Dental floss is made of either a bundle of thin nylon

Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...

 filaments or a plastic (Teflon

Polytetrafluoroethylene

Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....

 or polyethylene

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene , also known as high-modulus polyethylene or high-performance polyethylene , is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. It has extremely long chains, with molecular weight numbering in the millions, usually between 2 and 6 million...

) ribbon used to remove food

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...

 and dental plaque

Dental plaque

Dental plaque is a biofilm, usually a pale yellow, that develops naturally on the teeth. Like any biofilm, dental plaque is formed by colonizing bacteria trying to attach themselves to a smooth surface...

 from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums

Gingiva

The gingiva , or gums, consists of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth.-General description:...

. Dental floss may be flavored or unflavored, and wax

Wax

thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...

ed or unwaxed. An alternative tool to achieve the same effect is the interdental brush

Interdental brush

An interdental brush, also called an interproximal brush or a proxy brush, is a small brush, typically disposable and supplied with a reusable angled plastic handle, used for cleaning between teeth and between the wire of dental braces and the teeth. Brushes are available in a range of...

.

Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist

Dentistry

Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...

 from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss.