossing with waxed silken thread "to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove, and which is the real source of disease".

Answer 2

The concept of dental floss was put forward in the early 1800s by Levi Spear Parmly, who recommended that people floss with silk floss. Parmly belonged to a well known family of dentists. In his book entitled A Practical Guide to the Management of the Teeth, published in 1819, Parmly advocated flossing with waxed silken thread "to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove, and which is the real source of disease". The first dental floss patent was awarded to Asahel M. Shurtleff of the dental-supply company Codman & Shurtleff, of Randolph, Massachusetts, in 1874. The description of the patented product was "An Improved Pocket Thread Carrier and Cutter," similar to modern floss packages. However, the company did not actively market the floss until 1882. Johnson & Johnson developed and marketed the idea of floss on a broader scale from about 1896.

Answer 3

dental floss has been invented for healthy oral purpose..It is used to get rid of debri or collective food that are trapped between teeth and cannot be released by toothbrush on i t's own..So go get yourself a floss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, USA, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss. He recommended that people should clean their teeth with floss in 1815. Obviously silk fibers were and still are a bit pricey for use for dental floss so the adoption of floss was poor until around the time of World War II. It was around this time, Dr. Charles C. Bass developed nylon floss. Nylon floss was found to be better than silk because of its lower cost, greater abrasion resistance and better elasticity (so that it didn't break as easily). Note that nylon was developed as a general replacement for silk and came into heavy use for parachutes for troops during WW II - so it also became more generally available for other uses such as floss at that time.