Tell the tooth: This device knows if you’ve been flossing enough

Dr. Samuel B. Low, former president of the American Academy of Periodontology, once called flossing “the most difficult personal grooming activity there is.” Challenging as it may be, and whether or not it’s linked to heart disease, flossing is still a good idea, my dentist tells me every time I see him, occasionally while he’s holding a novocaine-filled syringe.

It’s a habit many people skip, so of course there’s a Kickstarter for a product to help you remember to do it. Flosstime is a smart floss dispenser that sticks on your bathroom mirror and judges you if you don’t take the proffered 18 inches of floss it spits out every morning. Well, not exactly. You still have to take the initiative to give it a tap, but then it will dispense the floss.

If you’ve been flossing regularly like a good little dental patient, the device glows blue on the bottom in a “smile.” Skip the routine for 24 hours and the Flosstime turns it upside down into an orangish frown. It has a year’s worth of floss for one user and dual mode, so if you do have a bathroom buddy, you can both use the same device. If one of you is flossing and the other isn’t, half its “face” smiles and the other frowns.

The battery, like the floss, lasts about a year. After that, the team will provide “replacement kits that allow you to remove the rear panel and replace both the floss and batteries through the back of the device.”

Flosstime has almost doubled its goal of $15,000, but there are still early-bird specials left for $20. If there aren’t any acci-dents, you should get your dental device in February 2016. Need to brush up on your flossing skills? Here are some instructions from the ADA.

from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1SC6fEf
Jenny McGrath