Is brushing your teeth enough?

We all know it’s essential to brush our teeth at least twice a day for good oral health, but have you ever been confused about which other oral cleaning products you need to use to get to those hard to reach places you keep missing?

Most of us think brushing our teeth twice a day will be enough toprevent plaque and decay, but this simply isn’t true. Food and plaque can oftenbuild up between the teeth and in places that are almost impossible to reachwith a standard toothbrush. Ignoring this build up can quickly lead to toothdecay and gum disease. The good news is that there are many great interdentalproducts available which are designed to clean between the teeth. But whichones are suitable for you?

Our hygienist, Renate Putrus, has offered her top tips and recommendations to take out the guesswork for you.

Tepe Brushes

If you wear a brace you may find cleaning your teeth a big challenge. I recommend using big Tepe brushes (green size minimum) to clean between and around the brackets, and a Water Pick to clean away bits of food and plaque inside the bracket slot. I recommend Tepe easypick brushes to clean between the teeth in general (depending on gap sizes) - always use biggest size possible. And also superfloss if you’re super motivated!

Interspace Brush

If you have wisdom teeth, especially if partially erupted or difficult to reach, I suggest an Interspace brush. This product is great because it has a long handle and the angle of the bristles makes it easy to reach behind the wisdom teeth.

Curved Interdental Brushes

For people with gum problems, I usually recommend VisionPerio interdental brushes. The curved wire allows bristles to get deep into the gum pockets.  

Floss picks

For tight gaps and areas difficult to floss, I advise my patients to use Glide Floss picks. This handy tool allows you to reach the back teeth and makes it much easier to floss.

Some of my patients have large gaps between their teeth and so I recommend they use the largest interdental brush possible. The brush size you need depends on the size of triangles between the teeth. It’s always best to use the most snug size so if it feels loose, use a bigger one.
Also, if no brush fits, stick to floss - but you should ensure the floss goes deep enough to disturb the gum line.

As well as this, if you need any further advice on which interdental cleaning products are best for you, why not book a hygiene appointment at Bow Lane and one of our hygienists will be happy to help. If you want advice on choosing the right toothbrush click here.