Want Your Patients to Floss? Suggest a Softer Approach
GUM Soft-Picks Advanced are a convenient, comfortable, and highly effective alternative to traditional string flossing—especially for patients with orthodontic appliances, implants, or bridges
When it comes to flossing, the phrase “one-size-fits-all” simply does not apply. Every patient presents in a slightly different way, and a floss that works effectively for one can be virtually ineffective for another. Throw in today’s variety of dental appliances and prostheses, and the plot thickens.
Enter GUM Soft-Picks Advanced, an alternative to traditional string flossing that features soft rubber bristles for comfort and a longer, curved handle for better grip and improved precision into deeper areas that toothbrushes typically can’t reach. Compact and convenient for on-the-go use, the Soft-Picks arrive with a handy, portable case, making it easy to slip them into a purse or backpack. Compatible with Appliances Soft-Picks feature 76 flexible and gentle synthetic rubber bristles that can get between teeth to free interdental spaces of food particles, dental plaque, and biofilm. Plus, the rubber bristles also massage the gums, leading to improved blood flow. The Soft-Picks are particularly effective for patients with orthodontic appliances, implants, and bridges.
“I find that I recommend the Soft-Picks Advanced dental picks for all my patients who have single or multiple fixed lingual retainers,” explained Heather Runion, RDH, who works at Children and Teen Dental Group in Dacula, GA. “These Soft-Picks are sturdy enough to withstand the flossing technique required to be effective under appliances, including those patients with Herbst and lower lingual holding appliances,” explained Runion. “My patients find them quite easy to use with no discomfort,” she added.
With a tapered tip, the flexible Soft-Picks are ideal for cleaning between spaces of all sizes, a situation Runion discovered while previously working with adult patients.
“I find the angled handle and tapered rubber tip of this instrument make it superior to others I’ve tried. In fact, I won’t recommend any other brand!”
- Nancy Shepard, RDH
“With adults, I would often suggest the SoftPicks Advanced dental picks to patients who had large embrasure areas, or areas where
the contacts were not tight and they were experiencing food entrapment,” she explained. “Their ability to clean a larger surface area than traditional string floss not only makes them easier to use, but I’ve found patients can actually see and feel the difference after they use them, vs when they tried to use string floss alone,” Runion added. “I’ve also noticed that when floss is too thin, patients experience a more difficult time achieving adequate tissue health in those areas,” she shared.
Better Patient Compliance
Runion believes the ease of use and soft, comfortable bristles have contributed to better compliance as well, adding that home care using the Soft-Picks among her patients has been “pretty good.”
“Because they are soft, my patients don’t complain about using them, and I generally suggest these over traditional fl users because I feel that compared to plastic picks or hard toothpicks, they increase gingival stimulation while being less traumatic on the tissue,” she said.
Promote Healthy Gums
It’s been called “unassuming” and “definitely not flashy,” but the gum stimulator is a traditional—and effective—dental tool for maintaining good oral health. The GUM Stimulator Permanent Handle & Rubber Tip promotes healthy and firm gums by gently massaging the gingival tissues, while in the process, gently stimulating blood flow. “I first started using the GUM Stimulator Permanent Handle & Rubber Tip about 30 years ago, when I was working in a perio practice,” hygienist Nancy Shepard shared. “I find that it’s especially effective around crowns.”
Designed by dental professionals, the GUM Stimulator Permanent Handle & Rubber Tip is made of 2 separate parts: an anodized aluminum handle and a replaceable, synthetic rubber-tip stimulator. Clinicians will find easy access to even hard-to-reach areas of the mouth thanks to a slender, angled neck design. In addition, the nonslip handle provides secure and precise control as well as a steady grip.
No Learning Curve!
With a comfortable and ergonomic handle, the GUM Stimulator Permanent Handle & Rubber Tip is also easy to use. “I usually start the demonstration of how to use it with my patient holding a mirror,” Shepard said.
Latex-free and sold separately for economical replacement, the rubber tip massages the gums and helps dislodge food and remove plaque between teeth. “It's a massaging tool but it can be incorporated to reach areas that a patient can’t reach to remove plaque as well,” Shepard explained. “In fact, I just gave one to a patient to reach her 3rd molars that weren’t fully erupted.”
Since her practice doesn’t routinely supply the tool, Shepard purchases them herself so she can equip her patients with what she believes is an effective tool for maintaining good oral health.
