” Brush your teeth. Pee. And to bed! From an early age, the ritual of brushing our teeth becomes part of our daily routine. An elementary gesture for everyone’s hygiene and health, especially at a time when candies and sweet sodas are widely consumed and attack our teeth, threatening to eat away at them with cavities.
To counter these attacks, our toothbrush is our best ally. But is brushing your teeth enough for a healthy mouth? On the occasion this Monday of World Oral Health Day, 20 Minutes is interested in your interdental spaces. An area often zapped when brushing, and which can have significant repercussions on oral health. (To the point of knocking out your teeth?)
A cleaning shunned by the French
Do you think it is important to clean your interdental spaces? For many, the question does not even arise, and very few have the necessary equipment to do so. In France, “barely more than 10% of the population uses dental floss, while the Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted it for many years”, warns the French Union for Oral Health (UFSBD). “But in France, these gestures are rarely practiced because it is not really taught to people, so it is not in their habits, confirms Dr. Christophe Lequart”, dental surgeon and national spokesperson for the UFSBD.
It’s not complicated though, Vivian, aka Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, had already understood more than thirty years ago the importance of interdental cleaning. Remember, when she takes her dental floss out of her bag to remove the strawberry seeds she has between her teeth: “You must not neglect your gums”. Neither his teeth, for which a simple brushing is not enough. “With your toothbrush, you brush only three of the five surfaces of the teeth: cheek side, tongue side and the top, or only 60% of your teeth, explains Dr. Lequart. Insufficient therefore to dislodge the dental plaque stuck between the teeth”. And if you are not accustomed to this practice, take the test by passing dental floss between your teeth after having brushed them, you will see that there were still people in your mouth!
Harmful effects on teeth and gums
In practice, what risks are there for oral health in skipping this interdental cleaning? You’re not going to like the sequel. “First, there is a risk of cavities”, plants Dr. Lequart. Because if you tend to open your mouth wide in front of the mirror to check or inspect your children’s molars to check that their favorite candies aren’t wreaking havoc there, you’re only looking at the tip of the iceberg.
We think of the masticatory face, or cavities have an initial seat rather localized in the interdental spaces, where the dental plaque stagnates, indicates the dental surgeon. These cavities will not be seen at the initial stage, and without interdental cleaning or control by the dentist, they are only visible at an advanced stage, once the tooth is very damaged”.
Another major risk: “the development of periodontal diseases”, he continues. Diseases that “affect the supporting tissues of the teeth: gums, bones and ligaments. They are often manifested by pain, bleeding and/or swelling of the gums,” describes the UFSBD. How ? “Dental plaque increases the risk of inflammation of the gums, which can trigger gingivitis and, if left untreated, periodontitis and therefore tooth loss”.
And the numbers are far from anecdotal. “Periodontal disease is the eleventh most prevalent disease in the world,” she adds. And according to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), “45% of the world’s population suffers from oral diseases”, and “severe periodontal diseases – a major cause of total tooth loss – affect one billion people in the world.
Thread or brush with each brushing
Something to think about, and revise your oral hygiene routine. As we know, when it comes to brushing your teeth, it’s at least twice a day, two minutes, morning and evening. “If we brush them at lunchtime too, it’s even better,” says Dr. Lequart. And on a daily basis, each brushing must be combined with an interdental cleaning,” he insists. And there, we choose the option with which we feel comfortable: “either dental floss or interdental brushes.
In general, patients prefer brushes, which are easier to handle, observes Dr. Lequart. Previously, floss was recommended for very tight interdental spaces and brushes for larger spaces, but today there are brushes with an extremely fine diameter, starting at 0.6 millimeters. As well as dental floss mounted on a lyre, which facilitates its use”.
The technique for dental floss, “is to wrap it around the fingers, to pass the point of contact between the two teeth with a small back and forth movement, and to lower the floss to the gum and along the tooth surface, without moving back and forth at this time to avoid the risk of shearing the gum.
Then, we go up the wire from the gum to the top of the tooth, advises Dr. Lequart. As for the brushes, a back and forth movement and it’s good. The most important thing is to choose the right diameter, according to the 3 F rule: the brush head must rub, but must not float, and must not force. Do not hesitate to ask your dentist for advice on the right diameter to choose”.
And in pharmacies, “we are there to inform customers, but when it comes to interdental hygiene products, they generally know very precisely what they want, because they come on the advice of their dentist, confides a pharmacist in the center of Paris, who offers a wide choice. They are often used to a product and attached to a brand: once they have found what suits them, they don’t want anything else”.
The good moment
But once equipped, you still have to find the right timing. If floss and brushes must be used every time you brush your teeth, “you have to use them BEFORE brushing, insists Dr. Lequart. By brushing your teeth after the interdental cleaning, the toothpaste, which contains active products in particular fluoride useful to prevent the formation of cavities, will be able to deploy its protective action. This is precisely why normally, after brushing, one is not supposed to rinse the mouth”, but simply spit. “If we pass the wire or the brush after brushing, we eliminate the fluoride from the dental spaces, but it is the fluoride, here in topical application on the teeth, which strengthens their enamel”.
A reflex to adopt from an early age. “Interdental cleaning, ideally, should be practiced as soon as two teeth touch each other, therefore from childhood, prescribes Dr. Lequart. this is all the more important since children consume a lot of sugary foods and drinks, and are at risk of developing cavities. For the little ones, as with brushing, it is up to the parents to ensure the interdental cleaning, with thread or a water jet, recommends the dental surgeon. But as soon as the child knows how to brush his teeth well on his own, he can try to clean his interdental spaces”.