Dyspraxic Adults

Has anyone been told to use interdental brushes by their Dentist but is really finding it nigh impossible.

Also have the asthma nurse on my back for my inability to give a consistent breath volume output. Still maybe consultation with Doctor will be fruitful. I think I inherited a bit of a neurotic distrust of the medical profession from my mother who dragged me to see all kinds of regular medical and complementary practitioners because I ‘wasn’t right’. I know she cared but it was darn infuriating at times!

My dentist told me I should not used these, I been told to use a water pik as I would find it a lot easier to use. I still use my electric tootbrush (charging) however when I am on holiday I have to use my battery one.

Hi Philip
Thank you very much for your reply. Have you got a water Pik and if so how do you rate it?
What are the like to use in terms of ease of use. fiddlyness, feeling and ongoing cost?

I recommend an Air Flosser/Water pik quite a lot. Just started using one, and it's pretty fantastic.

I wish I'd got one years ago...my teeth are pretty rubbish. It does annoy me when dentists would be like "You need to floss!" and I'd try to explain I find it difficult, likely more damaging to my gums than to not floss and just regularly brush as efficiently as possible and they never once recommended any alternatives like interdental brushes or anything.

I take a long piece of floss. (four times longer then I will need).

I fold it in half (so now it's two strands)

Then I find the middle of this "double strand"

I put my index finger on the middle then I twist my finger around it several times, like I'm tying to "hang" my index finger.

I wrap the other side of this looped, four-ply, 'rope' of floss around my fingers on my other hand.


Now I have a thick "floss rope" that I cannot accidentally drop or let go of. I use this for all the different-sized gaps in my teeth, and I don't use interdental brushes at all.
It works because if it's a narrow gap the floss will naturally squeeze itself into four strands in a queue, but when you floss it acts like a thickened "floss rope and properly dislodges debris like an interdental brush would."

I get where you're coming from! Interdental brushes can be tricky at first; it took me a while to get the hang of them too. I found watching a few tutorials really helped. As for the asthma stuff, definitely chat with your doctor. It can be frustrating dealing with health issues, especially with the family history you mentioned.