Inter dental brushes vs floss.

madmaggie

I don't like floss, never have, never will, but the hygenist said to use the brushes instead. Are they better than floss, as good as, or what? Just curious.

EoghanIRL

Good question.
The answer depends on what type of embrasure space you have. I.e does the gum fill the space between the teeth fully.
If the papilla does fill the space fully then you should use a dental floss.

However if it doesn't then tepe brushes would be recommended.

Both are very efficient in different scenarios. Some dental hospitals recommend tepe brushes as the interdental aid of choice.
If you use them correctly they are very efficient.

madmaggie

Thank you for such a comprehensive answer. I would be no. 2 on your diagram. I find the brushes easier to use, merely a personal preference, but I never liked the feel of the floss.

judeboy101

I thought floss had been debunked as useless by the yanks?

Amazingfun

judeboy101 wrote: »

I thought floss had been debunked as useless by the yanks?

Kinda true, but a fella from England said so too.

The US Department for Health and Human Services and Agriculture admitted in a letter that the benefits of flossing had never been properly researched.
A British dentist at the University of Birmingham, Prof Damien Walmsley, also said there is only "weak evidence" to suggest flossing is beneficial.
But in a statement released Tuesday, the American Dental Association (ADA) vigorously defended flossing, saying it was an "essential part of taking care of your teeth and gums".

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36962667

madmaggie

I did a quick Google search on this subject. The IDA strongly advise flossing, but a U.S. site said the negative effects of not flossing are not proven. That sounds like something a politician would say!

EoghanIRL

You should definitely still floss regularly.

I think what happened over the summer was that there was talk about how flossing was ineffective for embrasure spaces other than type 1 and this led to misreporting that flossing is ineffective in general.

_Whimsical_

This probably sounds a little mad but when I floss I can't help worry that I'm actually pushing bacteria or debris up under my gum line. There's nothing else that I would clean by jamming something up into dirt, pushing all the way up through that to the top, and then pulling down. Id expect more "dirt" to just collect at the top than to be cleared.

While there's no research or evidence to suggest a positive effect of flossing is there any possibility there's any negative effect of doing so?

EoghanIRL

When you floss or get a scale and polish you get a transient bacteraemia, but we have an immune system which can deal with it!

If you floss incorrectly you could potentially cause some trauma to your gingiva but that could be true of anything. You could cause abrasion and damage to the gingival tissue if you brush too hard etc..

Removing food debris is only one of the functions of flossing. It also removes and disrupts the plaque biofilm. It does this in areas where tooth brush bristles mightn't have good access.

Even if you were flossing incorrectly, you could always just modify your technique or ask your dentist to show you how during your next visit.

_Whimsical_

EoghanIRL wrote: »

When you floss or get a scale and polish you get a transient bacteraemia, but we have an immune system which can deal with it!

If you floss incorrectly you could potentially cause some trauma to your gingiva but that could be true of anything. You could cause abrasion and damage to the gingival tissue if you brush too hard etc..

Removing food debris is only one of the functions of flossing. It also removes and disrupts the plaque biofilm. It does this in areas where tooth brush bristles mightn't have good access.

Even if you were flossing incorrectly, you could always just modify your technique or ask your dentist to show you how during your next visit.

Thanks a million for that response, I've wondered about that for a while and it's made me a little queasy at the thought of flossing, what you say makes sense though. I'll be a bit braver in future so about pushing the floss up more!

Dingle_berry

What do the professionals on this forum make of the Waterpik and it's claims that it is better than flossing?

seefin

I only started using the brushes but find they only last a few uses as wire gets bent out of shape or bristles break off in-between teeth and I find it impossible to use on my back teeth. I use 4.5mm . Happened with tepe brand and cheaper brand. I have to say I find them a pain to use. Is expanding floss a good alternative? Or will I just try perfect the use and give them time?

EoghanIRL

Slightly off topic , but I have heard many times to use mouth wash at a separate time to tooth brushing. However for example on the back of my listerine mouth wash it says that they are most effective when used after brushing.
I seem to be hearing a lot of contradictory information on this. I know normal mouth washes are of limited use anyway except fluoride mouth washes in certain situations.
I have read that it is best to use them as a top up during the day at a different time to brushing. Also that if you use them after brushing you are essentially doing the same thing as rinsing , which isn't recommended either as you essentially wash away what you've brushed on.
Then there are some manufacturer instructions saying they are most efficient when used after brushing.

If I was to recommend mouth wash then I would say at a separate time to tooth brushing but I have to wonder why some listerine bottles are saying different.

madmaggie

Seefin, did you get the packet of Tepe brushes with the mixed sizes? This was suggested to me by the hygienist, as some teeth may require narrower or wider brushes.

Muhammed_1

The UltraDex tapered, wire free inter dental brushes on amazon are very good but they are fairly expensive compared to Tepe brushes.

The UltraDex ones are tapered so a single brush can be used on all teeth.

I only use them occasionally but I think they work well. Each one can be re-used a few times.

Big_G

So what is the aim of flossing? Or interdental brushes? Or toothbrushing for that matter?

Plaque is a biofilm - that is layers of bacteria living together in a film stuck on the surfaces of teeth. It is very resistant to all sorts of immune responses from your body and the bacteria living in it work with each other to produce harmful effects. It is protective to the bacteria and damaging to your mouth.

Can we completely get rid of bacteria in our mouths? No. Can we we break up this plaque 'biofilm' and make it tough on the bacteria to cause trouble? Yes. We have to use some kind of mechanical means to disrupt this 'biofilm' so that the really troublesome bacteria have fewer places to hide out. We do this with brushing, flossing or interdental brushes or any other mechanical cleaning aid that won't damage the teeth or gums.

The controversy over the summer was due to a misinterpretation of something somebody said that is there is an absence of evidence that it has beneficial effects just means it hasn't been studied, probably because of the obvious effects that it has.

So keep flossing and brushing or using interdental brushes.

Muhammed_1

You didn't mention Xylitol!

It's a wonder product.

It's a natural sugar, with a five carbon ring structure instead of six.

It messes with the metabolism of certain types of bacteria, the worst types.

Therefore, if you use Xylitol it'll help with bad plaque and tartar.


It is also a natural food product so it is completely safe.

I recommend buying 100% xylitol powder from Amazon for example, and then making your own mouthwash by mixing the powder with water.

That's it. Use as a mouthwash several times a day.


I'm amazed that Xylitol isn't recommended more highly by dentists.

It is known to work and the mechanism of action is well known and is not disputed.


The benefits of flouride were also known for many years before it was widely recommended.

madmaggie

Excuse my ignorance here, I'm not a dental person, just an ordinary punter, but using a mouthwash containing sugar can't be great for dental hygiene.

Muhammed_1

It's xylitol, an alcohol sugar which is different to normal sugar.

I agree, it seems strange but xylitol is a food substance, made from plants, and it's completely safe. It does taste sugary though, and it definitely can help with bad plaque.

coylemj

I can see that you're a fan of Xylitol but you have a separate thread running on the subject, is it really necessary to propagate your sales pitch by invading this thread - which is specifically comparing interdental brushes to flossing.

Muhammed_1

I am not engaged in a sales pitch as you know. But thanks for the passive aggressiveiness.

The benefits of flouride were known about for many decades before it was widely recommended. Must the same thinng happen with xylitol?