Dr. Patricia Williams has been practicing dentistry for 28 years. As a board-certified periodontist, she's treated thousands of patients with gum disease and trained dozens of dental students on "proper" flossing technique.
Three months ago, she made a decision that shocked her colleagues. She stopped recommending traditional floss.
"Dr. Chen," she told me during a professional conference, "I can't in good conscience continue recommending a method I know is inadequate when there's clearly a better option available."
"What changed your mind?" I asked.
"Clinical evidence," she replied. "I've been tracking patient outcomes for two years, and the data is undeniable. Patients using water pressure flossing consistently achieve better results than those using traditional floss, even when the traditional floss patients have perfect technique."
She showed me her research: 847 patients tracked over 24 months, with results that are forcing the dental profession to reconsider 40 years of standard recommendations.