A gentleman in his late 40s was referred for a possible dental implant for a tooth that required extraction.
He brushed twice daily with an electric brush but rarely used interdental brushes.
Clinically he presented with periodontal pockets up to 4mm and a bleeding on probing score of 18%, which can be seen from the periodontal charts below.
During the same appointment, the patient was shown the use of appropriately sized interdental brushes. Following the sizing procedure, a lot more bleeding was noted. There was bleeding from almost every interdental space, which means clinically there was a lot more inflammation than what the periodontal charting suggested.
This case highlights how professional tools such as periodontal probes have limited reach into the interdental space and thereby can provide an underestimation of the true extent of periodontal disease.
The periodontal tissues in the interdental spaces, which are the predominant areas of inflammation, can only be fully accessed by a correctly sized interdental brush. This will reveal the true extent of the disease.
Even the best professional instruments such as fine tip ultrasonic scalers provide limited access to and cleaning of the interdental space. Tight fitting interdental brushes are essential for complete plaque removal in these hard to reach areas of the mouth.