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Floss and interdental brushes
TePe Original interdental brushes
Interdental brushes are what UK guidance recommends where they fit, and they may reduce gum inflammation more than floss. TePe is the standard dental-practice brand. Ask your dentist or hygienist for your sizes.
Worth knowing
- Evidence is low certainty, short term, and the effects are modest.
What we ruled out
PTFE-coated floss (e.g. Oral-B Glide). Glide use was associated with higher blood levels of a PFAS chemical in a 2019 study. An association, not proof, but PFAS-free floss costs the same.
Oral-B Glide (PTFE floss). Glide use was associated with higher blood PFAS levels in a 2019 study. PFAS-free floss costs the same.
Water flossers. Expensive and bulky, with weaker evidence than brushes.
Also good
GUM Expanding Floss. Waxed floss that expands into soft strands. A good option for tight gaps.
Sources
- Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention, chapter 2 summary tables, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, NHS England (2021)
- Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal diseases and dental caries (CD012018), Cochrane (2019)
- Serum concentrations of PFASs and exposure-related behaviors in African American and non-Hispanic white women, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 29:206-217 (2019)