Flossing (牙线)

美国人很讲究新年，大概是喜欢那种重新开始的感觉，也可能是想忘记往年的某种事请。也有很多人趁机开始减肥计划，或许是被逼的，因为过寒假时吃了太多了。我一前经常设减肥为目标，但通常坚持前两个月就用重犯老毛病了。今年我有很明确又现使的新年决议， 就是多抱护牙齿，每天要使用牙线。

牙线英文叫 floss， 我十六岁左右才知道有这么回事。牙医洗完我的牙齿可能一时惊呆了，问我用不用牙线，我也愣住了，问他牙线是什么，这才谎然大误，从那时起就改善我嘴的卫生了。

我父母其实长大的时候连刷牙的概念都没有，那使社会习惯不一样。不妙，他们过了一定岁数以后就有个种牙病了，经常要去看牙医，拔这个修那个的，看起来停辛苦的。我用牙线就是利用前車之鑒 ，避免以后的祸害。

用牙线有一些特点值得一提：
１。） 用完了会有一种新鲜或干净感，像刚洗牙以后。
２。） 出血就对了，说明派上用处了，但也说明要多洗。
３。） 越在后面的牙越需要洗。
４。） 最好先用牙线再刷牙，否则脏东西还在嘴里。
５。） 牙线不贵，效果很广。
Americans take a lot of stock in New Year's, probably due to the sense of starting afresh that one gets from the calendar turning, or due to the ability to forget everything that happened in the past year. A lot of people take the opportunity to start their weight-loss or diet regimen, perhaps being forced into it by everything they ate over the winter holiday season. In years past I often set a weight-loss goal as a New Year's resolution for the new year, but usually would lapse back into old habits by the 2nd month. This year I have a very clear cut goal, which is to protect my teeth, floss every day.

I didn't know what flossing was until I was sixteen, when my dentist finished cleaning my teeth and asked me why I don't floss. I was taken aback and had to ask him what flossing was, and finally a new world opened up to me and I realized I had to protect my teeth.

My parents actually had it worse: they didn't know the concept of brushing their teeth when they were growing up because social customs at the time were very different. After a certain age they developed several kinds of tooth problems and often had to see the dentist, needing to pull this out or fix that tooth. Looked very tiring and painful. I'm trying to avoid the same fate, a future with damaged teeth.