Have you ever wondered what causes unsightly and often painful cavities to form in the spaces between our teeth?
Well, cavities happen when food gets stuck in the gaps between our teeth, and we fail to clean it out regularly. Slowly, the food particles begin to rot, taking our teeth along for the ride.
Regular flossing is the only way to ensure you never have to worry about cavities. But not everyone can do it right.
The Trouble With Traditional Flossing
Using a string of floss to clean in between the teeth can be fiddly, particularly when teeth aren’t perfectly straight. People don’t like to floss because it can take a lot of manoeuvring to get rid of the food and plaque that grow between the teeth.
We hear patients complaining that they hate flossing. The good news is that there is a better, easier, and more effective way to keep cavities at bay.
Enter Flossing 2.0, AKA. the Waterpik.
What Is Waterpik?
Waterpik is a specialized oral health appliance used for water flossing which is an alternative to the more conventional method of flossing. The water flosser sprays water directly into the mouth and below the gum margins. This technique employs water pressure to massage gums and pushes food particles away from teeth instead of scraping, promoting healthier gums.
Oral irrigation like the Waterpik is much more efficient at reducing plaque and Gingivitis than old-fashioned string floss. It is suitable for anyone who struggles with traditional flossing.
Research favours it as well. In a survey, 23 of 29 dentists and dental hygienists favoured the Waterpik brand because of its longevity.
Benefits Of Waterpik For You
There are numerous advantages to using a Waterpik instead of another interdental device. Some of the benefits include:
Best At Getting Rid Of Plaque
Plaque is constantly accumulating on teeth. If you don’t remove the plaque regularly, a new coating forms and stays on your teeth every minute. Brushing alone is ineffective in eliminating bacteria accumulation in between the teeth.
A study determined that the Waterpik Water Flosser reduced 74.4% of total mouth plaque and 81.6% of plaque between teeth. In contrast, the dental floss group saw a 57.7% and 63.45% decrease in plaque in these areas. Hence, dental floss can’t compete with a Waterpik since it uses water pressure and power pulses to eliminate plaque.
Suitable For Diabetics
Patients with diabetes should always have access to a water flosser because people with diabetes are more likely to suffer from gum disease. They may endure bleeding gums and pain when they floss their teeth traditionally. WaterPik, on the other hand, gently massages and pushes out food with water pressure making the entire process almost pleasurable.
Maintains Good Hygiene
When orthodontic appliances are in your mouth like braces, keeping food from getting trapped in the spaces between your teeth can be challenging. When you have braces, traditionally, flossing your teeth can be difficult. Instead of just brushing and making an effort to floss around dental appliances, using a water flosser is a sure-fire way to get your teeth cleaner and brighter than before.
Enables Deep Cleaning
Waterpik helps to maintain oral hygiene, particularly for patients who already have gum disease. In contrast to regular floss, water flossers can clean deep into our periodontal pockets, eliminating food particles and plaque that traditional floss cannot access. This is because water flossers use a pressurized stream of water.
The Natural Way To Obtain A Brighter Smile
One of the straightforward and all-natural approaches to maintaining pearly-white teeth is to use a Waterpik Water Flosser.
Water flossing removes the extra plaque that can cause yellowing of your teeth, and it does so without creating dental sensitivity, which can be a side effect of other whitening treatments.
Prevents and Heals Gingivitis
Healthy gums should not bleed and should not become inflamed. If you have inflamed and bleeding gums, indicating gum disease, it’s typically brought on by germs in plaque. The only way to get rid of it is to brush regularly and use a Waterpik. Using a Waterpik consistently is beneficial for cleaning the spaces between teeth and maintaining good oral health.
Better Quality of Breath
Nobody wants to be the person at work who has breath that smells like coffee all the time. Plaques and germs that live underneath the gum line and contribute to foul breath can be removed from the mouth using a Waterpik water flosser. It makes you feel like you just left the dentist, even though you are performing the treatment conveniently in your own home.
Now we’ve checked out the benefits, let’s take a look at some tips for use.
Tips To Use Waterpik Water Flosser
Here are a few handy tips to help you better use your Waterpik water flosser.
Determine Which Pressure Settings Are Appropriate
The efficiency of your water flosser may be affected positively or negatively depending on the pressure setting you use. It is crucial for those using the water flosser to reduce plaque following gum disease or when sporting fixed dental implants like bridges and crowns.
Waterpik for example provides the user with three, six, or ten pressure settings depending upon the model you buy. As a tip if it’s your first time using a water flosser, begin with the lowest setting and gradually working your way up to the one that best suits your needs or is recommended by your dentist.
Replace Tips As Recommended
To get the most out of your water flosser, replace the tips as directed. The recommended replacement intervals can differ depending on the kind of water flosser you purchase and the specific tip you use.
Waterpik, for example, suggests replacing their Implant Denture Tip and Classic Jet Tip every six months, whereas bristle tips should be replaced every three months as they deteriorate more quickly. Water flosser tips should be replaced according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Use Once A Day
Brushing teeth at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day is the best strategy to avoid dental decay. Replace your standard flossing method with water flossing in your oral hygiene routine. In addition to this, you should always floss your teeth before you brush them.
When you floss your teeth before you brush them, you not only remove more plaque than after you floss but it also ensures that a greater quantity of fluoride gets left on your teeth. Fluoride strengthens our defences against the acids produced by plaque, lowering our risk of experiencing tooth decay.
Oral hygiene is incomplete without flossing. While standard floss and toothbrushes can clean our teeth, water flossers can reach the periodontal pockets in our mouths and are a great alternative to keep our mouths healthy and pleasant. The gentler nature of a water flosser makes it ideal for daily oral hygiene because it is less likely to irritate gums or cause tooth or gum damage.
Book Your Dental Check-up With Foxbury Dental
Annual dental check-ups and regular cleaning are also crucial. Your dentist can check for disease symptoms, and your dental hygienist can clean your mouth and treat plaque between visits. At Foxbury Dental, we provide all kinds of dental services to help maintain your oral health. So, book your dental check-up with Foxbury Dental today.
The strategist – 4 Best Water Flossers
Pub Med – Evaluation of the Efficacy of Water flossers
Forbes.com – Healthy Body – Dental Implants Guide