Flossing your teeth is an essential part of your dental health routine. The NHS recommended daily flossing to keep plaque and tartar at bay to retain a healthy mouth and gums. But getting the technique right can be tricky, and reaching your back teeth for effective flossing can take a bit of practice. So if you’re fed up with wrangling with bits of floss and would like an easier solution, then our dental floss picks buying guide is here to help.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know, including exactly how to use floss picks. We’ve also compiled a list of our best floss picks including Glide Floss Picks from Oral B, and the Sensitive Soft Ribbon Floss Picks from Dentek from online UK retailers such as Boots and Amazon. Let's get that breath fresh, those teeth clean, and those gums healthy!
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Oral-B | 2 ![]() Plackers | 3 ![]() DenTek | 4 ![]() The Humble Co | 5 ![]() Oral-B | 6 ![]() DenTek | 7 ![]() Cupinyo | 8 ![]() Claradent | 9 ![]() Razoko | 10 ![]() Envirodental |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Glide Floss Picks | Dental Flossers, Micro Mint | Kids Fun Flossers | Corn Starch Floss Picks | Complete Floss Picks | Sensitive Floss Picks | Floss Picks | Floss Picks | Dental Floss Picks | Sustainable Floss Picks |
Features | Adjustable Floss Tension for a Tailored Clean | A Super-Strong Floss for a Superior Clean | An Easy-to-Hold Handle and a Fun, Fruity Flavour | An Eco-Conscious Pick Made With Less Plastic | Floss Picks From a Tried and Trusted Dental Brand | Stimulates Gums to Keep Them Healthy | Contains Activated Charcoal to Absorb Any Lingering Food Smells | Waxed Floss to Easily Glide Between Your Teeth | Strong Floss Made From Food-Grade Polymer | Holders Designed Using Wheat to Help Minimise Plastic Waste |
Price | £7.99 | £7.65 | £4.00 | £4.99 | £5.99 | £6.00 | £4.99 | £3.70 | £7.04 | £5.49 |
Shape | Y | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Floss Type | Thread | Thread | Tape | Thread | Thread | Tape | Thread | Thread | Thread | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - | - | Fluoride | - | No | Fluoride | Activated charcoal | - | - | - |
Reduced Plastic | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Flavoured | No | Mint | Wild fruit | Mint | Icy cool mint | No | Peppermint | No | No | No |
Quantity | 180 | 150 | 60 | 50 | 75 | 75 | 200 | 80 | 250 | 50 |
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If you've ever flossed, you'll know that getting it right requires using both hands and a solid technique to manoeuvre the floss around your mouth and in between your teeth. This can be fiddly business, especially when it comes to doing the back teeth, but floss picks provide a much simpler solution.
Floss picks are small plastic holders that allow you to floss with one hand. This holder keeps the floss taught so you can easily get it between all of your teeth. Being small and disposable, floss picks are super handy for popping into your handbag if you're going out for dinner.
As well as cleaning in between your teeth, the taught floss picks can also be used as a tongue scraper, which will improve your oral hygiene and keep your breath fresh. Plus, the handle doubles up as a toothpick - hence the name floss pick!
Most floss picks come in the traditional "P" shape, with the floss stretched across the gap and the handle which forms the pick. While these are fairly common and easy to get hold of, they don't offer the best control and can mean that you accidentally bump and irritate your gums.
On the other hand, some floss picks are in a "Y" shape, which gives you a better angle to get around your mouth more easily. While these aren't as widely available, they cause less irritation and are better suited to those with sensitive teeth.
Explore electric toothbrushes that can help keep your mouth plaque free with minimal effort.
Dental floss has to work surprisingly hard, as it needs to squeeze through the smallest of gaps between your teeth. If you suffer from sensitive teeth, the pulling action used when flossing can be fairly abrasive and might irritate your teeth and gums.
Many floss picks use traditional thread style dental floss, but if you feel you need to be a bit more gentle on your teeth and gums, tape floss can be an excellent alternative as it is much smoother. It glides through your gums easily while still cleaning out any debris and tartar between your teeth.
Some floss picks feature ingredients that provide added benefits to your oral hygiene - charcoal being one of the most popular. Activated charcoal is often added to dental products to help whiten teeth and eliminate any lingering odours in your mouth.
For the best whitening toothpastes, check out our suggestions!
Another common ingredient in dental products is fluoride, which is often found in toothpaste, mouthwash, and also floss picks. Fluoride mixes with your saliva, which keeps your teeth strong and helps protect your enamel from plaque, sugars and tooth decay.
Most floss picks available are made from plastic. While this material provides excellent value for money, it's good to be mindful of reducing the amount of single-use plastics we use. With this in mind, there are now a few floss picks available that are made from starches or include added materials.
This means that while they still contain some element of plastic, it's much less than the standard floss pick. If you’re trying to reduce your impact on the environment, then an eco-friendly product definitely something to look into.
Having fresh breath is high on the agenda for most people, and it's one of the main objectives of good mouth hygiene. Most dental hygiene products, from toothpaste to mouthwash, have flavours of some sort (usually mint) to freshen your breath and leave you with a squeaky clean feeling in your mouth.
Some floss picks also have a flavour impregnated into the floss so that when you use them, they leave behind a fresh aftertaste. This can help leave a freshness that will last long after you’ve cleaned your teeth and is really useful as a quick freshen up while you’re out and about.
Another way to fight bad breath is to use mouthwashes specifically for it as it works to get rid of malodour-causing bacteria.
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£7.99
Shape | Y |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | No |
Quantity | 180 |
£7.65
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | Mint |
Quantity | 150 |
£4.00
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Tape |
Featured Ingredients | Fluoride |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | Wild fruit |
Quantity | 60 |
£4.99
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - |
Reduced Plastic | Yes |
Flavoured | Mint |
Quantity | 50 |
£5.99
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | No |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | Icy cool mint |
Quantity | 75 |
£6.00
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Tape |
Featured Ingredients | Fluoride |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | No |
Quantity | 75 |
£4.99
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | Activated charcoal |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | Peppermint |
Quantity | 200 |
£3.70
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | No |
Quantity | 80 |
£7.04
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - |
Reduced Plastic | No |
Flavoured | No |
Quantity | 250 |
£5.49
Shape | P |
---|---|
Floss Type | Thread |
Featured Ingredients | - |
Reduced Plastic | Yes |
Flavoured | No |
Quantity | 50 |
According to the NHS, the most effective time to floss is before brushing your teeth as it loosens bacteria and debris between the teeth, and brushing after helps to clean these particles away.
It is recommended to floss daily, once a day to remove plaque buildup and prevent gum disease.
Written and researched by Catherine Torrance
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