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There are a few added things you can do to keep your teeth and mouth really clean and healthy. You may be recommended to use an interdental brush. These can be a long handle or short brushes that you poke in between each tooth. They have filaments on them like a baby's bottle brush, which will help sweep away any plaque or bacteria in between the teeth. In between your teeth is where fillings are most likely to be needed. These also help to keep your gums really healthy by washing away that plaque and bacteria at an early stage. You may be recommended a mouthwash by your dental care professional.
These are used as an added extra to brushing and cleaning in between your teeth. If a dental care professional recommends a mouthwash, use that mouthwash. They can be for different reasons, such as gum disease or sensitivity, or if you have had a dental extraction, they may aid the healing process. If you have a trauma to your mouth or you have had a dental extraction, use hot salt water. A cup full of water, as hot as tea, with a spoonful of salt, bathing the area where the trauma has happened, but a mouthwash is an adjunct or an added extra. Make sure you are not using a mouthwash that will wash away all the fluoride in your toothpaste. When you brush your teeth, you massage fluoride into the outside of your teeth or your enamel. Using a mouthwash immediately after will wash away all that hard work, so spit, but do not rinse.
Floss can be a good option for some people. When you are using floss, wind the floss around your fingers and place it between each tooth, with the pressure against the tooth. Do not push straight down or straight up as you may damage the gum. Floss can be difficult to use, especially if you are trying to use it on another person, and interdental brushes can be a much easier option. You can get flossing aids such as Flossettes, which are short pieces of floss on a plastic holder, which help with that process, but interdental brushes can be recommended in different sizes by your dental care professional. This can now be bought in most high street supermarkets and they are a much easier form of cleaning in between your teeth.
