What Dentists Actually Recommend for Cleaning Between Your Teeth
Published on the Smile-O Blog | smile-o.co
If you ask most people what dentists recommend for cleaning between teeth, they'll say floss. It's the received wisdom — so ingrained that dental floss and dental care are practically synonymous in most people's minds.
The clinical picture is more nuanced than that, and over the past decade, the evidence has shifted in a direction that most patients don't know about.
What the Research Actually Shows
The case for floss as the gold standard of interdental cleaning has weakened considerably in recent years. A widely cited 2016 review published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology examined the evidence for various interdental cleaning methods and found that interdental brushes (IDBs) were significantly more effective than floss at reducing plaque and bleeding on probing — two key clinical markers of gum health.
A 2019 review in the Cochrane Database — one of the most rigorous review frameworks in evidence-based medicine — found that while flossing does reduce gum bleeding when added to toothbrushing, the quality of evidence was generally low and the effect size modest. It concluded that the evidence for interdental brushes was more robust.
The European Federation of Periodontology and several national dental associations have updated their clinical guidelines to recommend interdental brushes as the preferred interdental cleaning aid for most patients — with floss reserved for those with very tight contacts where a brush tip can't fit.
This isn't an argument that flossing is useless. It's an acknowledgement that the tool most people have been handed may not be the best one available.
Why Interdental Brushes Work Better
The mechanical reason comes down to surface contact.
String floss slides through the interdental space and contacts the tooth surface in a thin line. To clean effectively, it needs to be wrapped into a C-shape around each tooth and moved up and down — a technique that requires practice and time, and that most people don't execute consistently.
An interdental brush, by contrast, is a small cylindrical brush that fills the interdental space when inserted. Its bristles make contact with the curved surfaces of both adjacent teeth simultaneously, and the brush action disrupts plaque along a much wider contact area. You don't need perfect technique to get results — the geometry of the brush does the work.
Additionally, interdental brushes stimulate gum tissue during use. This gentle mechanical stimulation improves circulation and contributes to gum health over time, a benefit that string floss doesn't provide.
The Compliance Problem (And Why It Matters)
Clinical efficacy only matters if people actually use the tool. And here, the evidence is equally clear: floss compliance is low.
Studies consistently show that even patients who report flossing regularly often floss infrequently, for insufficient time, or with inadequate technique. The difficulty of the method directly undermines its effectiveness in real-world populations.
Interdental brushes have significantly higher compliance rates in patient studies. They're easier to use correctly, faster, and associated with less gum discomfort — meaning people are more likely to maintain the habit over time.
A less theoretically perfect tool used consistently will outperform the best clinical method used three times a week.
Where Electric Interdental Brushes Fit In
Manual interdental brushes are a meaningful improvement over floss. Electric interdental brushes — specifically those using sonic vibration — take this a step further.
The Smile-O AeroFloss Pro® uses sonic-vibrating interdental brush tips to provide the same surface contact and plaque disruption as manual IDBs, with the mechanical action delivered by the device rather than the user. This further reduces the technique burden and cuts the time required for a full-mouth clean to approximately 60 seconds.
For patients who have struggled with any form of interdental cleaning — whether due to time, dexterity, discomfort, or simply not building the habit — an electric interdental brush addresses every barrier simultaneously.
What Should You Actually Do?
Based on current evidence and clinical guidance:
If you have normal interdental spaces: Interdental brushes are the recommended choice. Choose a size that fits snugly without forcing. For most people, this means a small or extra-small brush tip.
If you have very tight contacts (common in younger adults with aligned teeth): Floss remains appropriate and may be the only tool that fits. Waxed floss causes less friction and gum trauma than unwaxed.
If you have dental work (implants, bridges, braces): Interdental brushes and/or water flossers are generally preferred. Discuss with your dentist or orthodontist for specific guidance.
If compliance is your main barrier: Choose the method you'll actually do. An electric interdental brush like the AeroFloss Pro is specifically designed to make this as effortless as possible — because the best interdental cleaning routine is the one that happens every night, not the one that's theoretically optimal but practically ignored.
The evidence is clear: interdental cleaning matters, and the method matters less than the consistency. But if you're choosing a method from scratch, the science points toward interdental brushes — and the most effective version of that is one you'll actually use.
Get the Smile-O AeroFloss Pro, interdental care in 60 seconds →
Free worldwide shipping · 1-year warranty · 30-day money-back guarantee
Other Articles To Read:
https://smile-o.co/blogs/blogs/why-you-shouldnt-use-metal-electric-flossers-a-dental-safety-warning
https://smile-o.co/blogs/blogs/why-water-flossers-are-way-harder-than-you-think