Is a Water Flosser Worth It?

For healthy dental care, most dentists recommend brushing and flossing twice daily. There is no substitute for a great scrub that breaks up and scrubs bacteria and plaque off of teeth, yielding not just a shinier smile, but bolstered confidence, enjoyment of various foods, as well as a reduction of cavities and gum diseases.

But while bruising is pivotal to dental health, it alone is not enough. Toothbrushes, even the electric and creatively curved ones are unable to reach all of the necessary areas in a human mouth. The places that toothbrushes don’t reach can have food particles remain. These rots and being to grow bacteria which doesn’t only begin to eat away at the tooth enamel, but also the gumlines.

Therefore, supplementary to brushing properly, people also utilize sting or ribbon dental floss that gets in between teeth, removing the majority of these trapped particles. Some people have trouble using floss, however, so the dental industry developed another tool that utilizes the power of spraying water to clean get into those hard-to-reach areas, the portable water flosser. One of the premier brands of such a water flosser on the market is the water flosser.

What Is a Water Flosser

So, what exactly is a water flosser? Rather than using the sometimes inconvenient (though effective) string or ribbon-like material threaded between teeth, the portable water flosser sprays water into the spots between teeth and along the gum line, with the intensity selected by the instrument’s user.

How Does a Water Flosser Work

The function performed by a water flosser is essentially the same in principle as that of traditional floss. You can think of it as a powerwash for your teeth. The intensity of the spraying water loosens the food stuck between teeth. In doing so, it prevents the broken-down food particles and the bacteria in your mouth from moving into the gumline, triggering various gum diseases, recession, and bleeding.

How To Use Water Flosser

Water flossers are either battery-operated or charged to operate. Once charged, you might be curious as to how to use a water flosser. First, it needs to have its water reservoir filled, preferably with lukewarm water as to avoid either burning the inside of one’s mouth or blasting potentially sensitive areas with iced cold water. Then, a tip is attached to the top of the flosser and the spraying end gets put in the user’s mouth. There are several buttons. The important ones are those that choose the mode (normal, soft, pulse, etc.) and the button that powers the water flosser to get it operational.

Once it is inserted in your mouth and positioned on or between certain teeth, close your lips to keep the water from spraying everywhere, hold the flosser at a 90-degree angle and begin to spray. The water will exist at a selected intensity. Standing over the sink is ideal at the time of utilization since the spray fills the mouth up with water rather quickly, and if any leaks, it is the best place for the excess water to go.

The best method is to start on the back teeth and systematically work your way around your mouth, specifically focusing on the top and bottom gum line and the spaces between teeth that the toothbrush generally fails to reach. When you finish with the fronts of your teeth, spit out the water and perform the same function on the back ones. The entire process should take approximately two minutes, just like brushing. Remember to empty the reservoir after completing use to keep bacteria and other pathogens from growing in it.

Water Floss VS String Floss

Naturally, the question of efficacy between traditional dental floss and a water flosser is a fair one to ask. Studies have been done that indicate somewhat varying results. The Journal of Clinical Dentistry conducted a study that showed that those who used a water flosser showed a near 82% reduction of plaque between teeth and an overall 74.4% reduction for plaque around the mouth in general, by comparison to a 57.7% and 63.45% reduction respectively when utilizing traditional or ribbon dental floss. For people wearing braces, they may feel difficult to push hard when using the string floss, they prefer to choose the best water flosser for braces such as Binicare water flosser.

The American Dental Association concluded however that while water flossers are very effective at removing plaque, there is one particular area that they miss, the sides of the teeth. While the water flosser’s blast will certainly touch those areas, a traditional flosser can scrape the sides of the teeth, removing even more plaque.

Benefits of a Water Flosser

Water flosser benefits are clear. The water blast forces the breaking up of plaque residue, which, if left uncleaned converts to tartar and begins to decay teeth. As most Americans have had at least one cavity in their lifetime, with many having quite a few more than that, any advantages to improving oral health are essential. Dental care is not cheap. 

Water flosser benefits also include a great reduction of build-up between teeth and along the gumlines for those who do not like or cannot use traditional flossing methods. The water flosser does the work for the user in a sense, so the process is likely to be less time-intensive than traditional flossing methods.

For people who have braces, regular flossing is an even bigger challenge. Trying to avoid getting the floss stuck in the braces or tight areas between the braces and gumline can be immensely frustrating. The water flosser removes this issue by simply treating the hard-to-reach areas with water.

They are also highly effective in reaching into tight areas between teeth that are very close together, as well as nearly impossible to reach places in certain mouths with crooked teeth. The water in the blast will find a way of least resistance, while the waxed floss may often be impossible to slide into particular areas to effectively clean.

Do Water Flossers Actually Work

While research may conflict to some degree about a water flosser’s efficacy by comparison to traditional flossing methods, there is no argument about its effectiveness. By loosening and removing plaque in front teeth, a water flosser greatly reduces the risks of bleeding, cavities, and gum disease.

Cited from https://binicare-water-flosser.blogspot.com/.