Why Interdental Cleaning Is Essential For Good Oral Health

Cleaning the surface of your teeth is important, but so is cleaning the gaps between

Anyone who uses the train in the UK will have, at some point, heard the announcement to ‘mind the gap’. This could also easily be used when it comes to our Burton patient’s oral health care too. Whilst it is very important to keep your teeth clean by brushing them well each day, it is also important to clean ‘between’ the teeth too; something which all too many people ignore.

The problem with not cleaning between your teeth is that this is an area where many dental problems start, whether that be tooth decay or gum disease. In most cases, this stems from damage caused by food that has been trapped and/or bacteria that has collected there and the patient has failed to remove.  This allows gums to become infected or enamel to become damaged. To determine if damage has already occurred, you will need to see a dentist and possibly the hygienist at Mike Allen’s Dental Practice so that we can thoroughly examine your teeth and gums. There is no reason for you not to start to improve your cleaning regime today though, and here is how you can do it.

Use dental floss

This is the number one thing that you can and should do. Floss is cheap to buy and, despite what some claim, easy to use. You only need to do this once a day which should be either just before or just after you have cleaned your teeth for the final time before going to bed.

Although using floss may seem to be very ‘low tech’ it is still the most efficient way of cleaning between the teeth if done correctly. There are alternatives that we will come to shortly but dentists generally agree that this is the best way to do this.

Some people do seem to find it a little difficult initially, but with a bit of practice, it isn’t hard at all. There are numerous videos available online to help and our Burton dental hygienist will be happy to demonstrate how to do this correctly during your regular appointment with them.

Floss sticks and others

There are a number of alternatives that are widely available and which aim to achieve the same ends. While these are often quite good, we generally feel that you will have more success with dental floss if you stick with it. If you can’t or won’t though, these do offer a good alternative and we wouldn’t deter you from using these if you feel you are more likely to clean between your teeth if you use them.

Water piks

People do seem to like gadgets and this method of interdental cleaning is quite popular in the US. There are varying opinions on how efficient they are and there are disadvantages too. We appreciate that using floss can be a little tricky initially but attempting to aim a fine jet of water to be blasted between your teeth seems even more difficult. Indeed, aside from any inefficiency in cleaning, the main complaints about these from some users is how messy it is (and how wet they get). Any misdirected jets of water that hit the throat are very likely to put your gag reflex into action, making you retch and cough; not a nice experience. Again, these are better than nothing in our opinion but either of the previous options is arguably a better bet.

Water

Although this should never replace flossing itself, it is worth remembering that water alone can be very helpful in keeping the gaps between our teeth free of food debris. When you have eaten a meal, try to swill water around your mouth several times and spit. We think you will be surprised at the amount of food debris that is expelled. Remember that this would otherwise have been trapped between your teeth. Doing this a few times a day is really helpful and will also help to keep your mouth moist. Don’t neglect at least one of the previous cleaning methods as well though.

If you make a point of paying attention to the gaps between your teeth using the suggestions above, you will be going a long way to having a healthier mouth with a reduced risk of gum disease and other problems. You will still need to see the hygienist every six months though as even the best home care can miss some of the more difficult to clean areas. This six monthly visit is a great opportunity to have a professional clean, learn more about how you can improve your home care and leave your teeth both looking and feeling fresher and cleaner.

We hope that this blog sets you on your way to a healthier mouth for the new year and just a few small changes can make a big difference. For more information or to book a dentist or hygienist appointment, please call Mike Allen’s Dental Practice today on 01283 845345.