10/14/2026
Fun dental fact: floss was originally made of silk. 🧵
In 1815, New Orleans dentist Levi Spear Parmly recommended cleaning between teeth with waxed silk thread. Silk floss stayed the standard until the 1940s, when wartime silk shortages led to the switch to nylon.
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, the perfect time to make flossing a daily habit. The material has changed over the years, but the advice hasn’t: floss once a day to reach the spots your toothbrush can’t. 🦷