Interdental cleaning removes plaque and food particles that a toothbrush cannot reach, as brushing only cleans about 60% of the tooth surface. The remaining 40% between teeth requires attention to prevent gingivitis and cavities. This necessity has led to a variety of tools, including traditional string floss and newer soft picks. A frequent question arises regarding whether soft picks offer the same thorough cleaning as the conventional string method. Determining the better tool often depends on the device’s construction and the specific structure of the user’s mouth.
Defining the Interdental Cleaners
Traditional dental floss is a thin, flexible strand composed of nylon or a synthetic material like polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This material is designed to be abrasive, scraping the flat surfaces of the tooth as it slides through the contact point. The string’s flexibility allows it to wrap around the curvature of the tooth, effectively cleaning plaque.
Soft picks and floss picks are interdental cleaners characterized by a small, rigid plastic handle. Floss picks feature a short, taut segment of string, offering fixed tension and easier gripping than loose string. Soft picks, made of rubber or flexible, bristled plastic, have a conical or tapered shape instead of a string. This design focuses on sweeping or gently massaging the interdental space, rather than scraping the tooth face.
The Direct Efficacy Comparison
Whether soft picks are equivalent to string floss depends on the area of the mouth being cleaned. Scientific consensus indicates that traditional string floss offers superior plaque removal at two specific, hard-to-reach areas. These are the immediate contact point where two teeth touch, and the gingival sulcus, the shallow space just below the gum line.
String floss excels in these areas because its thin profile allows for deeper penetration into the sulcus, and its flexibility permits the necessary “C” shape wrap around the base of the tooth. This technique ensures the floss cleans both the mesial and distal surfaces of adjacent teeth. The straight, taut nature of the floss on a pick, however, makes it difficult to contour around the tooth surface and clean deep within the sulcus effectively.
Soft picks and floss picks are effective for generalized plaque removal on exposed surfaces between teeth, and they excel at dislodging larger food particles. However, because their cleaning surface is fixed and often thicker than a single strand of floss, they may not match the depth or comprehensive contact string floss achieves in the tightest spaces. For the average adult with closely spaced teeth, string floss remains the more efficient tool for cleaning the deepest interproximal areas.
Choosing the Right Tool for Your Dental Structure
While string floss may demonstrate superior cleaning in laboratory settings, the ideal tool depends on the specific structure of the individual’s mouth and their physical capability. For instance, people with large interdental spaces, often due to gum recession or past periodontal disease, may find traditional floss inadequate. In these cases, interdental brushes or larger, bristled soft picks are designed to fill and clean these wider gaps.
Furthermore, certain fixed dental work restricts the use of string floss. Patients with bridges, permanent retainers, or certain types of implants often find that the design of the soft pick or specialized interdental brush is the only way to navigate around the hardware. The pick’s small, handled design is also advantageous for individuals with limited manual dexterity, such as those with arthritis.
The choice shifts from a question of which tool is “better” to which tool is better for a particular circumstance. Many dental professionals suggest that the most effective daily routine may involve using both methods, applying string floss in the tightest areas and using soft picks or interdental brushes in wider spaces or around dental appliances. Consistency of cleaning is always more important than the specific tool used, provided the chosen method is physically capable of reaching the necessary surfaces.