Perhaps one of the biggest challenges a dental hygienist has is to convince her patients to floss between their teeth. Each of our teeth has five surfaces but a toothbrush isn’t made to clean in between the teeth where gum disease is most likely to develop. That’s what dental floss is designed to do. But if we aren’t flossing it can’t help us.
If you’ve tried every brand, style, and flavor of dental floss that there is to offer and none of them have worked to make flossing easier for you it may be time to find an alternative or at least an acceptable stand-in. Flossing can’t be replaced but doing something is better than doing nothing at all.
There are other kinds of interdental cleaners such as pre-strung flossers, dental piks, and brushes small enough to reach in and around each individual tooth. A water irrigator shoots a steady pulse of water in between the teeth to remove any leftover plaque that your toothbrush may have missed. The pressure of the water works much like a string of dental floss.
Many hygienists recommend that their patients make using a water irrigator part of a regular regimen for home oral care along with flossing, especially those patients who are more vulnerable to gum disease. Everyone has individual needs, let your hygienist help you to determine a plan that will work best for yours. Make your next appointment with Highlands Dental today @ 303-220-1122 in Highlands Ranch, CO.