[cjcole]

I stopped flossing for a while (forget why) right before a check-up. The "gum quality" numbers (scale of 1-5) that the hygienist called out for each tooth gap were conspicuously worse than usual. I hadn't told them I hadn't been flossing. After that feedback, I regained flossing religion. Come next check-up, the numbers were back in the normal range.

Feel free to file this anecdata as appropriate to your needs.

[white-flame]

I absolutely hate flossing and never do it. I bought one of those dental pressure washer things to compensate, and I love it. It blasts piles of food gunk out from between your teeth, way better than flossing will ever hope to accomplish, as well as flushes under the gumline. Plus, it takes less time than flossing. The dental workers have commented that I floss very well, joke's on them. ;-)

Electric toothbrushes are also great for keeping your teeth very clean, and can penetrate between your teeth depending on the design.