Advice centre > Brushing & flossing

Brushing & flossing

Ordinary toothbrushing only gets 65% of the tooth surfaces clean! These are some Top Tips which will help you to keep your smile healthy . . . and decrease the need for fillings or gum treatment.

Interdental brushing

Because we can only brush 65% of our tooth surfaces - so we need extra techniques to get in between our teeth. If there are spaces between the teeth, interdental brushing is ideal for removing plaque and food debris.

Single tufted brush

A single tufted brush is a toothbrush that consists of a small collection of specially configured brush filaments mounted on a standard toothbrush handle.

Orthodontic appliance cleaning

Imagine . . . after all that hassle of wearing a brace for 2 years, and all the teeth in lovely alignment - only to find brown squares of decay on the front of each tooth when the brackets are removed - needing lots of fillings!!

Flossing

Floss is a cord of thin nylon filaments which can spread into single thread thickness when squashed between teeth. It is most commonly used by being cut from a spool and suspended in the fingers, but these graphics show a plastic holder. The technique of flossing is the same however it is held.

Superfloss

Sometimes it can be difficult to clean beneath a dental appliance which is fixed in the mouth - such as a dental bridge. Superfoss, from Oral B, has a stiff nylon end which allows it to be 'threaded' beneath the span of the bridge, so that the broad 'candyfloss - like' section of nylon strands can be drawn through the space, brushing the surfaces most effectively.