What is interdental cleaning?

Most people are told to brush twice a day, and most people do. Far fewer are shown how to clean between their teeth, which is a problem, because that is where decay and gum disease most often start. A toothbrush simply cannot reach those surfaces.

There are three practical ways to do it: interdental brushes, floss or tape, and oral irrigators. Toothpicks are not one of them. Wood is hard enough to damage the gum over time and can leave gaps between the teeth.

Interdental brushes

For most people with normal spacing, these are the easiest method to do well. They come in a range of sizes and getting the size right is the whole game. Too small and the brush passes through without cleaning anything. Too big and the bristles splay and it hurts to push through. You will often need more than one size for different parts of your mouth, and your dentist or hygienist can size you up in a couple of minutes.

Technique: hold the brush between thumb and forefinger, guide it gently through the gap, and move it back and forth like a small bottle brush. Rinse it afterwards. They last for several uses before the bristles give out.

Floss and tape

Floss is the answer where the teeth are tight together or overlapping and a brush will not pass through.

Technique: break off about 30cm and wind some around a finger of each hand, holding roughly 4cm taut between thumb and forefinger. Guide it between the teeth with a gentle rocking motion rather than snapping it down, which hurts the gum. When it reaches the gum, curve it into a C shape against one tooth and draw it up the side of that tooth, away from the gum. Repeat against the tooth on the other side of the gap. Do not forget the back surface of the last tooth in each arch.

Work in a fixed order, from one side of the mouth to the other and then the other arch, so you do not lose track of where you have been.

Oral irrigators

These use a jet of water to flush debris and plaque away. They are useful if you have larger gaps, if you are wearing braces or aligners with attachments, if you have bridgework or crowns to clean around, or if you find the dexterity needed for brushes and floss difficult. A cordless one is easier to handle over a sink.

What happens if you skip it

Food and plaque left between the teeth stay there, and the result is decay between the teeth and inflammation of the gum in exactly the places you cannot see. It is also a common cause of persistent bad breath.

If you have already been diagnosed with gum disease, cleaning between your teeth is not optional. Gum disease has active and quiet phases, so a mouth that has been treated and stabilised can flare again, which is why day-to-day plaque control matters more than any single appointment.

Getting shown how

Reading the technique and being shown it are different things. If you are not sure which method suits your mouth, or whether what you are doing is working, our hygienist will size the brushes for you and watch you use them. Book a hygiene appointment or ask at your next check-up.