The Crazy Dental Tool That Finally Got Me to Floss

The Lie Holding Your Health (and Beauty) Back

When I first started caring about my health, flossing felt like one of those “extra credit” things. I brushed twice a day. That should be enough, right? So I skipped flossing. And for a while… I got away with it. My teeth looked fine. I got compliments on my smile. I felt decent. But no matter how white my teeth looked, something was off. My gums bled sometimes. I had bad breath I couldn't explain. Eventually, I noticed my gum line receding — and so, reluctantly, I started flossing again.

But when I went to the dentist and got a surprise: early gum disease, inflammation, and buildup brushing alone couldn’t touch. Turns out, while 70% of people skip flossing entirely, most of the 30% who do floss are doing it wrong. 

As my dentist put it:

“You can floss every day… but if your technique is bad, it’s like not flossing. With good technique? Flossing is more important than brushing.”

The good news? There’s a tool that is not only more effective, but far easier to do correctly: the water flosser. It works. But let’s be honest — it has some serious drawbacks. 

Confessions of a Hardcore Water Flossing Hater

I first got a water flosser — a classic Waterpik — over a decade ago when I had braces and string flossing was nearly impossible, so my orthodontist recommended it. And to be fair, it worked. A focused stream of water blasts plaque and food particles and cleans deeper than anywhere relatively bulky string can reach. But wow… I hated that thing. It took forever (at least five minutes, which feels like an eternity when you just want to crash into bed) and made a huge mess. I fantasized about hurling it against the wall every time I used it, which was inconsistently.

And yet… I couldn’t ignore the truth: If you are serious about your health, you need to floss. It’s the single most important part of your hygiene routine. This on-again, off-again dance haunted me for years… until my dentist recommended something that gave me all the benefits — without the hassle.

In a rush? Skip to the final verdict →

"Sounds Too Good" — My Eye-Roll Moment

When my dentist told me about Instafloss, the so-called “effective floss in 10 seconds”, I rolled my eyes so hard I could see my own brain. You put a strange H-shaped mouthpiece in your mouth, sweep it across from one side of your mouth to the other, and it uses twelve jets to water floss everywhere without you aiming it. The entire mouth is flossed in ten seconds. Sure, I thought — another shiny gadget promising to reinvent the wheel. I assumed it was the same old concept with a techy spin. I was this close to ignoring it entirely.

Meet the Floss That Stops Your Excuses

But after the insistence of my dentist, I did some digging:

• Built by Dentists: Instafloss was built specifically to address the oral care crisis — with dentists and dental scientists part of the R&D process.

• Trusted by Scientists: Turns out researchers praise Instafloss, including Dr. Ana Mascarenhas, the former chair of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs.

• Real Results: I found lots of people like me who had 30-day gum health transformations, objectively measured by their dental exam periodontal charts.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just rolling my eyes. I was curious.

The 4-Week Fix: How I Finally Got Healthy Gums

Day 1-7: From Confused to Curious

I set up Instafloss on my counter. Do I really need this medical contraption in my bathroom? Oh well, here it goes… I tried it for the first time and braced for torture. It was surprising. It didn’t hurt, it was just… nothing like I expected. It was like a rapid-fire machine gun of flossing. My teeth felt clean but my brain was weirded out… but also intrigued. It felt odd, slightly overwhelming, but I decided I would stick with it for at least a week.

Week 2-3: Finding My Feel

After a week, the floss felt intuitive — like this was how flossing is supposed to be. Flossing time no longer triggered that “ugh, I can’t believe I have to do this” reflex. I actually started… looking forward to flossing?? The rush of all the jets at once, the thorough feeling of cleanliness between my teeth, the knowledge that Instafloss covered all areas so none were missed — it felt so good that it became slightly disappointing that the floss was over in only 10 seconds. Slightly.

Week 4: The Shift

Something strange happened — I forgot all about Instafloss. I used it every day, but it was such a natural (and quick) part of my routine that it became invisible to me. I was flossing daily and quite literally thinking nothing of it. Just ten seconds and it was done. The novelty was over, but the habit remained. 

Dental Visit: The Real Test

On my next trip to the dentist, the hygienist remarked how little calcified plaque I had. While I was treasuring my first-ever compliment from the hygienist, that was nothing compared to what happened next: For the first time in my life, I did not bleed when she flossed me! She was as surprised as I was. But the real proof came in when we were reviewing my periodontal charts — every single pocket showed reduced inflammation to the point where I did not have a single probing depth that exceeded 3 mm. It was this moment that convinced me I would likely be using Instafloss for life.

Normally this scene would fill me with dread — but this time, I felt pride.