Teeth Too Tight? These Hacks Finally Got My Teeth Clean

If you have close teeth that are really jammed close together, flossing can seem impossible. But now there are plenty of products to make it much easier to clean teeth that are too close to floss.

Once upon a time, it was almost impossible for me to floss because the most widely available flosses just didn’t work on my close teeth. They wouldn’t squeeze between my teeth, or if they did, they would shred and break.

Now, however, there are so many types of floss and special picks that you’re more likely to get confused by all the choices than to be unable to find what works for you!

This article is for those of you who want to floss and clean more thoroughly between your teeth, but have struggled to find products that would work with your close teeth.

Picking Your Floss

Choosing the right floss is the first essential step in caring for a mouth full of closely packed teeth. Years ago, all you had were thick, waxed strings that wouldn’t even go between some pairs of teeth, and often shredded if you did manage to squeeze it in there and work it back and forth a little.

Or just getting it in between your teeth required such a rough, jerking motion that it would end up cutting your gums. Now you have far better options. For close teeth, you need to:

• Avoid waxed flosses, unless they specifically say they’re designed for tight teeth. Traditional waxed flosses are just too thick, but some of the new ribbon flosses are technically waxed to prevent shredding, but they’re still extremely thin.
• Use ribbon-style flosses, the ones that are thin and flat instead of just a thread, are better at slipping into tight spaces. I’m a big fan of Glide, which you can buy economically in six-packs on Amazon.

There are other flosses that are unwaxed and/or ribbon-style out there, and I’m sure many of them are good. These are just the two that I happened to find and have been using with great success for years. I can easily wiggle them between even my tightest teeth.

Beyond floss

A good floss once a day is enough for some people, but not me. I’m one of those lucky people who happen to collect tartar faster than most.

If flossing once a day isn’t cutting it, you could try flossing twice. Or here’s another option. Dental brush picks are a great way to clean your teeth after every meal, or even every snack if you feel the need.

Again, there are many different types of picks, and what works for you may not work for someone else. 

Remember, dental picks do NOT replace flossing once a day. They’re additional to flossing, not in place of it.

Brush Type

Some people with close teeth can use some of the smaller “brush type” picks, like GUM Soft Picks. They have little brushes on the ends that kind of remind me of pipe cleaners.

You push the brush in between two teeth and move gently back and forth. This is a great type of dental pick because not only will it get rid of any food between your teeth, it will also massage your gums a little, stimulating circulation to help keep them healthy.

Plastic Pick

If you can’t use these because your teeth are too close (like me), you can probably use a plain, plastic toothpick, like these from The Doctor’s. I use these after every meal or snack.

Once you get used to having a clean mouth, you’ll find yourself wanting to keep it that way. I carry some of these with me at all times in one of their keychain containers (see the links above).

These are little plastic sticks with just a few plastic bristles poking out of the ends on two sides. They have a much thinner profile than the brush style picks, enabling them to slide between tighter teeth.

The bristles on the end function like a brush, scraping food from your teeth and stimulating the gums a little. You may actually have pairs of teeth you can’t even get one of these between – I do.

But I can get it between most of my teeth, and for the ones I can’t, I can still slide it partway in to at least do some good. Then I like to keep a floss pick with me at all times for those tight teeth…

Floss picks

If you struggle even to get a plastic pick between your teeth, you should try a floss pick. These little plastic sticks fork at the end and have a piece of floss between the ends of the forks.

Again, even these do not replace flossing: strings of floss can be wrapped partway around each tooth’s surface to really scrape off clinging bits of food, and these can only get in between for some basic cleanup.

But basic cleanup in addition to a good daily flossing is very useful. These don’t really do anything for your gums, but they will help keep down the plaque.

Caring for teeth is a challenge when they’re really close together, but it’s getting easier. Do yourself a favor, and don’t just assume you can’t floss or pick because it’s been so difficult in years past. The tools are getting better all the time.

Professional Oral Care Kit

There’s one more tool in my arsenal: the professional oral care kit. Despite the name, this is a very affordable little kit that anyone can use.

It includes one of those little metal picks oral hygienists use to clean your teeth. It also includes a mirror, a gum stimulator, and a tool called a scaler.

I usually use the metal pick and the mirror. Sometimes a tiny piece of food will get jammed to hard between two of my closest teeth that I feel like it’s actually moved my teeth.

But I can’t get it with floss or any of my other picks. I use the mirror to help me position the pick, and then I use the pick to gently scrape that piece of food out.