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Dentistry
Using floss or interdental brushes is the best way to clean between your teeth. Floss 8 to 10 strokes, up and down as far as it will go but don’t press hard (so that it hurts) into your gums or you risk damaging your gums. Similarly, use interdental brushes 8 to 10 times between each tooth to dislodge any trapped food and plaque. Where possible, it is better to use interdental brushes to clean between your teeth and use floss if you cannot get a brush into the space.
Floss using interdental brushes once a day before brushing will help to remove plaque and stuck food.
It’s recommended that you use floss, or interdental brushes once per day, followed by brushing with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day, for a least 2 minutes.
If the bristles start to look worn or shabby, if the wire starts to look bent or twisted, we suggest you replace it with a new one
Floss and interdental cleaners are the only way to clean between your teeth. Water flossers are useful as well, but mouthwash isn’t sufficient to remove trapped food and plaque.
Flossing or interdental cleaning before you brush will make brushing more effective as there will be less plaque between your teeth, meaning the fluoride in toothpaste can get to more parts.
There isn’t a right or wrong time to floss or use interdental brushes , we recommend that you clean when you have the most time to ensure you do it properly. For most, that’s a night before bed, which reduced any trapped food before bed, reducing the overnight damage from bacteria.
Using toothpaste or mouthwash on the brush may damage the brushes. You may require a range of different size brushes to clean between different sized spaces between your teeth.
Your hygienist can advise you on the best size brush to use.
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