Are Interdental Brushes Better Than Floss?
Posted on: 23 May 2019
If you're finding it hard to floss effectively, then you may be thinking about switching to using interdental brushes instead. These products work like floss in that they clean between the teeth. However, instead of using a floss string or strip, you use a brush to do the job.
What are the benefits of interdental brushing over flossing?
Get a Bristle Clean
When you use regular floss, you use a strip or string to clean debris from between your teeth. While this can work, the floss may not pick up everything that is stuck in the gap. Floss is typically waxy and slippery, and it may not have the power to push or pull some particles out.
Interdental brushes have tiny bristles on them. When you push the brush between your teeth and move it back and forth, the brushes give you more scraping power. They can push out regular gunk and clean against the sides of your teeth. This may give you a more effective clean than you get from floss.
Deal With Different Sized Gaps
The gaps between your teeth aren't necessarily all the same size. Some will be bigger than others. While floss can be great at cleaning in tight spaces, its design doesn't allow it to work well in larger gaps. It won't get the friction it needs to clean everywhere.
Interdental brush heads can solve this problem. Brushes tend to be thicker than floss, so they may work better on larger gaps in your teeth. Also, you can buy brushes of various sizes, so you can use a small brush on tight gaps and a larger headed product on bigger ones.
Get Better Access
While flossing front teeth is usually easy enough, flossing between your back teeth can be harder. You may be finding it hard to get the floss into position never mind between your teeth in some areas, for example.
Interdental brushes have handles. This makes it easier for them to get into tight spots.
Save Money on Oral Care
Floss isn't reusable. Once you've used it, you throw it away. Interdental brushes can be used over and over again, typically until their brushes become too worn to be useful. This could save you a little money.
If you aren't sure whether to make the switch to interdental brushes, ask your dentist for advice. If they think that this is a good idea, they can recommend brushes and sizes to you.
Reach out to a dental clinic such as Care Dental to learn more.
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