Teaching Keith To Do The Floss

I know it’s been around for a while but last weekend our daughter Chloe decided that it was time she really made a concerted effort to teach Keith ‘The Floss’.  Now you may not know this but Keith has a bit of a reputation amongst our staff and our friends for being a pretty rubbish dancer.  Give him a Strip the Willow or a Dashing White Sergeant and he’s a force to be reckoned with, but we described his step – tap (isolated from the knee down), as dad dancing way before our eldest Rachel came on the scene.  Having two daughters who go to ballet and modern every week means he really doesn’t stand a chance in our house.

So the kids have been going on about the floss for months and we’ve both looked on in desperate confusion at how they can be that coordinated - and do it so fast!  When I was watching Chloe try to teach Keith in a step by step “you can do this daddy” fashion last week it struck me how different people are when it comes to coordination.  Keith can spend hours of his day coordinating his hands and his brain while looking in a mirror in a tiny black hole and dealing with tongues, saliva and all manner of other slippery obstacles.  Can he move his arms and hips in the opposite direction in time to a beat? Not a hope!

But what about these patients that we ask to floss their teeth for us everyday?  Perhaps they are fantastic at doing ‘The Floss’ perhaps they can just feel the rhythm and do it instinctively, but put a bit of dental floss in their hands and make them look in a mirror and they can’t even get their fingers into their mouths.

That’s why its really important for us to take the time to talk to our patients and find out what works for them.  There’s more than one way to skin a cat.  If you’re struggling to coordinate hands and mouth there’s interdental brushes and electric toothbrushes.  We’ll work with you to find the right way for you to keep your mouth healthy.

I’m rubbish at flossing (the dance and the oral hygiene), my dental floss lives in my kitchen drawer and I use it to slice cakes in half longways (it makes them lovely and even!)  I know that interdental brushes work for me – they’re quicker and easier and leave me more time to do the million other things I have to do.

But back to ‘The Floss’, Keith did finally get it, albeit that he’s doing it at a ¼ of the pace of the girls.  Like anything (including dental flossing) practice makes perfect.  I reckon being made to watch the

next 12 weeks of Strictly will help him to improve his moves!😂

If you need advice on improving your dental moves call our team on 01236 421103.  We’ll be happy to help!

Oh and if you want to learn 'The Floss' and impress your kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru1ZZhxLX2I