Why should I use dental floss and toothpicks?

It is necessary to use dental floss to complement tooth brushing, allowing complete hygiene of our mouth. It should be noted that toothbrushing is not enough for thorough oral cleaning; it only removes 60% of the total plaque accumulated in our mouth. The remaining 40% must be removed by an excellent interdental cleaning (between the teeth).

If we do not do an interdental cleaning, we are more likely to suffer from oral health problems such as cavities, gum disease. Both are responsible for losing teeth.

Tools for interdental cleaning

1- Dental floss
Flossing does 40% of the work when we try to win the battle against harmful bacteria or plaque on our teeth. The plaque has the peculiarity of accumulating and generating acids that cause cavities. It also irritates our gums, and we can get gum diseases, such as gingivitis. Our teeth have five different surfaces, which we must clean; If we don’t floss, two of the tooth surfaces will be dirty.
Flossing or flossing allows you to remove food debris that may have remained between your teeth after eating. the dental floss goes where a traditional brush does not,. also can help remove built-up plaque. Flossing is beneficial if you have crowded teeth or if the gap between your teeth is very close.
Most dentists recommend that you floss at least once a day. Even using it 2-3 times a week is better than never doing it.
Flossing shouldn’t be painful. Keep in mind that if you have never used dental floss or have not used it for a long time, it is very likely that it will cause you discomfort, and you may even bleed. However, you mustn’t stop doing it, since the food accumulated remains precisely cause the bleeding.

2- Toothpick
Wooden toothpick: it is an accessory that allows the removal of food residues between the teeth. You might be surprised to find that toothpicks were already in use 3,500 years ago. At that time, there were made of bone from different animals.
When to use wooden toothpicks? It is recommended to use toothpicks when we are away from home, and we cannot brush, or floss and food are trapped between our teeth. This is better than leaving food scraps on our teeth.

Toothpick with brush
Thanks to industrial development, we now have very fine plastic toothpicks with an integrated brush to remove waste. This is especially useful for people who wear braces that require more meticulous hygiene.
It is important to note that although toothpicks can be helpful, they cannot replace daily flossing.

The American Dental Association claims that flossing is the best weapon against plaque, not an exaggerated claim. Flossing our teeth removes plaque and food debris from between the teeth and gums. It also helps control and reduces bad breath. Interdental cleaners are the only tool to clean plaque between your teeth.

If you have any questions on how to keep your teeth clean during braces treatment, please let us know 🙂