Zip ties often come for free in the form of packaging for electrical cords.  They are plastic and smooth on one side and on the other they have little dashes in between the edges that, when looped through the end, keep it tight and in place.  These are perfect for certain model scenery pieces.

These are the most cost effective ¼” scale dental molding I’ve ever found.  You can get them in a few different sizes, and they are flexible, so you can even use them for mild curves.  They don’t like to hold paint, but can be coaxed with a couple coats of acrylic or gesso.  They cut easily with scissors or a utility knife.  Glue doesn't like to stick too permanently, but it does decently with a glue gun.
 
To use a zip tie as dental molding, I usually trim off one of the edges, so it has a top solid line and then the little dashes create the dentals.  It can also be used without any trimming, or with the smooth side facing out for other moldings like door casings. 

They also make nice handrails for mildly curved stair cases, and can be used for a variety of other detail molding.

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