Post#6- Floss with Nicotine Added- Yum!:
In 1991, a U.S. patent (#5,035,252) was issued for dental floss containing nicotine, which would kill two birds with one stone: improve oral hygiene and provide a substitute for cigarettes without the risk of cancer that comes from smoking or chewing tobacco. The introduction of nicotine chewing gum and the nicotine patch seem to have taken the wind out of the sails of this product. I haven’t seen any ads for this great idea. Can you imagine people getting up from their desks and pulling out a length of floss every half hour, just after getting that wild look in their eyes? Or, if co-workers objected, would the addicted ones gather outside in winter and floss their cold teeth? I wonder if they would need a prescription from a physician or would it be the dentist who would give it to them? Would they still have smoker’s bad breath and yellow fingers?