Tooth flossing question

lostinrates

Toothsmith wrote: »

Oh yes - they're not a single use item.

When you get good at it, one can last you a week or two. Maybe longer

Mine last me longer....again...I sterilise them, and brush till the bristles don't feel so bristly and don't clean so quickly.

Nile

Here's another vote for the TeePee brushes. I much prefer them to flossing.;)

I'm not giving dental advice here but just wanted to say, don't worry if there's a tiny little bit of bleeding when you first use the TeePee brushes..............with regular use, your teeth and gums improve massively.

It's such a good feeling leaving the dentist after hearing "No treatment needed and everything is looking good".:D

skypie123_2

I've seen these but I was worried they would make the bleeding/moving worse! How exactly do i use them and stupid question time - brush first or after? xx

PudseyDB

skypie123 wrote: »

I've seen these but I was worried they would make the bleeding/moving worse! How exactly do i use them and stupid question time - brush first or after? xx

I use the tepe brushes first then brush afterwards as normal. Whether thats the right order or not I dunno, but it works for me.

PudseyDB

Nile wrote: »

It's such a good feeling leaving the dentist after hearing "No treatment needed and everything is looking good".:D

I sooo agree there - I could've jumped for joy last week when all 4 of us walked out with no fillings/further treatment needed :j:j

SnowBelle_2

If anyone has a 'Savers' store near them they stock those little brushes.

Nile

skypie123 wrote: »

I've seen these but I was worried they would make the bleeding/moving worse! How exactly do i use them and stupid question time - brush first or after? xx

I'm sure Toothsmith will be along to answer your question but here's my (non dental expert:o) two penneth.

When I first started using the TePe brushes I was alarmed to see that I made my gums bleed:o...............but after a couple of days use, there was no bleeding whatsoever. It was either my technique being a bit too robust...........or more likely that my gums were in a poor state when I began my new regime.:o

Anyway, I recommend that you ask your dentist for their advice on the correct brushing technique.

Regards

Nile

melancholly

i was using the tepe brushes and then had problems with the point where a couple of teeth touch (a filling, which annoyed me as use an electric toothbrush twice daily and was using the brushes!) - my dentist told me that the brushes weren't a complete replacement for flossing as they couldn't get at the top bit of the teeth.... so now i floss fairly reguarly (the first couple of times weren't so fun though) and don't tend to use the brushes so much.... i guess there's no prefect solution for everyone!

jugglebug

Nile wrote: »

I'm sure Toothsmith will be along to answer your question but here's my (non dental expert:o) two penneth.

When I first started using the TePe brushes I was alarmed to see that I made my gums bleed:o...............but after a couple of days use, there was no bleeding whatsoever. It was either my technique being a bit too robust...........or more likely that my gums were in a poor state when I began my new regime.:o

Anyway, I recommend that you ask your dentist for their advice on the correct brushing technique.

Regards

Nile

Would you be prepared to make do with another dentist other than toothsmith??

You have got it spot on with your 2nd idea. ie or more likely that my gums were in a poor state when I began my new regime.
Sweeping generalisationhere but generally accurate.
Healthy gums do not bleed

So when you started slightly duff gums = bleeding
However persistance leads to noticeable increase in health in fairly short order. Perhaps not full recovery, but enough to see that what you are doing is worthwhile.
I have endless problems getting people to use anything in between because they cannot (will not?) believe me when I tell em that the bleeding is the disease process, not the brush.
It isn't even that they think I am trying to flog em the brushes because I list every single outlet that I can think of for them to buy em from other than me.
Don't care where you get em, just get em!

jugglebug

skypie123 wrote: »

I've seen these but I was worried they would make the bleeding/moving worse! How exactly do i use them and stupid question time - brush first or after? xx

Fair points but you don't need to worry about the brushes making movement worse or even causing it in the 1st place
You want the size of brush that fits snugly in the space. Too loose means the bristles are not engaging the sides to clean, too tight and you can't get em in and they wont be effective as their bristles will have collapsed.
Orthodontists need to put steady force on a tooth for weeks with their wires and braces to get a tooth to move, if you think about it in those terms a bit of nylon bristle applied to the tooth a few times a day isnt really going to have the same result
Few oversimplified points now
As for the bleeding our first indication that gum disease is present is bleeding gums.
The cause of gum disease is the bacteria in plaque. Therefore if we remove the cause we can cure the disease.
If the gums are inflamed as the body is trying to fight the bacteria it is to be expected that the gums bleed.
The reason we don't always see it when we brush normally is that those areas do not have the inflammation to allow the bleeding because we have kept them clean for so long. The spaces in between we havent and the conventional brush, be it electric or manual doesnt reach those spots.

In a nutshell for healthy gums we need to keep the bacterial population at bay.
It doesnt matter a jot to the bacteria which surface of the tooth they live on, so those folks who think conventional brushing alone is enough are kidding themselves. The problem is there just hidden.
Conventional brushing reaches the cheek side, the tongue side and the biting surface. NOT the inbetweens. So thats 3 out of 5 surfaces.
So have a think. Would you be happy if my gloves in surgery had 3 clean fingers and 2 mucky ones? :eek:
Thought not

Sorry about my ranty posting here. As well as being a dentist I am married to a hygienist