When it comes to ensuring optimal oral health, brushing your teeth is paramount. Brushing twice a day with a toothpaste containing fluoride is fundamental to achieving a healthy smile, but it’s not the only important step. Interdental cleaning, a simple addition to your oral hygiene routine, can have a significant impact on your oral health.
Although brushing your teeth is a crucial way to maintain oral hygiene, it can only clean 60% of the tooth’s surface area. A simple and important method for improving the health of your teeth and smile is to use interdental brushes to clean the areas between your teeth.
As National Smile Month approaches, the Oral Health Foundation has collaborated with TePe to provide knowledgeable individuals with top-notch advice on how to incorporate this effortless practice into their oral health regimen. If you’re in the Hampshire area and need teeth straightening treatment, check out Invisalign specialist Hampshire.
The Significance of Interdental Cleaning
Dental plaque can accumulate in areas between teeth that are inaccessible to toothbrushes.
Over a period of time, neglecting to clean between your teeth can result in dental caries, gum swelling, and halitosis. It is advisable to incorporate an interdental brush into your daily dental hygiene regimen to avoid these conditions.
An interdental brush is a small device that is tailored to remove debris and plaque from the crevices and spaces between your teeth where a regular toothbrush cannot reach. By incorporating the usage of an interdental brush into your daily oral hygiene routine, alongside regular toothbrushing, you can easily and effectively maintain a fresh and healthy mouth.
It is advisable to perform interdental cleaning on a daily basis to maintain oral hygiene and freshness.
Initially, when you commence the habit of cleaning between your teeth, you may experience slight discomfort or bleeding of the gums. However, it is essential not to discontinue the habit since bleeding gums can indicate gum inflammation. In case positive changes do not occur within a few days, it is best to get in touch with a dental expert for guidance.
Choosing the Appropriate Size
There are various sizes of interdental brushes available, and determining the most appropriate size for your mouth can be challenging.
To ensure that you receive the most helpful advice, it is important to consult with a dental expert for their recommendation. However, as a starting point, here are some tips to consider…
To properly use an interdental brush, start by looking in the mirror and inserting the brush between your teeth, near the gums. Begin with the smallest brush size and gradually increase until the bristles come into contact with both the teeth and gum tissue. Be sure to avoid forcing the brush into the space and ensure it fits snugly without touching the sides of the gums or teeth. Move the brush back and forth 2-3 times for each space between teeth and clean all areas daily. It’s advisable to have two to three sizes or variations of interdental brushes and floss due to varying gap sizes between teeth throughout the mouth.
To ensure a healthy mouth, toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least two times a day should be the primary focus. However, including interdental cleaning as a regular part of your oral hygiene routine can significantly improve the health of your teeth and gums.
While using a toothbrush is crucial to maintain oral hygiene, it doesn’t clean all surfaces of the tooth, leaving out around 40% of it. Incorporating interdental brushes in your dental routine is a simple yet significant step towards enhancing your smile’s well-being as it cleans the hard-to-reach gaps between your teeth.