Cocofloss Dental Floss
A lot of people have issues with flossing, I’m a dentist, and I know that everyone hates to floss. Dentists like myself love to recommend products like Cocofloss if we think that it might increase flossing compliance.
There are lots of different types of products you can use to clean in between your teeth. There’s dental floss, dental tape, interdental brushes, water flossers, and air flossers. However, in most dentists’ opinion, nothing beats good old dental floss.
The reason why most dentists recommend floss for interdental cleaning is that it physically touches the contacts between the teeth and removes the bacterial plaque buildup from the areas that toothbrush bristles just can’t reach. Other flossing options like water flossers and air flossers don’t physically separate where two teeth touch and so they do not have quite as good of a result.
Why Floss?
There is a problem with floss compliance. People don’t like to floss. Maybe because they think it takes too long. Or perhaps, they don’t realize just how important it is. But once I get my patients to start flossing, they usually stick with it.
When you floss regularly and you develop a good technique, it shouldn’t take you more than two minutes. Just two minutes of flossing a day can decrease your risk of developing cavities and gum disease.
It’s a wonderful thing to do for your health and it might even increase your lifespan. That’s why people need to floss.
Cocofloss Review
Cocofloss is a relatively new brand. It was developed by the dentist Chrystle Cu and her sister Catherine. They wanted to make flossing fun.
I first heard about it from a dental hygienist who was cleaning my teeth. I have some open contacts where my teeth don’t come together very tightly and there are larger spaces for food debris and plaque to build up. My hygienist said – “Hey, you should try Cocofloss. It has some thick fibers that are better at cleaning plaque”.
The coconut oil that it contains also has some benefits. If you look at the scientific literature, people have been doing oil pulling for thousands of years and coconut oil has been known to draw out some toxins and so there’s potentially a benefit in the coconut oil that’s embedded in the dental floss itself.
Cocofloss comes in a lot of cool packaging, scents, and colors. I just recently got a new pack that is based on ice cream scoops. It came with four fun flavors – vanilla bean, mint, coconut, and chocolate. The one I was most excited about was chocolate.
My husband tried the chocolate and while it smells like chocolate, it does not taste like chocolate. So all of these we say scents and not flavors because you’re going to smell that descriptor but you’re not going to taste it as you’re flossing.
What Is Cocofloss Made Of?
Each string of Cocofloss is made of over 500+ polyester filaments interwoven together and infused with coconut oil, essential oils, and aromas. The polyester filaments are spun from recycled water bottles.
Ingredients – polyester filaments, microcrystalline wax, coconut oil, essential oils, and aromas.
Is Cocofloss Biodegradable?
Cocofloss is made from an oil-based plastic called polyester which is not biodegradable. Unlike synthetic fibers, polyester will take many years to biodegrade.
How Long Does Cocofloss Last?
If you were to use about 45cm of floss per day, one roll would last about 2 months.
Is Cocofloss Suitable For Everybody?
Cocofloss is actually not for everyone. It is pretty thick and it has these fibers on it and so it would be difficult for someone who has crooked or crowded teeth that have very tight contacts if it’s difficult for you to press the floss down between the teeth. Coconut floss might be even more difficult. It’s wonderful for people who have little gaps between the teeth or have what we call black triangles which are spaces between where the two teeth touch and the gum tissue below that. Areas that tend to collect food and debris.
How Often Should You Use Cocofloss?
Every Single Day, you shouldn’t go to bed without flossing your teeth, flossing at night before bed removes all of that plaque and bacteria and gives you a much healthier mouth. For how long? As I said, if you develop a great technique, it should only take about two minutes to floss your entire mouth.
A roll of coconut floss lasts quite some time. I’m ordering a four-pack three times every two years, so each roll lasts about 2 months. I don’t share it with my husband because it’s expensive and I want to keep it all for me. As far as being expensive. That’s relative. Generally, you can go to the drugstore and you can buy a little package of dental floss for just $1 or two. That’s not going to be the same quality as what you get with Cocofloss.
Where Can You Buy Cocofloss
Cocofloss is available in over 1300 retail stores in the US
Cocofloss Subscription
They do offer a subscription where you can have it shipped to you on a consistent basis. I haven’t personally done that. I think it’s a great idea if you see that you are using it at that rate. It depends. Lots of people want to dry out a big piece of dental floss and other people only use a very short amount of dental floss.
In my opinion, the Cocofloss is worth the increased expense because it has better cleaning ability. I do think that it removes dental plaque more effectively than regular floss. This will lower your risk for dental problems in the future. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. There’s no question that I would recommend Cocofloss to suitable patients.
Is Cocofloss Worth It?
In my opinion, Cocofloss is worth the increased expense because it has better cleaning ability and removes dental plaque more effectively than regular floss. You can go to the drug store and get a little pack of floss for a few dollars but that is not going to give the same performance as Cocofloss. This will lower your risk for dental problems in the future. There’s no question that I would recommend Cocofloss to suitable patients.
The Takeaway…
1 / Many people find it hard to keep to a regular flossing routine.
2 / Cocofloss is a product designed to be comfortable, effective, and fun.
3 / The 500-plus fibers used to make a single Cocofloss strand increase surface area and cleaning ability.
4 / The coconut oil coating gives a soothing and gentle flossing experience.
5 / Cocofloss is quite thick and may not be suitable for people with crooked or crowded teeth that have very tight contacts.
6 / Failing to clean in between your teeth can lead to gum disease.
7 / Although Cocofloss is expensive, it is a quality product worth considering.
Dr. Lara Coseo DDS, FAGD – Author –
Having practiced general dentistry for 13 years, Dr. Lara currently serves as an Associate Professor at Texas A&M College of Dentistry.