Is Waterpiks more effective than flossing?

Specialist Prosthodontist and Oral Implantologist

May 26,2022

Regular teeth brushing is a very basic and necessary step towards the good health of teeth.

There are certain methods in addition to teeth brushing that aid in reaching for areas of teeth that are inaccessible to brushing. The inaccessible areas most commonly include such as tight spaces in between teeth or a wisdom tooth that is tilted.

Dental floss

Dental floss is a soft, thin thread-like material, used for cleaning teeth surfaces that are not reachable through brushing. It reduces the risk of gum diseases and tooth decay.

It is a standardized tool to clean the tight spaces between teeth.

Dental floss is available in varieties such as waxed and plain floss. If you find it difficult to use plain floss to access the tight teeth spaces, use the waxed type. Further, floss holders are also available to ease handling of a dental floss.

Waterpik : A water flosser

It is an oral irrigator or water flossing device. It works by spraying a water stream on teeth to clear off the food debris in tight spaces. This is a very good option where the traditional flossing methods are not possible.

Waterpik is found to be effective in reducing gum diseases and tooth decay to some extent. Evidence has shown that these help to reduce the load of bacteria below the gums. But, these are not as effective as normal brushing and flossing and should not be considered as their substitute. The main reason is that a Waterpik does not remove the visible plaque of teeth as effective as normal brushing and flossing.