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Daddy Longlegs
03-29-2004, 21:47
I thought about this last weekend when I forgot to pack my toothpaste.

Moon Monster
03-30-2004, 02:03
Just went to the dentist for the first time since my 2003 thru-hike (which ended 8 months ago). I gave up flossing out there, but I brushed once a day every day (many dentists say that's plenty even in the real world). Without flossing, though, mineral deposits from my saliva built up and had to be scraped by the dentist. No big deal, but a dentist visit shortly after finishing would have been a good idea since I went 5 months without flossing.

flyfisher
03-30-2004, 09:06
One tidbit I gleaned from "Beyond Backpacking" was the story of Ray's climbing friend who was brushing his teeth in the middle of a climb "because it feels so good."

I tried tucking a cut off toothbrush in my pocket. Even without toothpaste, using it a couple times a day "feels so good." Wacky, but works for me.

lorac
03-30-2004, 11:53
I usually brush my teeth 2 times a day when I am backpacking... but I just use baking soda and a few drops of mint extract to be ultralightweight most of the time. Here's an interesting fact I learned, if you cut a little piece of a live branch off of a dogwood tree (the tree with the little pink nubby things that look like flowers from far away but are actually part of the tree) and chew on the end of it a little, it gets all bristly and can be used a few times as a viable toothbrush. It needs to be stored in water though and I don't know as to whether or not dried or downed pieces would work. Though I would not recommend this as a dependable source of hygiene, as it does break the LNT pact, it is interesting to try and a good wilderness survival tactic.
Also, berries, esp. raspberries + blackberries + strawberries are natural tooth whiteners. Don't expect dramatic results or anything, but the more you eat the brighter your smile.
And about flossing, once you get into the habit of it, you'll feel gross without it I think, and if a whole roll of floss is too extravagant to carry, don't forget the many, many, many uses of floss : use with needle to fix clothes/tent/pack, use to lash on additional bottles of liquor that won't fit in your pack, use to make a fishing line, use to make a trip line, use with a piece of litter to make a kite, use as a drawstring if your drawstring should disappear, use as an emeregency bear line (yeah, even I kind of doubt that would work), use to tie back long hair, use to truss a chicken, turkey, or cornish hen (who hasn't gone to truss a cornish hen on a mountain top and forgotten their cooking thread?), use to make a laundry line, use as emergency bootlace, use to mark a page in guidebook, use to keep your spot in your journal/book, use to knit a sweater... ok, many of these might not work at all, especially if you use the flavored kind of floss that attracts bugs and animals, but I hope this list at least amused a few people, some that may have employed floss in in untraditional manner.

See you on the trail-
I'll be the girl with the floss!

love and peace,
loraC

Jaybird
04-15-2005, 11:44
Just went to the dentist for the first time since my 2003 thru-hike (which ended 8 months ago). I gave up flossing out there, but I brushed once a day every day (many dentists say that's plenty even in the real world). Without flossing, though, mineral deposits from my saliva built up and had to be scraped by the dentist. No big deal, but a dentist visit shortly after finishing would have been a good idea since I went 5 months without flossing.


i thought we were talking about brushing....you floss too?
wow! next...we'll be hearing about folks taking the family size bottles of listerine along with toothbrush, toothpaste & floss materials....


NOT! :D

The Solemates
04-15-2005, 11:54
I brushed twice a day on the trail, just like off the trail. I never floss, however. And, admittingly, I havent been to the dentist in over 5 years.

YerbaJon
04-15-2005, 12:01
Approximately 1/3 of the surface of teeth are not being cleaned if you don't floss, no matter how well you brush!

Many dentists argue that flossing is more important than brushing.
Few to none argue that brushing is more important than flossing.

Floss is a must for healthy teeth. A definate must on the trail if you care at all about your teeth.

Footslogger
04-15-2005, 12:10
Guess we need a thread on ultralight dental floss ...

'Slogger

SGT Rock
04-15-2005, 12:15
How about just cutting a toothpick in camp. Don't weigh nuthin.

"ME & U"
04-15-2005, 12:43
I'm telling you guys,man! Listerine pocket packs! 24 strips, 2 x a day= 12 days of brushing! Anybody tried it yet? Never felt cleaner!:D
ps. I'm with Solemates, Dentists scare the hell out of me! Some sort of repressed childhood nightmare or something. Forgot how long it's been since I visited and I still have my teeth! If you ask me I think it's a scam...

dougmeredith
04-15-2005, 12:45
i thought we were talking about brushing....you floss too?
I floss every day, at home or on the trail.

Doug

The Cheat
04-15-2005, 12:56
Approximately 1/3 of the surface of teeth are not being cleaned if you don't floss, no matter how well you brush!

Many dentists argue that flossing is more important than brushing.
Few to none argue that brushing is more important than flossing.

Floss is a must for healthy teeth. A definate must on the trail if you care at all about your teeth.
My dentist told me you don't have to floss all your teeth.

Just the wants you want to keep. :datz



p.s. I use Goretex floss, how's that for L33t?

Footslogger
04-15-2005, 13:17
[QUOTE=I use Goretex floss, how's that for L33t?[/QUOTE]============================================
Waterproof/Breathable Dental Floss !! ...a must for hikers.

'Slogger
AT 2003

Tin Man
04-15-2005, 19:07
I thought dental floss is what we hope to see on a shapely lady at the beach?

btw: What's a dentist?

"ME & U"
04-15-2005, 20:00
Guess we need a thread on ultralight dental floss ...

'SloggerMy flyfishing shop carries kevlar thread, if you hung yourself with this stuff you'd slice your head clean off. It would make a great floss and one piece would last you a lifetime!

SGT Rock
04-15-2005, 20:13
But you would probably keep loosing it.

"ME & U"
04-15-2005, 20:14
But you would probably keep loosing it.stick it in your listerine pocket pack:D

Footslogger
04-15-2005, 22:57
But you would probably keep loosing it.======================================
Been away from the business for a while ...do they make glow-in-the-dark kevlar thread these days ??

'Slogger

Buckingham
08-17-2005, 15:56
I have to have a tooth pulled 2 weeks before I make my trip this year, so I guess that means I can carry less toothpaste? :-?

kyhipo
08-17-2005, 16:09
once a day ! not had a cavity yet :D ky

stickman
08-18-2005, 17:32
Teeth? I grew up in West Virginia and don't have any teeth.

(My apologies to all loyal Mountaineers who are tired of all the hillbilly jokes, but I couldn't resist. And I really did live in the Mountain State most of my life).

Stickman

MorrisseyFan
11-19-2005, 10:57
I've not flossed regularly ever in my entire life, and yet I don't have tartar buildup all that bad. On the other hand, I can't imagine going more than 1/2 a day without brushing my teeth AND tongue. I think tongue-brushing is the ultimate foe to halitosis!

Mouse
11-19-2005, 11:08
Good dental care seemed a must on the Trail where six months of hourly munching and shaky nutrition could take its toll and a dental emergency would be very unwelcome.

I tried to brush and floss every night. One trick I learned in the first cold nights when one wanted to be either hiking or inside a sleeping bag. I used just a dab of paste and swallowed it rather than rinsing and spitting. No more jumping out of bed to seek some ecologically appropriate place to spit etc. That let me brush under any conditions and gave a bit of floride intake to offset so many months away from floridated water.

MorrisseyFan
11-19-2005, 11:15
Mouse, be careful with that - some people think that flouride is poison! Check out http://www.fluoridedebate.com; I'll admit that the site is biased as heck, so take it with a grain of salt. Personally, I don't swallow toothpaste because there probably is some truth in all this, but I don't worry about the drinking water like they do.

Mouse
11-19-2005, 11:22
Yes, I know. Of course there are non-floride alternatives. For myself, I am glad to have had as little tooth trouble as I have had. My worst problem has been worn-out fillings from when the Army over-zealously filled every potentional cavity-prone crevice.

Seeker
11-19-2005, 13:27
Mouse, be careful with that - some people think that flouride is poison! Check out http://www.fluoridedebate.com; I'll admit that the site is biased as heck, so take it with a grain of salt. Personally, I don't swallow toothpaste because there probably is some truth in all this, but I don't worry about the drinking water like they do."yeah, an it gits in yer bones too, an then the gov'mint can see you with one of them fancy radars they have, so's you cain't excape whin FEMA takes over the kuntry... won't be able to hide 'er nothin..." actually, i've heard that there is an issue with it discoloring infants/toddlers teeth if they swallow too much, hence the marketing of youth toothpastes without flouride.

neighbor dave
12-23-2005, 15:33
teef???? waat r doze?:welcome

Ridge
12-23-2005, 16:43
Dental floss is great for gear repair/sewing as well as for the gums/teeth. Makes great fishing line too. Baking soda good to brush with also for medical stuff.

RockyTrail
12-23-2005, 19:28
I don't know about you all, but I tend to use a lot of water when brushing/rinsing. I can burn up 1/3 liter no problem. Gotta figure a better way. Nevertheless I usually brush unless I'm strapped for water in a dry zone...I floss all the time; once you get used to it doesn't feel right without it.