Instructions and tips for using interdental brushing and dental floss correctly. Since dental care with a toothbrush is not enough, other aids are needed for healthy teeth. Consequently, dental floss and its alternatives can prevent tooth decay and bad breath.
Leftover food and bacteria collect in the spaces between the teeth. But if you floss, you can clean these areas properly. Consequently, dental floss or other special brushes are part of daily teeth cleaning to prevent bad teeth.
Why is dental floss important?
Adequate dental care is important. This includes brushing your teeth every day. But that alone is not enough. Because the toothbrush does not get into the interdental spaces. This means that only 70 percent of the tooth surface is cleaned. While the remaining 30 percent is left without proper cleaning. And this is where food residue and bacteria collect. If these are not thoroughly removed, tooth decay and bad breath can result. Consequently, dental floss and alternatives such as interdental brushes are good tools for dental care.
Effectiveness of interdental brushes and dental floss
Although there are no long-term studies on the use of dental floss and alternatives, it is recommended by dentists for oral care. Because there are hardly any alternatives in the price range for cleaning the interdental spaces. Only the plastic fork – also a dental floss, which is clamped in a plastic frame, is a conceivable alternative. But it causes significantly more waste than conventional dental floss.
Suitable tools for dental and oral health
Even toothbrushes with different bristle heights do not reach the spaces between the teeth as well as dental floss and interdental brushes. As a result, you can use these to ensure adequate dental care and clean the gaps. Accordingly, the application with them makes sense to avoid the following health problems. In addition, see our article on oral hygiene and care for clean teeth.
1) Prevent tooth decay with interdental brushes
Since leftover food and bacteria collect in the spaces between the teeth, these spaces must be cleaned. A normal toothbrush does not reach here. Therefore, you should regularly use silk or interdental brushes to remove the leftover food. Consequently, these are effective ways to prevent tooth decay. Also, read how you can prevent tooth decay in milk teeth with the right baby bottles.
2) Dental floss as a means of removing plaque
Excessive plaque can damage your teeth. So you should remove it as much as possible. The use of silk or interdental brushes can help you with this. In particular, you can use it to remove the inaccessible plaque in the gaps between your teeth. Please also note our article on tips and home remedies for removing plaque.
3) Avoid gingivitis
Likewise, a lack of dental care can lead to gingivitis. These are usually uncomfortable and painful. If you want to avoid gum inflammation, daily cleaning with dental floss can be useful. This is because you remove bacteria from places that are difficult for tooth princes to access.
4) Prevent periodontitis with proper dental care
You can not only avoid painful gingivitis with the aids presented here. You can also use it to prevent periodontitis. This works exactly as in the previously described points. Regular use of interdental brushes or dental floss will ensure better dental care. They also clean the spaces between the teeth and thus reduce the bacteria. Accordingly, these brushes and dental floss are effective against periodontitis.
5) Successfully eliminate bad breath
Since bad bacteria in the mouth can cause bad breath, it is important to eliminate them. Consequently, use dental floss or interdental brushes to clean your gaps. Accordingly, you should also get rid of your bad breath with regular use. In addition, daily oil pulling or cleaning your coated tongue can help improve your oral health.
Large selection of dental floss types
There is a large selection of different dental floss. The most common difference is between waxed and unwaxed dental floss. The waxed dental floss has the advantage that it slides better between the teeth. However, you remove significantly less coating than with the unwaxed version. The silk with Teflon coating also glides well. But it doesn’t clean as well either.
Dental floss with fluoride, which is said to prevent tooth decay, is also popular. However, the effect here is often small. Because the dosage of fluoride is low. The situation is similar with dental floss with chlorhexidine, which not only cleans the gaps but also disinfects them. Consequently, this should reduce tooth decay bacteria. There are also products with different flavors that do not have any significant advantage, but they make it easier to motivate children in particular to use dental floss.
