4 Benefits Of Cleaning In-Between

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Healthy gums:

if not removed, plaque can build up between the teeth and irritate the gums, eventually causing gum disease. If your gums bleed when you floss, you may already have gum disease. This means it’s more important than ever to clean your teeth and gums correctly. And if you do have bleeding gums it’s probably a good idea to see your dental professional.

Fresh breath:

For a truly clean mouth, you have to ace that space. If you don’t remove plaque and food debris between the teeth, they can cause bad breath (aka halitosis). Want proof? Pull a piece of dental floss between two teeth at the back of your mouth, then sniff the floss. If you don’t usually clean in-between, it won’t smell very good – just like your breath.

Cavity protection:

Dental professionals say that most decay begins between the teeth. Cleaning the interproximal spaces between your teeth helps prevent cavities and tooth decay.

Better health:

Poor oral health has been linked to many serious diseases including diabetes, heart disease, pre-term and low-birthweight babies. Taking good care of your mouth is good for your whole body’s health.

Who needs a clean in-between?

Everyone! Including Dental professionals recommend cleaning in-between the teeth every day as part of an effective oral hygiene routine. For healthy smiles think 1, 2, 3 – brush correctly twice a day, clean in-between once a day and rinse for extra fresh breath confidence.

Children should clean in-between once their teeth begin to touch one another. This is often around the time their permanent teeth appear. Flossing can be a little awkward for younger children, but there are a variety of interdental tools that are easier to handle, such as Sunstar GUM Easy-Flossers that have floss on a tiny handle. By starting young you will help your children develop good oral care habits for life.

Braces, bridges, or implants? If you have bridges, implants, or orthodontic braces, cleaning correctly maybe a little more difficult, but it is extremely important. With the correct interproximal tools, it will be easier. Sunstar GUM has excellent options, particularly for people with braces, bridges, and implants. 

How to floss like a boss

Traditional floss is a popular and effective way to clean in-between when used correctly. Unfortunately, experts say that most people don’t have a good flossing technique.

Here’s how to ‘floss like a boss’ for a clean, fresh, healthy mouth:

1) Take about 30cm of floss

2) Wind the floss around your middle fingers

3) Hold the floss between your thumbs and index fingers

4) Slide the floss in-between teeth using a gentle back-and-forth sawing action

5) Fold floss around the side of a tooth in a C-shape

6) Slide the floss up and down, against tooth and just under the gum line

7) Repeat on the neighbouring tooth

8) Pull out and repeat using a clean section of the floss

This 45-second video demonstrated the correct flossing technique – is this how you’ve been doing it?  If floss isn’t the best option for you, don’t worry, there are other interdental options.