Which products are available?

As with many dental products, there are also different products for interdental brushes. There are many different suppliers of interdental brushes, including Elmex® or Oral B®. Among the market leaders are the manufacturers Curaprox® and Tepe®.

Every drugstore, however, also has its own, more affordable brand on offer. Curaprox® is only available in pharmacies, while Tepe® can be found in every drugstore. There are brushes with long or short handles.

Products with a long handle are particularly suitable for the back of the teeth. It must be determined individually which brushes and which brush strength/thickness is suitable for you. The dentist will help you with this. The interdental brushes are color-coded according to thickness, but there are deviations from this standard for some brands.

What are the side effects/risks?

In general, interdental brushes have very few risks or side effects during their use. Nevertheless, incorrect use of the brushes can lead to consequential damage. In this context, the size of the interdental brush must be correct for each corresponding tooth space.

Each interdental space has its own size. Therefore, it is often necessary to use several different sizes of brushes. On average there are two sizes that every person needs.

If the brush, which consists of a wire in the middle, is too wide, the wire will rub against the enamel in the interdental space.This leads to damage to the hard tooth substance and can also cause the gums to retract at the affected area. The brush should be inserted with moderate pressure and should offer some resistance when passing through the interdental space. There is also a risk of puncturing the gums during use.

Especially in the molar area, the application of the brushes and reaching the back areas of the mouth are not easy. Limited motor skills or dexterity in older people also present a difficulty not to injure themselves. A prick with the wire into the gums is not bad. It bleeds briefly, is unpleasant and should therefore be avoided. This might also be of interest to you: Bleeding gums