Can interdental brushes damage teeth

Thus, the prophylactic goal to achieve high degrees of cleaning while producing minimal damage is important and should have priority when evaluating and selecting toothbrushes.

Abstract The effective cleaning of interdental spaces using toothbrushes is a challenge. Publication types Comparative Study. What is the professional perspective on interdentals? Although this advice comes from a certified professional, be sure to see your dentist before you do anything new to your teeth.

So make sure you see your dentist to get help with selecting the right size and type of interdental brush and learning proper interdental brushing techniques. Like with almost everything in nature, there are always some bacteria in your mouth and on your teeth. Usually, these bacteria are in perfect balance with the protective agents in our mouth. We have certain antibacterial agents in our saliva that keep the normal bacterial flora in check.

But when bacteria meet a hard surface our teeth in a moist environment, they tend to settle on that surface and start building up. This biofilm allows bacteria to live and breed in a more protected environment. Basically, biofilm is like bacteria building villages, towns and cities — but on your teeth. The bacteria have no concern about your well-being, so they just build the film wherever they can.

When bacteria breed in the safety of biofilm, they produce a lot of waste. The bigger and stronger the biofilm, the more waste bacteria produce. This waste offsets the chemical balance on our teeth, and leads to tooth decay, bad breath and all sorts of gum disease. When the film is too thick and strong, we call it dental plaque. Naturally, we want to avoid plaque as much as we can.

Carry on using the brushes, and the bleeding should reduce as your gums become healthier. If you're still getting bleeding after a few days, get advice from your dentist. They can check if you're using the interdental brushes correctly. If you find it difficult to use interdental brushes, get advice from your dentist or dental hygienist.

Research does show that interdental brushes provide better plaque removal than floss. Sometimes, looking in a mirror can help to ensure that you reach the gaps in every tooth.

For children under the age of 12, they may need help with flossing safely and this can start as soon as they will let you do this. Make sure you use a brush appropriate to the size of the space between your teeth as you may need more than one interdental brush. They are coloured to represent the different widths.

They also come with short or long handles to make it easier to reach the teeth further back. Holding the interdental brush between your thumb and finger, gently place the brush through the gap between your teeth.

When you first start using interdental brushes, your gums may bleed, they may also be tender as you start to remove any plaque build-up.