My experience is interdental toothpicks (the wooden triangular ones) made the biggest difference of all:
- no flossing -> gums bleed regularly, getting worse as time since last dental hygienist visit approach six months.
- semi-regular flossing -> gum bleeding mostly stops, still need to visit hygienist every six months.
- daily flossing plus wooden interdental toothpicks -> no gum bleeding, even though my last dental hygienist visit was now 18 months ago.
What prompted the behaviour change to adding toothpicks:- switching to a dental practice whose hygienist was (a) very expensive; and (b) charged by the minute. There was a direct correlation between how I cared for my teeth and the cost!
What sustains the behaviour change:- Each time I use the toothpicks, I can feel the food particles they dislodge, even if I have just cleaned my teeth.
If your gums are delicate/already having issues then picks and damage them further.
With just the string dental floss, when you get good with it, you can get all sorts of angles, clear out all chunks in combination with water in the mouth hard suction rinsing, and scrape along the sides of teeth to clean them better.
I never flossed because the floss usually got caught and shredded on the edges of amalgam fillings. Interdental picks made of plastic, with ridges for lifting out crud, made life a lot easier.
Comments
My experience is interdental toothpicks (the wooden triangular ones) made the biggest difference of all:
- no flossing -> gums bleed regularly, getting worse as time since last dental hygienist visit approach six months.
- semi-regular flossing -> gum bleeding mostly stops, still need to visit hygienist every six months.
- daily flossing plus wooden interdental toothpicks -> no gum bleeding, even though my last dental hygienist visit was now 18 months ago.
What prompted the behaviour change to adding toothpicks:- switching to a dental practice whose hygienist was (a) very expensive; and (b) charged by the minute. There was a direct correlation between how I cared for my teeth and the cost!
What sustains the behaviour change:- Each time I use the toothpicks, I can feel the food particles they dislodge, even if I have just cleaned my teeth.
If your gums are delicate/already having issues then picks and damage them further.
With just the string dental floss, when you get good with it, you can get all sorts of angles, clear out all chunks in combination with water in the mouth hard suction rinsing, and scrape along the sides of teeth to clean them better.
I never flossed because the floss usually got caught and shredded on the edges of amalgam fillings. Interdental picks made of plastic, with ridges for lifting out crud, made life a lot easier.