Brushing your teeth twice a day is the foundation to a nice healthy smile, there is also one other thing you should be doing to achieve a gleaming smile – interdental cleaning.

Regular toothbrushes only clean the outside surfaces of the teeth, 60% of your tooth’s surfaces actually! But you also need to clean between the teeth with interdental products like floss or brushes to really improve the health of your smile.

Interdental cleaning is so important, plaque can build up where you can’t clean properly like right in between your teeth! Dental plaque, when left over time, can lead to tooth decay, bad breath and gum inflammation which is why you should be interdental cleaning as part of your daily teeth cleaning routine.

What are Interdental Brushes?

An interdental brush is a small, long brush which comes in different sizes. If you haven’t used them before and unsure what size to start with, you can ask one of our team for advice. We usually say start with the smallest, if they go in too easy, move a size up and keep trying until they are nice and snug. You may need to use a variety of sizes as the gaps between your teeth will be different.

Here’s a couple of tips to get started:

  • It helps to look in the mirror when doing this, insert the brush into the small gap between the teeth near to the gums. The brush should be snug but make sure the wire isn’t touching your teeth or gums, just the brush bristles. Don’t force the brush in, if it doesn’t fit, try a smaller size.
  • Once in, move the brush back and forth 2-3 times. Do this at least once a day, preferably just before you go to bed.
  • As before, you may need to use a combination of sizes as well as floss to get right in between the teeth.

Our amazing team of hygienists can give you the best advice with interdental brushing and help you with your general oral hygiene, in your hour-long appointment they will also give your teeth a scale and polish to remove any hard stains. You’ll leave the practice with a fresh white smile!

We encourage you to come see our hygienists on a regular basis, to make things easier for you we have monthly dental plans starting form £10.99 a month. For more information speak to our reception team or go to our dental plan page – https://www.unionquaydental.co.uk/monthly-dental-plans/

To book a hygiene appointment, contact our reception team on 0191 259 6506 or email us at reception@ewanbramley.com.