Health-Care Basics: Spend or Save?

Dental Floss

Most people find that inexpensive waxed floss makes this chore easy and a little more pain-free than just-as-economical unwaxed floss. "It slides comfortably between most teeth and doesn't fray as much as unwaxed floss does," says Charles K. Perle, D.M.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry and a dentist in Jersey City, New Jersey. But if your teeth are spaced closely together or if you have old fillings that have expanded, you may want to spend an extra dollar or two on smooth, snag-resistant dental floss or tape (thin, flat floss). It glides between tight teeth even more easily and can be more gentle on gyms than waxed floss.