Flossing is probably the most important part of oral hygiene and dental care, after brushing. It simply does what brushing does to the places that the toothbrush can not reach. But if you’re on veneers or, you may be having difficulties with the query “Can you floss veneers?”. Before starting, yes you can. But there are things that you have to be careful about.
If you are facing hardships while flossing your veneers or researching such topics before getting them, it’s your lucky day. Because in this article, we’ll give answers to questions such as “Can you floss with veneers” or “How to floss veneers” to clarify your wonders accurately. So let’s get started.
Flossing with veneers: Can you or not?
Yes, you can and you should! Flossing is an essential part of oral hygiene. Toothbrushes are quite effective tools but your teeth can be hard to clean thoroughly. Why? Because of their lineup. It may be hard for toothbrush bristles to reach the areas between teeth. These areas are called interdental areas and dental floss is the perfect tool for cleaning them. You have dental veneers or you don’t, it doesn’t matter. Your interdental spaces need to be cleaned.
Does flossing veneers damage them?
Unless you go too harsh on them, damaging them while flossing is not an expected situation. Flossing is a process that should be done gently. If you do it this way, you won’t cause any harm to them. But sometimes the veneers may be applied poorly. In these cases, it may be easier for them to get affected by external things easily.
Will flossing cause veneers to come off?
No, as we said above, it shouldn’t. If it came off while you were flossing gently, it shows that their application was bad. This isn’t a problem caused by you. If you’re in such a situation you have to call your dentist and inform them about your situation.
What happens if you don’t floss your veneers?
Many bad things can happen if you don’t floss your veneers. First of all, they only cover the visible surface of the teeth. The interdental areas and back parts are still your natural teeth. So they need your special care.
If you don’t floss, food particles in these areas can stay there and bacteria can multiply by feeding on them. They form plaque buildup and you can’t remove plaque accumulation without flossing. If ignored, this can cause serious problems like tooth decay and gum disease. If a cavity occurs behind your porcelain veneers, you can also lose them. That’s why you should never skip flossing.
Flossing tips for veneers
Flossing with dental veneers is quite important but it may also be more challenging. But luckily, we’re here and have pretty good flossing tips for you, especially about the tools you can use. Because the oral hygiene industry produces various tools suitable for people in different conditions, there will always be an ideal type of floss for you. Let’s see how you can floss your porcelain veneers more effectively and safely.
Floss threader
Are you having problems with passing the floss between your teeth? Here there is your savior: the floss threader! It works as a needle that you use to pass the string inside something, simple yet effective. You can tie the floss to the threader and use this tiny tool to pass the floss between your teeth. It makes flossing a really easy job for everyone.
Interdental brushes
You may not be willing to use traditional floss. That’s fine, you can still floss without losing any efficacy. How? Thanks to interdental brushes! These are very thin brushes with smaller, soft bristle-like sticks. You can sneak them between your teeth easily and use them by moving forward and backward. Even if they are straight standing sticks, they can also curve according to the shape of the area.
Water flosser
Pressured water is an effective method to clean the tooth surfaces. As water can enter anywhere, water flossers can clean the interdental spaces very well. It squirts pressurized water and removes anything on its way including plaque build-up. Plus, you can choose the power while using the device. You won’t need to pass anything between your teeth so it is not wrong to say that water flossers are the most easy devices to use for cleaning interdental spaces.
Reasons why you can’t floss between your veneers
Hold on there! First of all, you should be able to floss between your veneers. But there are some exceptional situations. Sometimes it may become a more and more sensitive subject to floss between your veneers. It also may indicate that there’s a problem with them. Wrong measurements, poor fitting, and excess cement can prevent you from flossing. So let’s see the details of such situations.
Wrong measurements
If your veneers are made a little too big. It can be more problematic to pass the dental floss between them and move it. This can damage both the floss and your veneers. They shouldn’t be that way. Normally, there should be enough gap to let the floss slide in there. If your veneers are stuck together strictly, this is not normal. That means there is a problem and you have to get them fixed both for protecting them and your healthy teeth.
Poor-fitting
We’ve mentioned the ill-fitted veneers. If they are not laced well, using floss can move them. If you realize that they are ill-fitted it may be a good idea to stop flossing or brushing your veneers until you get them fixed. Because if you move them or if they fall off, the shaved surface of your tooth gets exposed. This thinned and vulnerable layer can be prone to risks such as severe tooth sensitivity or worst.
How to fix these situations?
Get an appointment with the dentist you got your dental veneers from. It’s the dentist’s responsibility, so they have to fix or replace them. They should be well-fitted. Otherwise not only can they get damaged but also they can damage your natural teeth. Also, the dentist will perform a professional cleaning if you need it to restore your perfect smile again.
References:
Sambunjak D, Nickerson JW, Poklepovic Pericic T, Johnson TM, Imai P, Tugwell P, Worthington HV. WITHDRAWN: Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Apr 23;4(4):CD008829. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008829.pub3. PMID: 31013348; PMCID: PMC6478368. (link)
Cepeda MS, Weinstein R, Blacketer C, Lynch MC. Association of flossing/inter-dental cleaning and periodontitis in adults. J Clin Periodontol. 2017 Sep;44(9):866-871. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.12765. Epub 2017 Aug 7. PMID: 28644512; PMCID: PMC5601277. (link)
