Why Flossing is essential for a Healthy Smile

Why cleaning between your teeth is essential for a Healthy Smile & a Healthy Body

When it comes to maintaining a bright and healthy smile, brushing often steals the spotlight. While brushing your teeth is vital for removing surface dental plaque biofilm and keeping your breath fresh, there is another key player in your oral hygiene routine that is often overlooked: interdental cleaning. 

Why brushing alone is not enough

The European Federation of Periodontology (Gum Health) states that interdental cleaning is essential as normal brushing does not clean in between the teeth properly. Cleaning with interdental brushes is the most effective method for removing the dental plaque biofilm between teeth. It is important interdental cleaning is carried out thoroughly, at least once a day and  before brushing your teeth. Ideally you should get a hygienist to demonstrate how to brush correctly and how to do interdental cleaning thoroughly. Interdental cleaning should be carried out daily by everybody over 18 years of age and in younger patients if there is evidence of periodontal (gum) disease present. 

Some patients may need to use other methods, like dental floss particularly if the spaces between the teeth are smaller. Your dentist or hygienist will advise you on the method most suitable for you. 

Brushing your teeth twice a day is a great start, but even the most thorough brushing routine cannot reach all the nooks and crannies between your teeth. In fact, about one-third of your tooth surface is left untouched by brushing alone. That is where interdental cleaning comes in. Interdental brushing helps remove the food particles and dental plaque biofilm that get trapped in the tight spaces between your teeth, areas that are too small for the bristles of a toothbrush to reach. 

Dental plaque biofilm that is not removed becomes mature and release toxins, leading to gingivitis the first stage of gum disease. Bleeding red gums when you brush is a sign of gingivitis. So, while your toothbrush tackles the outer surfaces of your teeth, interdental cleaning goes deeper to prevent dental plaque biofilm build up where it is needed most—between your teeth and along the gumline.

Read about the benefits and overcoming barriers here