Why Your Dentist Loves The Slate Electric Flosser

November 21, 2023

Any dentist who is worth their salt loves to give their patients a clean bill of health. Look, we dentists understand that our office is not the favorite place to be for most of our patients. We are just as eager to say the words "everything looks great" as you are to hear it. Several times a week, I have patients tell me I may find nothing wrong in their mouths, but as much as I love saying the words "no cavities," it's still my job to properly diagnose any disease processes I see. So, what can be done to both help my patients who hate getting bad news and also help myself with my desire to tell my patients that they have no cavities or gum disease? The simple answer is to get my patients to use the Slate Electric Flosser.

Most of the cavities that I see in my practice are cavities that happen between the teeth. You want to know what is so sad about that? The enamel on the interproximal surface of our teeth (the part of the tooth between two adjacent teeth) is some of the strongest enamel on our teeth. It's super smooth, with no grooves for bacteria to hide in. So, for cavities to develop here, the bacteria that cause cavities have to be left undisturbed for long periods of time in this area. To be more specific, these patients with interproximal decay (cavities that happen between the teeth) are simply not flossing, and if they are, they're either not doing it often enough, or they're not doing it correctly. The Slate Electric Flosser solves these problems.

We surveyed 3,500 people who own the Slate Electric Flosser, and 85% of them floss five or more times per week. Before purchasing the Slate Electric Flosser, many of those customers reported they flossed zero to one time per week. So, for people the nation over, the Slate Electric Flosser solves the problem of not flossing often enough.

That people are flossing more often with the Slate Electric Flosser is only solving half of the problem. If that flossing is not effective, we're not accomplishing much. Some people say that it is imperative to use a fresh stretch of floss for each tooth, or you are moving bacteria from one tooth to the next. In reality, our mouths are like a big petri dish, and the bacteria between our teeth on the upper right is already between the teeth on the lower left. So, understanding that bacteria are already in every corner of our mouths, what is the goal of flossing (and brushing)? Well, the food and drinks we consume mix with the bacteria in our mouths to create a tenacious biofilm that sticks to the surface of our teeth. If left unchecked, this biofilm can cause cavities and gum disease.

So, the purpose of brushing and flossing is to mechanically break up the sticky biofilm that wants to harm our teeth and gums. On the brushing side, this is best accomplished with a quality electric toothbrush from Sonicare, Oral-B, or Burst. On the flossing side, no other product disrupts the bacteria and massages the gum tissue between your teeth like the Slate Electric Flosser.

To illustrate the features of the Slate Electric Flosser, it's best to start with the floss itself. We use a 450-strand woven polyethylene floss, which is free of the harmful PFAS, PTFE, and BPA found in other everyday floss products. The woven texture makes the floss extra effective at grabbing and removing plaque and biofilm from the tooth surface. The 12,000 sonic vibrations help the floss pass through tight contacts with ease. Once the floss is through contact, it does the job of flossing much more effectively than traditional string floss. The vibrations help break up harmful biofilm between the teeth while stimulating the gum tissue, which increases blood flow, decreasing inflammation, bleeding, and tenderness.

But the key benefit of the whole product is the Gum Sweeps on either side of the floss strand. We perfectly shaped these Gum Sweeps like the space in between your teeth. As you gently move the floss head from tongue to cheek, they reach into that space, massaging your gums at the perfect angle while simultaneously hitting the spot where cavities most often occur. Then, while you enjoy the vibrant sensation in your teeth and gums, flip the floss head over to clean your tongue with our amazing tongue scraper. The first two rows of bristles lift and rake the hairs of the tongue while the final squeegee collects and removes the nastiness that has been living on the surface of your tongue. Simply put, don't buy a Slate Electric Flosser if you're not willing to become addicted to the level of clean that it produces.

Doubling back to the beginning of this post, at your next appointment, your dentist and hygienist will be blown away by how amazing your mouth looks after six months of using the Slate Electric Flosser.

One final reason your dentist loves the Slate Electric Flosser is how much easier it does their job. If the day ever comes when you need a filling, a crown, or veneers, chances are that your dentist will be interacting with your gum tissue. They may place a wedge at the gumline to help seal up a filling. They may pack a cord along the gumline to help with a crown or veneer impression. In these cases, the result has a much better chance of being ideal if the gums are not inflamed and bleeding. A Slate user recently went to her dentist for some veneers on her upper front teeth. As her dentist was packing cord along the gumline before the last impression, the dentist commented that her gum tissue was the healthiest she'd ever seen and asked what flossing product she used. The Slate Electric Flosser can help you and yours achieve the same ideal outcomes.