Interdental brushes are specially designed in collaboration with dental experts to help prevent gum disease by getting rid of food debris from between your teeth.
Our dental hygienists, Sarah Towns and Victoria Middleton, recommend using interdental brushes as a superior alternative to dental floss. Studies by dental experts suggest they can be more effective for plaque removal than flossing.
TePe interdental brushes are one of the leading brands, known for the high quality of their excellent product. In terms of quantity, they typically come in a pack of 8 brushes, with a selection of handle colours – including yellow, green, purple, and blue.
Unlike a regular toothbrush, they have small bristled heads featuring a metal wire with extra soft bristles designed to clean in between your teeth. They come in different widths to suit the varying sizes of narrow or wide gaps, with each handle colour representing a specific size brush.
Here, we advise on the benefits of TePe brushes for maintaining oral health, and how to use TePe interdental brushes to make sure they’re as effective as possible for you.
In many cases, tooth brushing with a regular toothbrush alone isn’t enough to remove food and plaque from hard-to-reach-areas – for example, between the teeth, between the teeth and the gumline, or between teeth and brace wires.
If you don’t remove bits of food properly, it feeds the bacteria that grow plaque, and if you don’t remove this, it can cause serious problems for your dental health. This includes gum disease, with symptoms like gum inflammation and bleeding gums, and tooth decay, with symptoms like cavities and potential tooth loss.
This makes a purpose-built interdental brush essential for effective cleaning of these interdental spaces, as it provides an easy and efficient way to remove plaque through gentle cleaning. It offers better access to clean gaps without causing discomfort.
When it comes to selecting an interdental brush to incorporate into your oral hygiene routine, the TePe interdental brushes’ original design is the go-to for dentists and their patients – whether they have braces, crowns, bridges, or dental implants.
Daily use of TePe interdental brushes can reduce plaque significantly more than just using a standard toothbrush and floss, thanks to the different brush sizes and comfortable design. The handle is easy to grip, but if you need more help controlling the brush, it’s also possible to buy a handle extension for the TePe brush.
Follow our top tips on how to use TePe interdental brushes to get the most out of them:
You must check that you have the right size or coloured brush to comfortably but effectively clean between the gaps. The fit should be snug, but you should be able to move the brush easily in a forwards and backwards motion between your teeth.
Our hygienist team can prescribe the most appropriate brushes for you, as you may need more than one colour. We also have a special multipack deal – enquire at Reception if you want to buy 5 packets of any colour.
When you first start using interdental brushes, your gums may be tender and bleed a little, but the bleeding should reduce as your gums become healthier. If this is still happening after a few days, do seek advice from our hygienists Sarah and Vicky, who can check if you’re using the interdental brushes correctly.
If you’re new to using this type of toothbrush, another consideration when learning how to use TePe interdental brushes is practisingpracticing in front of the mirror so you can see up close where you should be inserting the brush.
There’s a knack to using interdental brushes that only comes with practice, but once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature – and we can show you how.
As with anything new, it takes practice to get comfortable with using interdental brushes, and it can be annoying when they bend and you need to use a new one.
Just be persistent, and believe us, it’s going to get easier with time! It should soon become part of your regular cleaning routine and you will see positive results.
When incorporating a wire interdental brush into your daily dental hygiene routine, you should use your TePe brush first before proceeding with your usual toothbrush.
This will help to ensure that the surface area of each tooth has the maximum exposure to the benefits of the toothpaste you use with your larger toothbrush.
Try to use a TePe every day with a gentle to–and–fro movement around each gap – we find that dipping the TePe in a little toothpaste can add to the overall effectiveness, too!
To improve the reach and access of the TePe brush, always attach the white extension provided in each packet, and bend the brush at right angles at its base. It’s important to replace an interdental brush as soon as the wire brush becomes misshapen.
If you use an interdental brush to clean in between your teeth once a day in the evening, you’ll soon have a healthy mouth, fresh breath, and a beautiful smile.
As teeth at the back are a little harder to reach than the front, you may be tempted to not to clean them as thoroughly. Unfortunately, this is where the most food residue tends to gather, so not cleaning them properly can result in severe plaque build-up.
This can also cause bad breath and more serious conditions like gum disease (gingivitis and periodontitis). So, always make sure you give your back teeth some extra special attention when brushing between them.
With one hand holding the interdental brush, gently pull your cheek back. To get even better access to the teeth at the back, close your mouth a little bit to soften your cheek.
Hold the interdental brush between your thumb and index finger, and make sure to prop it up with the middle finger to support your in–and–out movement. This should help to make interdental brushing easier when cleaning teeth that are further back.
The aftercare of your dental health following your dental treatment is just as important as the treatment itself. This is why, at Dental Solutions, we offer a range of hygienist services to ensure you can maintain a healthy mouth and have confidence that your treatment results will last as long as possible.
If you’re interested in any of the hygienist services that we offer here at Dental Solutions, please get in touch to make an appointment with our dentist or dental hygienist, and we’ll be able to discuss your needs and provide the relevant solutions for you.
We can also provide you with valuable aftercare tips from dental experts, just like we have advised you on how to use TePe interdental brushes in this blog.
If you’re unable to find the right interdental brushes for your needs, whether you have braces, crowns, or implants, our dental hygienists can help you to review in detail which shape and size is right for the job and how to use them correctly.
We sell a range of TePe interdental brushes in our Reception, including designs with extra soft bristles and wide brushes for large gaps, so you can also contact us to find out which types we have in stock ahead of your visit to our practice.
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