Thoroughly brushing your teeth in the morning and evening is enough. Or? Unfortunately no, say dentists. Because the brushes cannot reach some places – but bacteria can.
«Don’t forget to brush your teeth after eating» – every child knows the saying. According to Professor Dietmar Oesterreich, Vice President of the German Dental Association, this verse should be expanded to include a rhyme about the interdental spaces. So maybe something like this: «Before the realm of dreams they come…» – well, you know. The reason: «There are certain areas that a normal toothbrush cannot reach,» he explains. Weak points are everywhere where tooth follows tooth. In other words, in the small space in between, in which bacteria can settle and thus cause tooth decay and periodontitis. This applies even to the most beautiful set of teeth, in which the teeth are close together. You can read what you should pay attention to when cleaning the interdental spaces at FITBOOK.
How often should you clean between your teeth?
Dentist Professor Stefan Zimmer advocates cleaning the interdental spaces in the evening after brushing your teeth. «You don’t forget everything you do every day,» says the spokesman for the Information Center for Caries Prevention.
The fact that the saliva in the mouth contains antibacterial substances and thus counteracts the development of caries also speaks in favor of cleaning it in the evening. «During the night, the flow of saliva is lower and the protective mechanism is reduced,» explains Oesterreich. It is therefore all the more important that the teeth and the spaces between them are nice and clean when you sleep.
Also interesting: Electric or manual toothbrush – which one is better?
Use dental floss with care
The best-known tool for this is dental floss. According to Austria, using them is not rocket science. However, if used incorrectly, the gums can be affected.
«The goal when cleaning with dental floss is to slide along the curved tooth surfaces,» says the expert. «If you just rub back and forth, you hurt your gums.» He thinks the use of the thin threads makes sense, especially for younger and middle-aged people. Especially in younger people, the gums lie tightly in the gap between the teeth.
In the opinion of the dentist, on the other hand, interdental brushes are usually more suitable for older people. «In the course of life, the gums recede a little, periodontitis is also more common, so that the spaces between the teeth are more open,» he says. The small brushes can clean there more effectively.
Dose force with interdental brushes
They are available in different sizes and shapes and from different suppliers. The treating dentist or a prophylaxis assistant is best able to demonstrate the correct application. «The brush shouldn’t go through with too much pressure, but also not too easily,» says Oesterreich.
If you want to do it thoroughly, push the small brush into the gap between the teeth from both the outside and the inside. The device can be used several times, but as with the toothbrush, it is advisable to change it regularly.
Stefan Zimmer is in favor of interdental sticks. «It’s a kind of thin plastic toothpick covered in a layer of silicone with nubs.» These are available in different thicknesses.
The sticks can be rinsed off after use and reused. «They clean like dental floss, but are easier to use,» says Zimmer. The risk of injury is correspondingly lower.
Also interesting: That’s why you shouldn’t brush your teeth too often
Don’t use toothpaste
It is taboo to use toothpaste to clean between your teeth. It contains abrasives. «If you then scrub too hard, you can actually brush away parts of the root of the tooth in between,» warns Zimmer.
His general advice is: “One should never work with great force. And if you feel resistance, you shouldn’t try to use force to remove it.” It’s better to ask your dentist whether and how this area can be cleaned.
Also interesting: 13 toothpastes fail the “Ökotest”
Caries in deciduous teeth – cleaning the spaces between the teeth, even in children
If a child already knows the rules for brushing teeth, you can start cleaning the spaces between them – right? Quite right, if you follow Stefan Zimmer. «You should start as soon as molars are in neighborly contact,» he advises. «Even in milk teeth there is caries in the interdental space.»
Also interesting: What is the cause of the formation of chalk teeth?
However, he sees it realistically: Very few parents clean the spaces between the teeth of their preschool children. “But you should try,” Zimmer encourages. Dental floss stretched on small holders can help to make this happen.
with material from dpa