We’ve all been lectured on flossing at some point in our lives. You might have even been the recipient of the dreaded flossing lecture from your dental hygienist recently! Hey, dental hygienists are famous for giving you a lecture on how much you need to floss!
But today, I have some good news for you… You do NOT necessarily need to floss!
Recent studies have shown that about 30% of Americans do not floss at all. And anecdotally, I’ve noticed that a lot of patients only floss if something is stuck in between their teeth or if they are preparing for an upcoming dental cleaning (usually the night before!).
To be honest, I don’t blame them. Flossing your teeth is not easy; and the practice of shoving both of your hands in your mouth, trying to navigate a piece of string in between your teeth is most certainly not fun!
Having said that, cleaning the spaces in between your teeth is essential for your oral health. These spaces count for about 40% of your tooth surfaces. That’s a lot of space to miss and for bad bacteria to grow and cause disease. Imagine taking a shower, but only cleaning half of your body, would you consider yourself clean?
Not cleaning the spaces in between your teeth can lead to:
• Bad breath
• Increased risk for dental decay
• Gum disease
• And even tooth loss!
But flossing is not always the best method for cleaning in between your teeth. In fact, flossing can only be recommended when you have complete gingival and periodontal health. Meaning, your gums and the bones in your mouth, holding your teeth have to be disease free; no puffy, red gums and certainly no bone loss or gum recession.
I want to emphasize that I’m not telling you that flossing is not good for you or that it is harmful. Flossing can in fact be helpful, but only if:
• You have good technique – meaning you can properly use the floss to scrape the sides of your tooth without cutting your gums.
• There is good contact between your floss and your teeth – This is usually the case for your front teeth where there is tight contact between your teeth and your floss doesn’t have room to wiggle.
But dental floss will not really work if:
• You have gum inflammation or gum disease
• There are larger spaces in between your teeth – and this is usually the case for your back teeth, which are conveniently hard to reach as well! Or anywhere that your gums have receded, exposing the roots of your teeth.
• You have dental crowns and / or implants – Because of the shape of dental crowns and implants and lack of tooth structure (or very little tooth structure, if you have a crown), food can easily get stuck underneath and in most cases you won’t be able to remove it with just floss.
So, I’m here to tell you that there is a more efficient and easier solution to cleaning in between your teeth. Aaaaand the answer is……
Interdental Brushes!
Interdental or interproximal brushes are small bristled brushes that resemble a bottle cleaner. They help you get into all the nooks and crannies of the spaces in between your teeth and really clean them.
I absolutely love intredental brushes and as a dental hygienist, I recommend using them to almost all of my patients (and let’s be honest. any friends or family members who asks for oral hygiene tips). I’ve lost count of how many times people have come back to me, surprised by how much leftover food they were able to get out from in between their teeth; even after flossing!
Interdental brushes are very easy to use and you will have a much easier time reaching in between your back teeth. No need to go elbow deep into your mouth to clean in between your molars! They also come in many different shapes and sizes, so you can choose the one that works best for you. You can find them at almost all grocery stores and drug stores. If you’re a fan of online shopping, there are many options available on Amazon. Below are two that I personally use and recommend:
So, if you’re someone who is struggling with getting into a habit of consistently cleaning in between your teeth, or you feel like you can improve your oral hygiene, I highly recommend trying interdental brushes. I think, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to use and how much they can help improve your oral health.
Happy interproximal brushing!
Saba, RDH
References
Cepeda, M. S., Weinstein, R., Blacketer, C., & Lynch, M. C. (2017). Association of flossing/inter‐dental cleaning and periodontitis in adults. Journal of clinical periodontology, 44(9), 866-871.
Chapple, I. L., Van der Weijden, F., Doerfer, C., Herrera, D., Shapira, L., Polak, D., … & Greenwell, H. (2015). Primary prevention of periodontitis: managing gingivitis. Journal of clinical periodontology, 42, S71-S76.
Fleming, E. B., Nguyen, D., Afful, J., Carroll, M. D., & Woods, P. D. (2018). Prevalence of daily flossing among adults by selected risk factors for periodontal disease—United States, 2011–2014. Journal of periodontology, 89(8), 933-939.
New survey highlights ‘unusual’ flossing habits. (2017, Oct. 20). https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/october/new-survey-highlights-unusual-flossing-habits
Periodontology, A. (2015, June 23). More Than a Quarter of U.S. Adults are Dishonest with Dentists about How Often They Floss Their Teeth. https://www.perio.org/consumer/quarter-of-adults-dishonest-with-dentists
Poklepovic, T., Worthington, H. V., Johnson, T. M., Sambunjak, D., Imai, P., Clarkson, J. E., & Tugwell, P. (2013). Interdental brushing for the prevention and control of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (12).
Worthington, H. V., MacDonald, L., Poklepovic Pericic, T., Sambunjak, D., Johnson, T. M., Imai, P., & Clarkson, J. E. (2019). Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal diseases and dental caries. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 4(4), CD012018. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012018.pub2