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Despite the importance of flossing almost 75% of the Australian Population rarely or never floss or clean between their teeth. The worst part is that the less you do it, the more difficult, awkward, and painful it may be, even causing bleeding on occasion. This means that often when someone musters up the courage to floss it is a bad experience that puts them off it for another few months.
We’ve taken the time to outline some clinically proven and effective alternatives to flossing with an effort to make your daily oral care routine that little bit easier.
At The House of Mouth, we pride ourselves on being Australia’s leading provider of oral care and teeth whitening products. We understand the importance of maintaining a healthy and beautiful smile, and we strive to offer a wide range of high-quality products to help our customers achieve just that. From toothbrushes to floss and its alternatives, and from whitening strips to mouthwash, we have everything you need to achieve optimal oral health.
What Is the Point of Flossing?
Saliva is important for maintaining oral health because it helps neutralise acids produced by bacteria, washes away food particles, and provides minerals to strengthen tooth enamel. Brushing your teeth twice a day is also crucial for removing plaque and preventing tooth decay and gum disease. However, brushing and saliva alone are not enough to maintain optimal dental health.
Flossing or cleaning between the teeth helps remove plaque and bacteria that sit on the tooth surfaces that your toothbrush simply cannot reach. In fact, if you are relying solely on your toothbrush to keep your teeth clean, you are missing almost half the surfaces of your teeth – that’s right half!
Flossing and Your Health
It is not surprising that not flossing can impact and affect your general health and wellbeing. Initially, if plaque is not removed from the teeth, you are at greater risk from tooth decay, periodontal disease, bleeding gums, bad breath (halitosis), altered taste perception and aesthetically the teeth can appear yellow, stained or furry in appearance.
What’s more, in the long term, studies suggest that untreated advanced gum disease can increase the chances of heart disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes including prematurity, Type 2 diabetes and other significant health conditions. Therefore, flossing daily helps prevent a considerable number of health conditions, and all it takes is a couple of minutes each day!
Some Alternatives to Flossing
We generally recommend flossing before brushing to ensure you remove any leftovers that have accumulated throughout the day; these are then spat out before continuing to brush your teeth. Interestingly the ADA says it doesn’t matter whether you floss before or after brushing.
Traditional flossing can sometimes be awkward, time consuming and difficult to get the hang of. Thankfully we’ve put together a list of some alternatives to flossing that are still just as effective as flossing (or better) than traditional flossing.
A great alternative to brushing, interdental brushes are slender brushes on a wire prong and like floss are designed to clean between your teeth. As spaces between the teeth vary in size, interdental brushes are available in a range of sizes from Extra Small to Extra Extra Large with some of our most popular brands including Piksters, TePe and Curasept. These are great to carry with you in your purse, wallet, pocket or whilst travelling.
Usually made from plastic, wood, bamboo, or other biodegradable materials, interdental picks are small sticks that help remove plaque and debris from between the gums. Picks are generally not as effective as flossing or other alternatives as they do not reach deep enough (or under) the gum line but are great for removing larger bits of food or debris from the teeth between meals and snacks. Soft Picks are a great option as they are made from soft rubber which will not damage the gums, they are available in a variety of well-known brands including TePe, Caredent, Piksters and GO2 Dentagenie.
Flosettes or individual flossers have a handle and usually a curve at one end which holds a piece of dental floss. These alleviate the awkward struggle of holding the floss at the correct angle or position. They can be discarded after use and are available in a variety of professional brands including Piksters, GO2 Dentagenie and TePe and Caredent. These are especially useful for children, teenagers, or those with dexterity issues.
Water flossers are exactly what they sound like, a device that shoots out a water stream that you aim between the teeth to effectively clean away plaque, food, and debris. Approved by the ADA, water flossers use a small replaceable head (like a power brush) attached to a handheld device. Water flossers have come a long way in recent years with portability and comfort becoming a key focus. Philips and Piksters.
As the name suggests, there are several devices which help to automate the actual flossing action. This is achieved by attaching an Individual Flosser or Flosette into the Power Flossing Device, turning the unit on and through sonic vibrations Power Flossers assist removing plaque from between the teeth. These are especially useful for those learning to floss or who have dexterity issues. Power Flossers often can be doubled up and used with a variety of other attachment heads or pieces including Power Brush Replacement Heads and Interdental Brushes. Power Pikster is a well-known and popular option.
Our Top Flossing Alternatives
The House of Mouth offers a range of Interdental Brushes, Flossers, Picks and Power Flossers that are proven to effectively remove plaque and food from between the teeth. These can be easily integrated into your daily oral hygiene routine.
Best Interdental Brush All Rounder
Dentagenie Interdental Brushes are designed for cleaning in between teeth and are available in 6 colour coded sizes so that you can choose a brush that fits your interdental space. Even better, they are made from a blend of corn starch and plastic.
Best Interdental Pick
Best Individual Flosser
Best Individual Flosser for Kids
Best All Round Water Flosser
Best Portable Water Flosser
Best Power Flosser
Oral Health Advice and Assistance
Do you have questions about the products recommended to you by your Dental Professional or need help selecting a product suited to your individual needs? One of our Dental Professionals will be more than happy to help – Contact Us today.
(07) 55 34 8603
