What Happens If We Don’t Care For The Gaps Between Our Teeth?

We pay a lot of attention to the way our teeth look, but what about the tight spaces between them?

For our first blog of 2026, we thought that we would take a look at something which we have touched on in a number of blogs but have never really focussed on. We are talking about the spaces in between our teeth. Few of us probably think too much about these when we look in the mirror to see how our teeth look, unless perhaps we have been eating spinach or similar. The fact is though, that these spaces between our teeth are incredibly important, and not paying sufficient attention to them can easily result in a number of problematic dental issues.

Most people that come to the SG Dental and Implant Centre for cosmetic treatments rarely recognise that paying attention to the less visible areas of our mouth is important too. You can have the whitest teeth possible, but if you neglect the lesser seen spaces between them, you are very likely to experience problems like tooth decay and gingival diseases.

Let us focus now on some of the issues that can arise and what our Burton patients can do to prevent them.

Trapped food

Most people will be familiar with this problem as food easily becomes trapped in the spaces between our teeth. Some of this will be dislodged as the day passes and saliva helps to wash it away. Not all of this will be removed though and although you might carry out a quick inspection in the mirror to see if you have any trapped food, the fact that you can’t see any doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Most food debris trapped longer term is very small in size, but still enough to cause oral health problems. Bacteria feeds on these food particles and release acids which damage the tooth enamel, especially on the edges of your teeth.

Plaque and tartar

We mention bacteria above, and our mouth is full of them. Some of this is good in that it helps to break down food ready for digestion and the saliva that contains it helps to keep us hydrated, an important factor in combating gum disease. Plaque is in effect a biofilm which coats our teeth and the tooth enamel therefore can come under increased threat if we don’t clean our teeth regularly with a fluoride toothpaste. As mentioned above, the bacteria can produce acids which attack the tooth enamel making it more vulnerable to decay. The bacteria can also attack the gum tissue and lead to gingivitis and periodontitis if not addressed correctly.

Sugars and acids

Sugars and starchy foods are key ‘food groups’ for bacteria, and the acids, as we have mentioned, will attack the enamel on your teeth. While some of this is inevitable, it can be kept under control with quality oral health care. It is important then not to add to the acidity in your mouth, especially through drinking highly acidic sugary drinks. Try to drink mainly water to help balance the acidity in your mouth.

Isn’t brushing enough?

In a nutshell, the answer to this is ‘no’. It is certainly a good start and one that we obviously encourage. Many people use worn toothbrushes though which makes removal of food and bacteria from between the teeth especially difficult. Even with new bristles though, it is almost certain that some food and bacteria will remain. This is why we recommend that you use dental floss. Despite its simplicity, it is still a highly effective tool for preventing problems in these tiny areas. We know that some of you find it tricky to do, but it is a bit like riding a bike; once you have mastered it, you can do it without even thinking about it; and yes, those even more difficult to reach rear teeth should be flossed as well. As these teeth do much of the chewing, trapped food is very likely to be found there.

Six monthly appointments with our Burton dental hygienist are also essential. This helps to remove hardened bacteria and minerals, known as tartar, from between the teeth.

Foods and drinks to avoid

We mentioned acidic drinks earlier and generally, any acidic foods such as citrus fruits and vinegars should be consumed in moderation. Crunchy vegetables such as raw carrots or celery can be useful for helping to remove trapped food, although this doesn’t negate the need to brush of course.

One problem with the modern processed diet is that many foods are quite sticky; from sticky puddings to the coating on barbequed food. All of this makes it more likely that it will stick to your teeth for longer and be more difficult to remove. We are not saying avoid these altogether but try to keep them to a minimum. If you have a sweet tooth, for example, it is better to stick to chocolate rather than toffee. While both are likely to be high in sugar, chocolate melts and can be washed away more easily by saliva. Toffee on the other hand is going to be around for longer, leaving bacteria more time to produce those teeth damaging acids. Neither are great from an oral health perspective though.

Just focussing a little more on this area when cleaning your teeth, both morning and night, can really pay dividends in keeping your teeth and gums healthy from now on and of course we encourage our Burton patients to do this.

We are now fully open again after the Christmas break which we hope you all enjoyed. If you need to make an appointment with us or contact us about anything, please call the SG Dental and Implant Centre on 01283 845345.