How To Use Interdental Brushes

Interdental or Proxabrushes don’t replace flossing but they can be a great addition to your routine to remove plaque. Make sure to pick the right size for your spaces so they don’t cause gum trauma

[@Zoe__is__cool]

Here before it blows up ❤

[@jakel8627]

Why don't you touch your gums? When you use a regular tooth brush, you don't avoid your gums, do you? When you floss, the floss comes into contact with your gums, doesnt it? So why must interdental brushes avoid gums? I've never heard that from any dentist before.

[@Honesthygienist]

The goal is to brush the side of the tooth, not the gum. Yes, it will contact the gum but most people don't use them properly and aim for the gum and not the tooth. Having too much contact can cause trauma to the gums and make them blunted. This is why it is important to use the right size of brush for the space.

[@syedshufkatali6585]

What? Food got stuck between my molar and premolar. I used tootpick and floss but no use. Then i ordered interdental. There was no open gap and i don't understand how food got stuck there. I used interdental and pushed it through a tiny hole between tooth and gum. That interdental entered the gum and it felt very painful but when i pulled it out , it came with the stuck food particle that was giving me pain.

[@Honesthygienist]

They can be useful every now and then for removing food in situations like that. The trauma I am referring to is a repetitive motion with these interdental brushes going back and forth on a healthy pointy gum tissue. The trauma happens over time if you touch the pointy part of your gum over and over again, the gum can start to crater and become blunted. I see it a lot on my patients.

[@syedshufkatali6585]

@@HonesthygienistI think you are right! Since I used that interdental, I felt some pain and discomfort for about a whole week. But there was no option for me. I consulted a dentist and she ran a tooth xray but nothing visible came in it. She told me to use regular floss and tootpick and i did but no use. I had to order interdental and that was my first experience. I didn't even know what are interdental tootpicks till last month. I guess problems call for risky solutions. My family shouts at me everytime they see interdental picks in my hand. They say it may cause cancer or sth, it can be dangerous. Something that worries me is why can't xray detect tiny food particles stuck inside the gum.

[@janfkarel92]

@@Honesthygienistany way to clean the part that floss can’t reach in between the teeth and middle part where there is a small gap

[@EliAdams888]

Great video! so the aim is to brush the teeth between the gums, not the gum itself is that why the size has to be snug/close fitting?, I thought it was the gums at first. I am about to start using interdental brush, I will hopefully see a hygienist soon but they're fully booked where I am to treat my periodental gum disease which I've been recently diagnosed with. my lower gums are sensitive and abit swollen. So today i asked about interdental brushes at my dentist, and they've tested one on me today (Red Tepe interdental brush) it was a kinda painful, they pushed in and out couple of times, it did fit, but it bled abit afterwards. Is it normal for that to happen when you have swollen/sensitive gums. Should I go for a smaller size? Please advise

[@Honesthygienist]

Yes, your gums will bleed if you touch the gums and they are inflamed. Stick with it for 2 weeks and the bleeding should decrease especially since you had a deeper cleaning. Make sure you are still flossing, the interdental brush doesn't replace flossing. Adding in a water pick can be very helpful as well. If your gums are still bleeding after 2 weeks of great home care and you completed your full mouth cleaning, then reach out to your hygienist again.

[@Frappelychee]

Can the gums really grow back as long as they aren't cratered? I never knew this 🤯

[@Honesthygienist]

Sorry for the miscommunication, gums do not grow back once they have receded.

[@Frappelychee]

@@Honesthygienist thank you for the clarification 🙂

[@Honesthygienist]

@@Frappelychee you bet!

[@srishtysharma]

So if it doesn't go all the way in, should I stop using it?

[@Honesthygienist]

I would-floss is the best interdental aid. Get a water pick if you need extra cleaning. If there are a few areas that the brush can fit, use them in those spots only.

[@pureprotein55]

So are black triangles bad? Is there a way to cure it?

[@Honesthygienist]

Black triangles aren’t aesthetically pleasing and gums don’t grow back into the space which can cause food to get stuck.

[@butterflybe2230]

Is it safe to scale my teeth at home?

[@Honesthygienist]

We get 2 years of training on how to scale teeth so I would advise against it. You can wear down your enamel and also tear your gums if you don’t know what your doing.

[@butterflybe2230]

@@Honesthygienist Thank you for your response, im going to avoid scaling at home then. Is there any other way to remove tartar at home between cleanings? I go every 6 months but it still builds up

[@Honesthygienist]

@@butterflybe2230 try brushing an extra time during the day. You can scrape the build up off with floss if you adapt the floss on the side of the tooth. Water picks helps and also using your tongue as a cleaning action for those lower teeth.

[@butterflybe2230]

@@Honesthygienist thank you!! You’re so knowledgeable 😊

[@annemcquaid7097]

who knew?!!!

[@Honesthygienist]

Haha I just made a video on rubber tip stimulators which is a great option for cleaning in-between teeth too!

[@magyaradam]

​@@Honesthygienistis this better than flossing?

[@Honesthygienist]

@@magyaradam No, nothing replaces flossing. These tools are great for in addition to your routine if you have a stubborn area that bleeds a lot, a food trap or hard to reach areas.

[@smolsmol1159]

my dentist forced shoved a really big interdental brush to my teeth,and scared me that if i dont use it regularly i will have holes.she shoved the interdental brush 10 times into each teeth and i was screaming and it bled so much,i had to ask several times for her to stop but then she kept going and i had to take her hand away from me. i think i damaged my gums because ive been forcing myself to use the interdental brush and i noticed i started to get these black triangles.i recently started to notice them more and im scared will it cause more holes?? this pshycho ruined my teeth.i knew something wasnt feeling right,but she really brainwashed me.

[@Honesthygienist]

I am so sorry this happened to you. That sounds extremely painful. If you have black triangles and want to reverse them, you can see a periodontist (gum specialist) to complete gum grafting. The best thing you can do at this point is make sure your recession doesn't get worse with gentle brushing and flossing as well as light water picking. Make sure your dental hygienist is monitoring your gum recession to let you know if it gets worse. I hate hearing stories like this.

[@smolsmol1159]

@@Honesthygienist thank you very much:( !🙏 ill avoid the interdental brushes,even the thinnest one is too thick for me.i was just scared that flossing wont help because she kept telling me flossing does nothing and made me scared.the damage is done:( now ill just go back to flossing🥺 Thankyou again.🙏

[@Honesthygienist]

@@smolsmol1159 The smallest size is too thick for my gums too! Nothing replaces flossing, as long as you're being gentle making a "C" shape against the tooth going under the gum, you should be good. Hope this helps, feel free to reach out with any other questions!

[@ziziflor9019]

So i wasted my money then... Darn it. Doesn't fit

[@Honesthygienist]

You definitely want to find the right size, give them to a family member that can use them If you can’t!