The best PTFE-free dental floss is Cocofloss ($9, woven recycled-polyester fiber) for tight contacts and Dr. Tung's Smart Floss ($4, expanding polyester with natural waxes and cardamom) for standard tooth spacing. Both brands say their floss is PFAS-free and cite lab testing, and both are widely available on Amazon. Neither is biodegradable; if that matters to you, Radius and Dental Lace make silk floss.
$5 buys you a couple of months of floss. Many of the best-known drugstore flosses, led by Oral-B Glide, are PTFE-based. The picks below avoid PTFE, with two brands flagged where we found PTFE versions.
The 2019 Silent Spring Institute study turned dental floss from a forgotten hygiene category into a 'check this immediately' product. Researchers found that women who flossed with Oral-B Glide – the market leader – had higher blood levels of PFHxS, a PFAS, than women who didn't, and all three Glide products they tested contained fluorine (Public Health Institute). The culprit: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the material that makes Glide slide so smoothly between teeth. It's the same chemical as Teflon.
Since then, an entire shelf of PTFE-free alternatives has emerged. We compared the main fiber types – silk, polyester, and nylon-with-natural-wax – on material, brand PFAS documentation, and how each fiber is known to behave on tight contacts. We did not test the flosses ourselves. Top pick: Cocofloss for tight contacts, Dr. Tung's for everyone else. Both cost $4-9 and last about two months.
| Brand | Material | Length | Price | Best For | Where to Buy | |-------|----------|--------|-------|----------|-------------| | Cocofloss | Woven recycled polyester + coconut oil | 33 yards | $8.50 | Tight contacts, restorations | Amazon, cocofloss.com | | Dr. Tung's Smart Floss | Expanding polyester + natural waxes, cardamom | 30 yards | $4 | Standard spacing, budget pick | Amazon, Whole Foods | | Radius Silk Floss | Silk + candelilla wax | 33 yards | $7.50 | Biodegradable silk | Amazon | | Dental Lace | Silk + refillable glass jar | 33 yards | $14 | Zero-waste, design-focused | Amazon, dentallace.com | | Tom's of Maine Naturally Waxed | Nylon + natural wax | 32 yards | $3 | Drugstore default | CVS, Target, Walmart | | Pearlie White | Main floss line is PTFE | Varies | $3.50 | Not recommended | CVS, Walgreens | | GuruNanda | Varies: some PTFE, some nylon/polyester | Varies | $8 | Check the material line | Amazon |
Price: $8.50 for 33 yards Material: Woven polyester fiber (largely recycled from PET bottles), infused with coconut oil and wax Where to buy: Amazon or cocofloss.com
Cocofloss is our pick for tight contacts among PTFE-free flosses. Its woven synthetic fiber is built to resist fraying between crowded teeth and dental work – places where silk is more prone to break. That matters if you have crowded teeth, bridges, or permanent retainers. Cocolab says the floss is made without PTFE or other fluorinated materials and that it has used TÜV Rheinland, an ISO-accredited lab, to confirm no intentionally added PFAS since 2024 (Cocolab).
The coconut oil coating provides decent glide (not Glide-level, but close), and the mild coconut flavor is subtle enough to ignore. A 33-yard spool lasts about 60-80 days at daily use. At $8.50, that's 11-14 cents per day – cheaper than a cup of coffee, obviously better for your serum PFAS levels.
One drawback: The fiber is thicker than silk or traditional nylon floss. If you have truly zero space between teeth (rare, but it happens), you might struggle. For everyone else with tight contacts, this is the pick.
Best for: People with tight contacts, dental crowns, bridges, or permanent retainers. Also the pick if you've tried silk and found it breaks too often.
Subscription note: Cocofloss sells refill multi-packs and subscriptions on its site. Worth checking if you know you're sticking with it.
Price: $4 for 30 yards Material: Expanding multifilament polyester with a coating of beeswax and plant waxes, flavored with cardamom oil Where to buy: Amazon, Whole Foods, Sprouts
Dr. Tung's Smart Floss is a classic natural-floss recommendation, and for good reason. It's gentle on gums and costs half what Cocofloss does. It's often mistaken for silk, but it is polyester: the fibers expand as you floss, which helps it clean between teeth without aggressive sawing motions. Dr. Tung's says the floss was screened by EPA-certified labs for organofluorine and more than 40 PFAS compounds with no detections (Dr. Tung's).
The cardamom flavor is a mild spice that most people either love or don't notice. (If you don't like it, the brand also makes a mint version.) Glide is good but not exceptional – you'll feel more friction than with PTFE-coated floss, which is the tradeoff for removing PFAS from your life.
It's best suited to standard tooth spacing (no tight contacts, no restorations). The soft, expanding fiber can fray when forced through a very tight gap.
A 30-yard spool lasts about 60-70 days at daily use. At $4, that's 6 cents per day.
One drawback: It's softer than Cocofloss's woven fiber, so it's more likely to fray on tight contacts, and the beeswax means it isn't vegan. If you have crowded teeth or dental work, go with Cocofloss instead.
Best for: People with standard tooth spacing who want a budget-friendly PTFE-free option. This is the default pick for most adults.
Price: $7.50 for 33 yards Material: Silk spun in candelilla plant wax Where to buy: Amazon
Radius is the pick if you want a floss that breaks down after use. Radius markets its silk floss as biodegradable and compostable, waxed with candelilla, a plant wax, and made at a fair-trade co-op in Colombia (Whole Foods listing). It also comes in an unscented version if you don't want flavor.
Glide is softer than PTFE and silk is more likely to fray than synthetic fibers on tight contacts. A 33-yard spool lasts about 70-80 days at daily use.
One drawback: The price. At $7.50, you're paying $3.50 more than Dr. Tung's. Worth it if biodegradability matters to you. Not worth it if you just want functional PTFE-free floss. Silk is not vegan.
Best for: People who want a natural, biodegradable fiber and have standard tooth spacing.
Price: $14 for starter kit (glass jar + 33 yards) Material: Silk floss with refillable glass container Where to buy: Amazon, dentallace.com
Dental Lace is the bathroom-design pick. The refillable glass container with a stainless steel lid looks better than a plastic spool sitting on your counter, and the floss is silk, so it's biodegradable. The starter kit costs $14, but refills are $5 for 33 yards – cheaper than buying new containers every time.
The silk is lightly waxed with candelilla (a plant-based wax), so glide is smooth. Mild mint flavor. The lid has a built-in cutter.
A 33-yard refill lasts about 60-75 days at daily use. At $5 per refill, that's 7-8 cents per day once you own the jar.
One drawback: The $14 upfront cost is higher than any other option on this list. You're paying for the glass jar, not the floss. Like Radius, it's silk, so it can fray on tight contacts. If you don't care about countertop aesthetics, Dr. Tung's or Cocofloss make more sense.
Best for: People who want zero-waste packaging and better bathroom aesthetics. Also a solid gift for the design-conscious friend who flosses.
Price: $3 for 32 yards Material: Nylon with natural wax (no PTFE) Where to buy: CVS, Target, Walmart, most drugstores
Tom's of Maine is the pick if you need PTFE-free floss tonight and you're standing in a CVS. It's ubiquitous and cheap. The flat nylon floss is coated in natural waxes (beeswax, carnauba, and jojoba) rather than PTFE, according to its ingredient list (Tom's of Maine). We did not find a published PFAS test, so this rests on the ingredients.
It's suited to standard tooth spacing. The wax coating provides some slip, and the flat ribbon design helps it cover more surface area than round silk threads. Mint flavor is strong but not overwhelming.
A 32-yard spool lasts about 60-70 days at daily use. At $3, that's 4-5 cents per day – the cheapest option on this list.
One drawback: Glide is noticeably worse than the premium options. You'll feel more friction, especially on tight contacts. If you have any dental work or crowded teeth, spend the extra $5 on Cocofloss.
Best for: People who need to grab something at the drugstore right now. Also a solid backup option to keep in your gym bag or travel kit.
Pearlie White: An earlier version of this guide listed a PFAS-free Pearlie White floss. We couldn't confirm it: the Pearlie White flosses and floss picks we found are sold as PTFE products, such as FlossCare Plus PTFE Mint (Pearlie White). Skip it if you're avoiding PTFE.
GuruNanda: GuruNanda sells several flosses, and the material varies. Its CocoMint-flavored floss picks are listed with PTFE, while its expandable waxed floss lists nylon and polyester. If you want the mint-and-coconut flavor, read the material line on the specific listing before you buy. Amazon.
We didn't include any PTFE-coated floss in this comparison, which rules out most mainstream brands:
Other big-brand flosses vary by product line and rarely state the fiber clearly. We recommend sticking with brands that built their entire product around being PTFE-free – less chance of accidentally grabbing the wrong SKU.
Silk is the pick for environmental impact. Brands like Radius and Dental Lace market their silk floss as biodegradable and compostable, it's renewable, and it's gentle on gums. But silk breaks more readily than synthetic fibers, especially between tight contacts, and it isn't vegan.
Polyester is the workhorse. Both of our top picks use it: Cocofloss weaves hundreds of fibers into a thicker, scrubby strand, and Dr. Tung's uses an expanding polyester. It's stronger than silk and holds up better on tight contacts and dental work. The tradeoff: polyester is a plastic and doesn't biodegrade, though Cocofloss uses largely recycled PET. Some brands also sell corn-based PLA floss, but none of the picks above use it.
If you have tight contacts, polyester is the better pick. If you have standard spacing and care most about what happens after you throw it away, silk works fine.
How long does a spool last? Most spools on this list are 30-33 yards. At daily use (one 18-inch strand per day), that's 60-80 days for adults and 90+ days for children. Count on replacing your floss every 2-3 months.
Storage: Keep floss dry. Dental floss doesn't go bad, but the wax coating can sweat in hot, humid bathrooms. Store in a drawer or cabinet if your bathroom gets steamy.
Traveling: Dr. Tung's and Radius work well for travel because the spools are compact. Cocofloss is slightly bulkier because of the thicker fiber.
Gum health: If you're prone to bleeding gums, a soft floss such as silk or Dr. Tung's expanding polyester is a gentle place to start, and technique matters more than fiber. If bleeding persists, ask your dentist.
Silk floss is marketed as biodegradable and compostable. PTFE-coated floss does not biodegrade – it's a persistent plastic that sits in landfills indefinitely.
Switching to silk has dual benefits: lower PFAS exposure for you, less persistent plastic in landfills.
Polyester flosses such as Cocofloss and Dr. Tung's are also plastic and won't biodegrade, but they avoid PTFE, and Cocofloss uses largely recycled PET. They're a middle ground if you want to avoid PFAS and need a stronger fiber than silk.
You have tight contacts, crowded teeth, or dental work: Cocofloss. The woven polyester fiber resists breaking between your teeth.
You have standard tooth spacing and want the budget pick: Dr. Tung's Smart Floss. $4, PTFE-free, works for most people.
You want biodegradable silk: Radius Silk Floss. Silk with candelilla wax, $7.50.
You care about bathroom design and zero-waste: Dental Lace. The glass jar looks better on your counter, and refills are cheap.
You're standing in CVS right now: Tom's of Maine Naturally Waxed. It's fine. Not amazing, but fine.
You want strong mint flavor: Dental Lace (mint silk) or Dr. Tung's mint version. Skip GuruNanda's CocoMint picks unless the listing confirms they aren't PTFE.
Switching to PTFE-free floss lowers your PFAS exposure from oral care products. But the bigger source for most people is drinking water – a 2023 U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that at least one PFAS can be detected in about 45% of U.S. tap water.
You can check PFAS contamination levels in your tap water by zip code using our free tool. It pulls data from the EPA's most recent testing cycle and shows which specific PFAS compounds are present in your local water system. If your water tests above EPA limits, we also have a water filter comparison guide that covers PFAS removal.
This post contains affiliate links – we earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep the site running while we dig through EPA datasets.
Is silk dental floss strong enough for tight contacts? Silk floss works fine for standard tooth spacing, but it breaks more easily on tight contacts, crowded teeth, or dental work like bridges and permanent retainers. For those cases, a stronger synthetic fiber like Cocofloss's woven polyester holds up better under tension.
Where can I buy PTFE-free floss in stores? Most Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's locations stock Dr. Tung's Smart Floss. Target and Walmart carry Tom's of Maine Naturally Waxed in their oral care aisles, and CVS and Walgreens stock Tom's of Maine too. If you need it tonight, check the 'natural' or 'eco-friendly' section of the oral care aisle – most major chains now have a dedicated shelf.
Is Cocofloss worth $8 when Dr. Tung's costs $4? Yes if you have tight contacts, dental crowns, bridges, or permanent retainers – Cocofloss's thicker woven fiber resists fraying where softer flosses give out. For standard tooth spacing, Dr. Tung's does the job at half the price. The $4 difference buys you strength you mainly need if your teeth are crowded or you have restorations.
Can dental floss be vegan? Silk is not vegan – it's derived from silkworm cocoons, so Radius and Dental Lace are out. Dr. Tung's and Tom's of Maine use beeswax, so they aren't vegan either. Synthetic flosses waxed with plant or petroleum-based wax can be vegan; Cocofloss, for example, lists coconut oil and microcrystalline wax. Check the ingredient list if this matters to you.
How long does a spool of dental floss last? A 33-yard spool lasts 60-80 days at daily use for adults (using one 18-inch strand per day). Children use less per session, so a spool can stretch to 90+ days. Most people replace their floss every 2-3 months. If you're flossing twice daily, cut those estimates in half.