Flossed And Found

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For years the dentists of America have preached the importance of proper dental care. They have stressed flossing and rinsing subsequent to brushing. They have not reached as many people as they would wish. Recently there was much talk about flossing, indeed the talk exceeded their expectations. What they had failed to accomplish over the years, was brought about by a certain convict in just one night.
~ A prisoner in West Virginia took the subject of floss to a new level. However, it wasn't in the exercising of good dental hygiene that had everyone talking about floss. The toothbrush has long been a prop used in novels and films, but now it is floss that has the center stage.
~ Apparently the prisoner had been saving the floss he had been provided for some time. It seems that he managed twist the floss, an a manner not intended by dentists, fashioning it into a rope. Using that rope, he was able to escape from the facility.
~ Meanwhile, two independent studies found that rinsing for thirty seconds twice a day with an antiseptic mouthwash, such as Listerine, was just as effective as flossing in the reduction of plaque and gingivitis between the teeth. The results of those studies appeared in the recent Journal Of The American Dental Association.
~ Leading dentists countered that while the results may very well be accurate, a combination of brushing, rinsing, and flossing is still the best method to insure healthy teeth. Having said that, they also said that flossing was effective in removing food debris between the teeth often missed by brushing and rinsing.
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~ Known by housewives and crafters alike, there are a lot of uses for the waxed string other than as a dentifrice, and of course as escape ropes. A list of alternative uses follow:
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• Stringing beads
• Stringing popcorn and cranberries for holiday decoration
• Repairing necklaces
• Kite flying
• Training plants
• Sewing large buttons on coats
• Hanging light-weight pictures
• Cutting cheese
• Slicing cake
• Cutting rolls of dough
• Removing photographs from a magnetic photo album

In one form or another, the above list has appeared in many sources such as "Better Homes and Garden" and "Ladys Home Journal. I suspect that hints from Martha Stewarts Better Living magazine or program has provided a similar list. (It is curious that Stewart was also imprisoned in West Virginia.)

~ Thanks to one escapee, there is now another use for floss! It appears that the American Dental Association and the penal system of West Virginia have a new common department to manage - Flossed And Found!

~No.144

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