Dental caries or periodontitis are caused by dental plaque of colonizing bacteria. By brushing, only 50% to 70% of plaque can be removed. However, a research said that 90% more plaque can be removed by the combination of brushing and flossing. So, interdental cleaning is very effective to remove the plaque that can't be removed by brushing.



Usually, you should do interdental cleaning once a day. Because, while sleeping, only a little amount of saliva is secreted and dental plaque increases most quickly, interdental cleaning before bedtime may be most effective. If food is easy to stick between teeth, interdental cleaning after meal is also effective.

When you do flossing for the first time, you may bleed from the gum. This is because you had never done flossing until the time. The bleeding is caused by the inflammation of the interdental gum and the accumulation of plaque induces the inflammation. While continuing regular flossing, plaque is removed and the bleeding will be stopped. So, if you bleed in flossing, don't be afraid and please continue flossing. However, if the bleeding continues for a long time, your flossing method can be problematic or there can be serious problems in your gum. In such a case, you should receive medical treatment at the dental clinic.



If you continue interdental cleaning, you may feel that the gap between teeth may spread. The inflammation of the interdental gum caused by plaque will be subsided by removing the plaque. So, such feeling caused by the compressed gum. The surface of teeth is covered by Enamel that is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance in the human body. Because Enamel is as hard as crystal and harder than knife, dental floss or interdental brush can't injure the surface of teeth.