Like with any other prosthetic dental piece, your bridge can accumulate bacteria, which can be bad for your oral health. Given that a dental bridge has a different structure from your regular teeth, you may need to work harder to make sure that your bridge is properly cleaned. If bacteria leads to your gums suffering from gingivitis, you gums and jaw bone might recede and could cause you to lose the structure upon which your bridge is constructed. It may also be more likely that you will lose more teeth.

Regular Floss and Superfloss

If you have a dental bridge, it is a good idea to floss twice a day. You can never floss too often as long as you floss gently. Superfloss is often needed to clean around the bridge. This type of floss is often coated with fluoride to help combat oral decay. The superfloss has a stiffened-end threader. There are also segments of spongy floss and regular floss. The spongy floss is more effective at cleaning around appliances. The stiffened threader, on the other hand, aids in guiding the floss into the gap in-between the appliance and the teeth. The regular floss can then be used to clean the other teeth.

Water Flosser

A water flosser can be more effective than regular floss because it can reach areas that you cannot reach with traditional floss. Using about five to ninety psi of pressure, the water flosser is designed to remove food particles that have become trapped in-between the teeth.

A Soft Bristled Toothbrush

Make sure that you brush your teeth at least three times a day. The best toothbrush to use is one that has soft bristles. You can use any type of toothpaste.

Proxybrushes

Consider getting a proxybrush. They are good at getting in-between the teeth and are designed to serve a function similar to floss. They are designed specifically to work well with splintered crowns, but they can also work well with bridges. The proxybrush should only be used around your bridge since they are able to open contact areas between the teeth and the gums.

Other Interdental Cleaners

Another option is to use an interdental cleaner, which makes it easier to clean around the bridge. These include smaller brushes designed to fit in-between the teeth, plastic picks and sticks. Experiment with different tooth cleaning options until you find a tool that you find the easiest to use.

If you have any questions about cleaning your dental bridge, contact a local dentist, such as Rose City Dental Care, for more information.