DF 820 Dental Tape

You may wonder if floss or interdental brushes manage to clean your interdental spaces better. To effectively clean the spaces between your teeth, use interdental brushes as they have a major advantage over dental floss. Their flexible bristles span between teeth like an umbrella, fill the interdental space completely, and clean every nook and cranny. There is a size for every gap, even the narrowest. With a dental floss brush, on the other hand, you stretch the floss across these crevices, which means that it can therefore never clean as thoroughly as an interdental brush. However, dental floss is the clear winner when it comes to super-narrow spaces where interdental brushes can’t reach.

The point of flossing is to get plaque away from the sides of your teeth from areas your toothbrush can't reach. But any dental pro will tell you that flossing incorrectly, too roughly, or too often can irritate the gums and cause problems. So, treat your gums and teeth as friends and clean them gently but thoroughly with dental floss. By doing so, flossing is a low-risk, easy habit that prevents tooth decay or periodontitis, and even tooth loss.

This should be determined together with your dental professional, depending on the shape and size of the interdental space. When interdental spaces around implants are very small or have particular shapes, floss may play a role. However, since it can shred, and fragments may become trapped in the gum, potentially causing an infection—especially dangerous if bone loss around the implant has already occurred–floss use around implants should be limited. In contrast, the use of interdental brushes around implants is recommended. Our range of interdental brushes—CPS implant, CPS perio, and CPS prime—provides a perfect alternative, cleaning thoroughly yet gently.

Waxed dental floss is exactly what the name suggests: regular dental floss with a wax coating. Is waxed or unwaxed floss more effective? Both waxed and unwaxed floss are great choices for cleaning narrow gaps between teeth. At the end of the day, use the floss that feels best to you. The biggest contributor to flossing's effectiveness is based on doing it as a part of your daily oral hygiene routine, so select the type you’re most likely to use. 

There is no universal answer. Brushing your teeth is always a matter of individual preference, and this is also true when it comes to cleaning your interdental spaces. Please note: a thorough daily dental routine is what matters most—not whether you clean your interdental spaces before or after brushing your teeth. You are right on track if you clean your interdental spaces properly on a regular basis.