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Interdental brushes or floss for crowded teeth?
I’m trying to work out which tool is safest and most effective when the contacts between teeth are very tight.
- Interdental brushes seem easier for removing plaque when there’s enough space, but forcing one through a crowded contact sounds like it could irritate the gum or damage the brush.
- Floss may fit better in narrow spaces, although I’m unsure how to judge whether it’s cleaning properly if it shreds or catches.
- A little bleeding or tenderness might reflect existing gum inflammation rather than automatically meaning the tool is harmful.
How do you choose based on the spacing between teeth? If a brush won’t slide in gently, is floss the better option, or should the area be professionally sized for an appropriate brush? I’d also be interested in how people distinguish normal initial tenderness from a sign that the technique or tool needs changing.
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5 replies
For a very tight contact, floss is usually the safer first choice, but don’t snap it down into the gum. Ease it through with a gentle back-and-forth motion, then curve it around each tooth and move it just below the gumline.
A brush should slide in with light pressure. If it won’t, forcing it can irritate the tissue and bend or damage the brush. Likewise, floss that repeatedly shreds, catches in one exact spot, or won’t pass gently is worth having a dentist or hygienist check. That can point to a rough filling edge, calculus, a contact that’s too tight, or another issue that home technique won’t solve. Mild bleeding can settle as inflammation improves, but persistent bleeding or tenderness isn’t a reason to keep forcing the same tool.
- I’m not sure floss should be the safer default for every tight contact. A properly sized narrow interdental brush may clean more effectively, provided it slides through without force.
- The key seems to be sizing rather than choosing brushes or floss in the abstract. A hygienist can check each space and identify whether a tiny brush fits, or whether floss is the better option.
- If floss catches or shreds at one particular contact, that’s a reason to have the area checked, not necessarily to keep changing floss technique.
A tiny brush is worth sizing professionally, but if even floss won’t pass gently, don’t force either tool or keep experimenting with sizes. Have a dentist or hygienist check that contact first, especially if floss catches or shreds there.
A tight contact doesn’t rule out a brush if a hygienist finds one that slides through without force. If neither floss nor a properly sized brush passes gently, have the contact checked rather than trying smaller sizes.
Floss passing through the contact is only part of the job. Once it’s through, curve it into a C-shape against one tooth and gently move it up and down along the tooth, including just below the gumline, then do the same against the neighboring tooth. Cleaning both sides matters more than making repeated passes through the gap.