Caring for Your Dental Bridge
Dental Bridges Need Regular Cleaning
When you have a dental bridge, it is very important to keep the adjacent teeth and gums healthy so they can continue to provide support for the bridge. Initially, it may be challenging to keep your bridge and the surrounding gums and teeth plaque-free. Dental bridges are notorious for trapping food particles which can allow bacteria to grow that causes plaque to form. It is essential to clean plaque and tartar from tooth surfaces underneath bridges. Poor bridge hygiene can affect the health of adjacent teeth, resulting in tooth decay and gum disease.
To care for you bridge, brush normally after each meal as you would your own teeth. However, tooth brushing alone is not adequate because there is a thin space between the bridge and the gums that plaque can accumulate in. Use Superfloss to keep this area free from plaque and food debris and dramatically help with your home dental care routine.
Superfloss is a special kind of dental floss. It is cut into pre-measured segments for your convenience. One end of the Superfloss is stiff to allow you to thread it through tight areas. It also has a tufted, fuzzy segment that helps remove plaque and food particles from your gums and the bridge as you floss.
Fixed bridge cleaning with Superfloss
- First insert the stiff end of the Superfloss into the area between the bridge and your gums. Pull the Superfloss through until the tufted, fuzzy part is under the bridge.
- Wrap the floss around your adjacent natural tooth, slide up and down and clean the adjacent tooth surface.
- Gently move the fuzzy part of the Superfloss between the gum and the underside of the bridge, using a soft back-and-forth motion to remove plaque and food particles under the false tooth.
- Then wrap the fuzzy floss around the real tooth on the other side of the bridge, sliding up and down to clean the adjacent tooth surface.
- Finally, gently pull the Superfloss out from the space between the tooth and the bridge.
- Then you can use the regular floss segment of the Superfloss to floss the rest of your teeth.
If you do not have Superfloss, you can use standard dental floss and a floss threader. The threader is a filament that is narrow on one end and has a loop on the other end. You simply put the floss through the loop, insert the pointed end of the threader into the area you want to floss, and pull the threader all the way through. Then you floss under your bridge as you normally would.
Where can you find Superfloss?
Superfloss can be purchased at many retail stores, including Walgreens and Target.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.