How interesting that the hygienist said that. It is one of their mantras that floss gets out the bacteria stuck between teeth; but yours went away on their own. This fits with the argument I shall propose, which is that chemistry is more important than cleaning methods in the mouth. And that a good diet improves the chemistry.

I have given up flossing. Feels an odd thing to say, since I took it up to help address a deterioration in my teeth that I thought was part of old age and thought I would be stuck with that awkward, unintuitive practice for the rest of my life.