Can't floss...

Solair

I'm just wondering if this is normal.

For my entire adult-teeth life I have been unable to successfully use dental floss.

Any time I've tried to use it, I end up causing damage to my gums, or the floss becomes wedged between my teeth and is really difficult to get out.

I use a high-end electric toothbrush, and I have never had any problems with inter-dental plaque or anything like that, but I was just wondering if it's normal that floss would simply not fit between teeth?

Even the dental tape stuff becomes jammed !

coylemj

I had exactly the same problem with flossing so I use TePe interdental brushes instead, my dentist told me I'm using them effectively and don't need to floss so used properly they are a viable alternative.

To my mind there's no comparison, you could be flossing for a week and still not get it right whereas using the correct TePe brush in each gap you are guaranteed to cover all of the gap, the gum and both teeth.

Solair

Tried those, they don't fit between most teeth, even the smallest ones. Where they did fit they cut my gums!

nungesser

i can't use floss for the same reason, but i use a tooth pick after my dinner everynight, same principle as flossing without the hassle

Razleavy

Might be an idea to look into something like this http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-WP-100W-Ultra-Water-Flosser/dp/B000GLRREU

coylemj

Solair wrote: »

Tried those, they don't fit between most teeth, even the smallest ones. Where they did fit they cut my gums!

Were those the smallest ones available in your local chemist or supermarket or did you look further afield? Sometimes it's hard to find the thinner brushes in local stores. I can't believe you'd have a problem with the pink or orange TePe brushes and whichever ones you used, if they cut your gums, they were too big for the gap.

Solair

I went for the 0.4mm size and it absolutely wouldn't go through the 'gaps' between most of my teeth.

It was disastrous, the brush got stuck and I couldn't get it out for about 10 minutes!!!
Ended up with blood pouring everywhere.

My teeth are very straight, but they are EXTREMELY close fitting there are basically absolutely no gaps at all.

WaterPic sounds like the best approach.

digzy

wont floss.....?

dentists hear the whole 'i cant floss' speel every day. unless a dentist has stuck your teeth together-which i sincerily doubt-you can floss.

ask your dentist how to use it next time.
as regards the amateurs amongst you giving professional advice..cop on!

Razleavy

digzy wrote: »

wont floss.....?

dentists hear the whole 'i cant floss' speel every day. unless a dentist has stuck your teeth together-which i sincerily doubt-you can floss.

ask your dentist how to use it next time.
as regards the amateurs amongst you giving professional advice..cop on!

Dentist isn't much good if floss can't fit between his teeth, cop on! I have few areas where I encounter the same problem, doesn't matter what type of floss I use.

digzy

Razleavy wrote: »

Dentist isn't much good if floss can't fit between his teeth, cop on! I have few areas where I encounter the same problem, doesn't matter what type of floss I use.

As per previous post.........floss will fit between every tooth unless there's been some kind of restoration/appliance placed.
I've been 'flossing' patients teeth since 1999 and i've never failed.any dentist/hygienist will show you how.

I'm gonna start a 'i cant lose weight' thread. I'll get a few others to concur. However, we all want to eat goodies and do no exercise feeling sorry for ourselves:rolleyes:

coylemj

digzy wrote: »

as regards the amateurs amongst you giving professional advice..cop on!

digzy wrote: »

I'm gonna start a 'i cant lose weight' thread. I'll get a few others to concur. However, we all want to eat goodies and do no exercise feeling sorry for ourselves:rolleyes:

Here's a better idea - become a mod, then you can tell the rest of us what we can and cannot post.

And if you are a dentist, I'm glad with that snooty attitude I'm not a patient of yours - at least I hope not!

Pa Dee

coylemj wrote: »

digzy wrote: »

as regards the amateurs amongst you giving professional advice..cop on!

digzy wrote: »

I'm gonna start a 'i cant lose weight' thread. I'll get a few others to concur. However, we all want to eat goodies and do no exercise feeling sorry for ourselves:rolleyes:

Here's a better idea - become a mod, then you can tell the rest of us what we can and cannot post.

And if you are a dentist, I'm glad with that snooty attitude I'm not a patient of yours - at least I hope not!

Listen to the man and learn

digzy

coylemj wrote: »

Here's a better idea - become a mod, then you can tell the rest of us what we can and cannot post.

And if you are a dentist, I'm glad with that snooty attitude I'm not a patient of yours - at least I hope not!

You're not a dentist yet you're prattling on about how using te pe brushes is just as good as flossing. thats plain incorrect. You haven't a clue what you're on about. get a degree and we'll discuss the dental anatomy, proximal contact, gingival attachment, probing pocket depth etc if you want.....and bore us all or accept a bit of free advice from somebody who knows a little more than you on this subject.

btw maybe if you flossed properly your gums/bone may not have shrinked so far down your teeth that the tepe brushes fit in:eek:

strandroad

Razleavy wrote: »

Might be an idea to look into something like this http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-WP-100W-Ultra-Water-Flosser/dp/B000GLRREU

I have it and it's great. I can't floss either so this is how I get to all the sneaky stuff. One of my best purchases.

coylemj

digzy wrote: »

You're not a dentist yet you're prattling on about how using te pe brushes is just as good as flossing. thats plain incorrect. You haven't a clue what you're on about. get a degree and we'll discuss the dental anatomy, proximal contact, gingival attachment, probing pocket depth etc if you want.....and bore us all or accept a bit of free advice from somebody who knows a little more than you on this subject.

I did not prattle on, this is what I said...

coylemj wrote: »

I had exactly the same problem with flossing so I use TePe interdental brushes instead, my dentist told me I'm using them effectively and don't need to floss so used properly they are a viable alternative.

And I don't need your free advice, I'll take the advice of my dentist, thanks. He has the benefit of treating me for over 10 years. On my last two visits I asked him if I should floss, he said I did not. On the second occasion, in order to convince me, he flossed some of the gaps in my teeth using what looked like a narrow tape, not a string like you buy to do it at home. He showed me the tape, said it was picking up nothing and therefore whatever I was doing at home was effective and that I did not need to floss.

digzy wrote: »

btw maybe if you flossed properly your gums/bone may not have shrinked so far down your teeth that the tepe brushes fit in

I wasn't aware that having shrunken gums was a pre-requisite to using interdental brushes but if that's your 'professional' advice, I'll pass thanks.

Dianthus

Try Oral B Satin Tape. Also, although certain spaces will always be a bit tricky, your teeth will become easier to floss the more frequently you use the floss.

The Waterpik is realistically only for large spaces- look at this size of the nozzle tip...it's substantially larger than a string of floss. Plus, if you're next to a mirror watching what you're doing, and don't have these spaces between your teeth, water strikes the teeth& is catapulted back at the mirror:rolleyes: ->mess.

Failing this, it's vital that you clean effectively between your teeth, so ask your dentist/hygienist for advise as to what would suit you best. There's always a solution.

digzy

coylemj wrote: »

I don't need your free advice, I'll take the advice of my dentist, thanks. He has the benefit of treating me for over 10 years. On my last two visits I asked him if I should floss, he said I did not. On the second occasion, in order to convince me, he flossed some of the gaps in my teeth using what looked like a narrow tape, not a string like you buy to do it at home. He showed me the tape, said it was picking up nothing and therefore whatever I was doing at home was effective and that I did not need to floss.



I wasn't aware that having shrunken gums was a pre-requisite to using interdental brushes but if that's your 'professional' advice, I'll pass thanks.

Either youre mistaken or your dentist needs to find out about contributory factors to interproximal decay! I'm not interested in a 'serve and volley' with someone so poorly informed.
I couldnt care less whether you floss or not. Hopefully a few of the posters will do as advised and ask their 'dental professional' for suitable guidance next time.

strandroad

Waterpik has several tips in different sizes and it spits water a little like jet ink printer, in tiny droplets, it's not a constant stream of water.

Mingetoad

As a dentist I regularly have patients tell me that they "can't floss" as the floss won't fit between the tooth. Not once have I been unable to floss between the teeth (exceptions for when there have been bad restorations placed).
For anyone who cannot get floss between their teeth I suggest you ask your dentist or hygienist to try it. If they can do it (and trust me, they will), you can too.

Dianthus

mhge wrote: »

Waterpik has several tips in different sizes and it spits water a little like jet ink printer, in tiny droplets, it's not a constant stream of water.

I've used it myself. The water goes everywhere- however that may be down to poor operator technique;)
But, more worryingly, when I've used floss directly afterwards, I've always found there to be some debris remaining.
So whilst it's a novelty adjunct to cleaning, I'm keeping with floss as the mainstay.

Solair

I've tried the Oral B tape, it gets jammed between the teeth, shreds and stays jammed there. It took me 4 days to get it out!

I've never had any issues with inter-dental decay though, so far everything seems to work just fine.

I just use an Oral B Triumph electric toothbrush.

strandroad

Dianthus wrote: »

I've used it myself. The water goes everywhere- however that may be down to poor operator technique;)
But, more worryingly, when I've used floss directly afterwards, I've always found there to be some debris remaining.
So whilst it's a novelty adjunct to cleaning, I'm keeping with floss as the mainstay.

Whatever suits, of course! I am face down, leaning over the sink when I use it so excess water just trickles down. No spillage unless I forget to turn it off before I take the nozzle out!

coylemj

digzy wrote: »

Either youre mistaken or your dentist needs to find out about contributory factors to interproximal decay!

I attend an Irish dentist with a reasonably large practice in Dublin city and who is probably as well qualified as you. I asked the same question on consecutive visits and got the same answer. I repeated this advice on this forum in context and you accused me of 'prattling on' with bad advice.

digzy wrote: »

I'm not interested in a 'serve and volley' with someone so poorly informed.

You're right, lets not bother taking this further. With that attitude I can't see you ever admitting that someone else (my dentist) might be right and you might be wrong.

ballsymchugh

most people that say they can't floss really mean that they have difficulty getting it out afterwards and it causes a little bit of panic. the floss doesn't have to come out the way it went in, so sliding the whole lot out through the interproximal gap is just as good as taking it out vertically.

@coylemj, digzy is right on this one. tepe brushes are not as good as floss for removing interproximal debris. if you picture a cone fitting though a triangular box, the angles of the triangle will not be reached. tepe is the same. it just won't get into places where the floss will get.

if you go to a dentist / periodontist (someone who specialises with treating gum disease) and tell them you don't floss, automatically you should be told you're missing half the dirt building up around your teeth.

coylemj

ballsymchugh wrote: »

@coylemj, digzy is right on this one. tepe brushes are not as good as floss for removing interproximal debris. if you picture a cone fitting though a triangular box, the angles of the triangle will not be reached. tepe is the same. it just won't get into places where the floss will get.

I appreciate the point you're making but it's not a solid cone, in fact the TePe brushes are cylindrical rather than conical and given that it's a brush with lots of bristles, if the brush is a snug fit, you will succeed in brushing all of the teeth and gum surfaces. At least that seems to be what I am achieving.

ballsymchugh

coylemj wrote: »

I appreciate the point you're making but it's not a solid cone, in fact the TePe brushes are cylindrical rather than conical and given that it's a brush with lots of bristles, if the brush is a snug fit, you will succeed in brushing all of the teeth and gum surfaces. At least that seems to be what I am achieving.

sorry, my mistake, meant a cylinder!!



sorry about the crappy mechanical drawing jpg but this makes it easier to explain!! the nature of the tepe brush won't get into the angles as well as floss (as well as slightly subgingivally)

coylemj

I understand the geometry you're relying on but the point you're making is only valid if I shove a solid object with a circular cross-section like a wooden toothpick into the gap. Instead I'm using a brush with bristles and if you use a size that has a snug fit in each gap, the bristles will rub against all of the surfaces as you slide it in and out so it is capable of reaching all of the surfaces.

ballsymchugh

the bristles on a tepe brush will not engage accessible subgingival biofilm (gunk) as well as floss. a single tufted brush would be better than tepe also.

see here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI39zKjZ2GA

coylemj

Could you recommend a brand of single-tufted brush?

ballsymchugh

http://www.cts-dental.com/products.asp?recnumber=124

cheap and cheerful
wisdom interspace is another one that you can get.
may have to cut a few bristles off to get decent access though!

coylemj

Thanks, I'll give them a go. I hasten to add though that my teeth are in better shape than the guy in that video!