Of course keeping your gums health is is all about maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!  Gum disease is more common in back teeth that are difficult to clean, especially in the space between the teeth where they contact each other. 

Aside from toothbrushing, other oral hygiene aids have been studied to see if they can help maintain stable gum health. 

The measurements used to determine if gum disease is stable or progressing are: 

1. Probing depth (the depth of the gum pockets around your teeth)
2. Bleeding on probing. (How easily your gums bleed)
3. Clinical attachment levels: The level that the healthy gum and bone is still attached to your teeth. 

Changes in the measurements are an indication that your gum disease is getting worse.

Small interdental brushes (like Proxabrush™) and oral irrigators (like WATERPIK™) have been studied for their ability to maintain stable healthy measurements around teeth. 

Moore et al compared interdental brushes to oral irrigators in 67 patients with significant gum disease and deep pocketing for back teeth. 

She found that both methods resulted in a significant decrease in pocket depth and both reduced the loss of gum attachment. Both methods also reduced gum inflammation and bleeding. Signalling molecules that indicate that inflammation is ongoing in the mouth such as interleukin were significantly reduced in both groups

So we can conclude that both oral irrigators and interdental brushes and (like Waterpik™  and Proxabrush™) can reduce the signs of active gum disease and help maintain stable gum health. 

For more information refer to : Moore GC, Smith KT, Christiansen MM, et al. Effect of interproximal home oral hygiene on clinical parameters and inflammatory biomarkers in patients receiving periodontal maintenance. J Periodontol. 2023;1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/JPER.22-0631