A few months ago I went to the dentist for the first time in way too many years. It wasn’t entirely my fault. My dentist since childhood just happened to…well, he died a few years ago. So when I finally got my act together and found a new dentist this year, I wasn’t surprised that I had a few issues. And boy, the technology of the operation had changed.

I used to get covered in a lead blanket with a weird soda bottle-ish thing pointed at my cheek while the dentist left the room. I stared at a lava lamp and spit in a tiny cracked bowl. This time they put me in a machine that resembled Robocop armor and mechanical stuff encircled my body. I watched direct TV and spit into a funnel on a super straw that only sucked when I wanted it to suck. This was a device that could entirely do away with urinals in the next few years.

My biggest take away from my dental experiences in this past year had to do with flossing. I used to floss every once in awhile. Usually after a big steak. Only when I really felt the need. Whenever I flossed my gums would bleed. I thought this was normal. Now, after being told repeatedly to floss by two dentists, a hygienist, multiple techs and the two women who take your money, I got the point. I have been flossing almost every day for months and I can’t remember the last time my gums bled.

I have also been flossing the kids regularly, and since it’s tough to get a handful of string into a 4 or 7 year old mouth, I have been using those flossing sticks. They are one time use, with about 3/4 inch of floss on a sort of plastic slingshot. I’m not a big fan of the waste, but considering the importance of flossing I figure it is a necessary evil.

Now I’ve received some of these Dentek fun flossers for review. They are the hot new thing. They are colorful and have easier to grip handles than the traditional picks. They are also supposed to have fruit flavored floss, but after several tests with Jake, this promise does not seem to deliver. Still, if you want to kick up kids floss, this is the way to do it. Colorful flossers with handles that speak of independent personal oral hygiene…how can you go wrong.

We had so much fun trying out these new flossers in the last few days, in fact, that Jake wanted to make his own video review. He hammed it up a little, but we all had fun. Enjoy it here.