How gross is it to you when people put their fingers in their…

the Rotapoint tooth pick thingy that I THINK your are referring to is not a flossing tool or substitute for flossing. It looks like a kinda dental tooth pick… as a tooth pick it probably works fine, but it is NOT flossing. And, though I have not seen one of these in person, I have seen things on the market that it competes against and I doubt you could keep your fingers out of your mouth if using it on teeth towards the back of your mouth…

Here is the floss holder I have been using for many years:
http://www.amazon.com/Butler-Flossmate-Handle-12-Pk/dp/B000S75OEC
I take this and a roll of floss…. and a tooth brush… and baking soda instead of tooth paste…

I really put weight secondary when it comes to dental care as my mouth is a wreck :(
If you think UL gear is expensive, try a crown… or an implant… makes UL gear look cheap!!!

Billy

Soap and water, just like at home (well, except that the soap comes out of a dropper bottle rather than a bar in a soap dish beside the sink). No reason to obsess about the horrid outdoor bugs, IMO.

I've never found anything that works as well for me as floss so I'll stick with that. I wash my hands.

Google "angled floss picks", or look for them in your local drugstore.

I always hated flossing because it was so uncomfortable to try to stick both hands in my mouth — but since I found these, my dental hygienist says that I have excellent dental hygiene. BTW, the non-angled floss picks are NOT the same; they're really awkward to use, so be sure to get the angled ones. Very lightweight – the better quality ones can be re-used for 2-3 days.

I expose myself to germs and dirt on a regular basis so as to keep my immune system up to date, highly functioning, and militant.

If something falls on the ground, I pick it up and eat it.

I only wash my hands when I get them dirty with chemicals or something man-made like grease or paint, or before coitus.

I don't touch hand sanitizer.

I eat healthy and get plenty of rest.

The result?

I get sick about once every three years, and it's only for like 24 hours. I never get colds and I never get the flu. I don't avoid sick people at all; I'll shake hands deliberately to keep my immune system well-exposed.

In the woods, I clean my clothes with Dr. Bronner's soap every once in a while and I keep clean, dry socks on at night. I make sure my food is thoroughly cooked and my water filtered. I scrub my nethers and pits with soap or wet wipes once or twice a day, but otherwise don't stress about cleanliness. If my knees have dirt on them for a week, so be it.

I do brush my teeth every single day, often twice….

Oh yeah, my ultralight solution for flossing is to carry floss. It's multi-use; you can sew with it. Make sure you pack it out, since it's plastic.

Max,

Yeah, I am with you….dirt does not hurt and living in a sterile environment is not good for you.

I wash my hands after going to the restroom, but otherwise, I am eating that M&M that just fell onto the ground.

I carried it into the back country and damn if I am going to share with the squirrels!

I no longer carry hand sanitizer and think it is a ridiculous product that panders to people's phobias.

If my hands are dirty enough to require sanitizer, I go wash my hands with soap and water.

Anyway, my rant for the day.

Regarding the question….I have one of those dental flossing tools with a tooth pick on one end. So I only have to use one hand to use and not have saliva all over my fingers. I also have a plastic tooth pick that has one end that is feathered. Both ends are very thin for getting in between my teeth. Between those two and brushing with a mixture of baking soda and salt, my teeth have not fallen out on the trail.

More importantly, I don't have stuff stuck between my teeth to drive me nuts at night.

Tony the dirty

"I expose myself to germs and dirt on a regular basis"

How about the underoos?

Sorry, Max, I had to.

"I only wash my hands when I get them dirty with chemicals or something man-made like grease or paint, or before coitus. "

Not afterward?

"or before coitus. "

"Not afterward?"

Who will be the first to have a field day with this one? ;0))

Max? The Idester? C'mon guys, step up.

Ben…"I only wash my hands when I get them dirty with chemicals or something man-made like grease or paint, or before coitus. "

You don't wash you 'wipe hand' ???

Billy

It's called washing with soap and water – just like at home.
(You do wash your hands at home?)
And, just for the record, your hands and your mouth are COVERED in good bacteria all the time. You NEED them to stay healthy.

Cheers

It's very unlikely that I would not have floss with me in my ditty bag or FAK. It highly unlikely that I would floss in the field unless something was actually stuck in my teet. At home sure. I wash with soap after any potty breaks and/or before any meals. All of the rest of the time, the dirt does not hurt. I'm with Max on this one. Expose yourself and boost your immunity.

I use an E-Z-Floss (similar to the Bulter Floss Mate mentioned above) –

I spool about 3' of floss around the base, which easily last the duration of a hike. The knobs on the sides and the slot in the center make it easy to tension the floss.

I don't kid myself about it being any "cleaner" than my hands. Just easier for me, at home or hiking. I've had a couple kicking around since about 1980. They're durable.

I think we are becoming civilized past our intelligence. This is like soap electric dispensers sold as beneficial because you don't have to touch the dispenser. That doesn't say much for the quality of the soap, eh?

This is nothing: raise a couple kids— or dogs for that matter. Work on a dairy farm!

Wrap that floss around your finger and get to work.

Although one might suspect otherwise, I don't have a big mouth. My dentist hates me.

I literally can't get two fingers in my mouth to floss effectively. Hence a "tool".

Been using them for yrs.. my dental hygienist never fails to rave about my gums and hygiene b/t my teeth.. no flossing. In fact my gum's sulcus has actually improved with brushpicks.. once you get used to using them you'll never go without… I love the way they make my teeth feel and use them after every meal.. almost after everything I eat…

I went over two years of not even getting a minor cold, while working at a school and being constantly exposed to people with various germs. My "secret" was/is a healthy and more alkalizing diet combined with a positive attitude and usually calm temperament.

When I did get sick, it was right after visiting my in-laws around Christmas time and I felt obliged to eat a lot of foods and combos I normally wouldn't (especially since my mother in law is a cheff).

But parasites freak me out a bit…