Dental advice - Water flossing?

EasyAs123

I know, I know... proper oral hygiene routine: regular dental/hygienist visits, brushing with a fluoride toothpaste/decent electric toothbrush, and flossing the 'traditional' method is all you need...

But I don't/can't/won't floss.

You can tell me to floss, but I have overlapping teeth, partially erupted wisdom teeth, and not great manual dexterity.

I find it awkward, uncomfortable, don't do a very good job, and no matter how good my intentions, I just won't do it until the week before my next appointment

Soo... I'm considering water flossing (using high pressure water to clean the gums and between teeth).

There seems to be some evidence it's of comparable benefit to flossing traditionally (at least according to the research commissioned by the manufacturer!) and it seems very popular in America.

I was hoping people here might have experience to share.

This one isn't very expensive, has good reviews, and looks simple enough to use.

Let's be honest, is it better than nothing or is it yet another cosmetic con?

newatc

I have crooked teeth which always made it difficult for me to floss effectively. My dentist suggested a Waterpik water flosser and I really appreciate it. Loving see the bits flow out <s>.
I wouldn't do without it now.

brook2jack

If you have great big gaps in-between teeth it might be better than nothing but it is in no way a substitute for floss or interdental brushes. However powerful it is a water jet will not remove plaque in-between teeth ,although it may remove some food debris .
Have you tried,been shown, tepe /interdental brushes.

flea72

I use a waterpik. My dentist always comments on how clean my teeth are and never reminds me to floss, so it must be working

EasyAs123

brook2jack wrote: »

If you have great big gaps in-between teeth it might be better than nothing but it is in no way a substitute for floss or interdental brushes. However powerful it is a water jet will not remove plaque in-between teeth ,although it may remove some food debris .
Have you tried,been shown, tepe /interdental brushes.

I don't have big gaps so much as crowded/overlapping teeth and the two wisdom teeth on the bottom which are half covered in skin and keep getting infected, so anything but the front teeth is problematic.

I've tried harps, floss 'string' and the wider tape, rubber 'picks' and wire interdental 'brushes' (which felt like they were sawing my gums in half and bent something awful. I didn't get more than three teeth done before I chucked them!)

Honestly, I'm mid thirties and I have tried...

Jono111

I have been using water flowers for around 6 years. Dentist says all is OK.
I much prefer them.

esuhl

My teeth are tightly packed in, and I always found flossing uncomfortable.

I find the tape floss is much better than string, but with both brushing and flossing I can be a bit heavy-handed and that's caused my gums to recede.

I started using Curaprox toothbrushes, which have thousands of ultra-fine bristles, which leave my teeth feeling much cleaner, and the bristles are soft so they don't damage my gums.

That Waterpik thing looks really interesting. Cheers for the tip! I suspect it won't be effective with my tightly-packed teeth, but any alternative to flossing that didn't damage my gums would be amazing.

flea72

EasyAs123 wrote: »

I don't have big gaps so much as crowded/overlapping teeth and the two wisdom teeth on the bottom which are half covered in skin and keep getting infected, so anything but the front teeth is problematic

Honestly, I'm mid thirties and I have tried...

My husband had wisdom teeth that kept getting infected. Since using the waterpik he hasnt had that problem. We have both the static and travel machines. The travel one doesn't have as high a pressure, has a smaller tank and is also more cumbersome to use than the static one

Toothsmith

Ricky Gervaise played a dentist in a film a few years ago (Forget the title)

He had a great line.....

"Only floss the ones you want to keep"

There is no magic to interdental cleaning. It takes time, and faffing.

Floss isn't always best (in fact it rarely is!) but the various little interdental brushes you can get are usually the most efficient ways. I have seen no machine that does it better than that.

Everybody is different, so no one way will be good for everybody - it is best to get, and act on, the personal advice you get from your dentist or hygienist.

Water jets can be good if a patient has very limited mobility or dexterity.

If you have the dexterity to write your name with a pen though - interdental brushes will always do a better job. It's just a case of being bothered to.

welshdent

A rep told me (whilst trying to promote air/water flossers) that it isnt as good as flossing but it is better than nothing!

Murphybear

Toothsmith wrote: »

Ricky Gervaise played a dentist in a film a few years ago (Forget the title)

He had a great line.....

"Only floss the ones you want to keep"

There is no magic to interdental cleaning. It takes time, and faffing.

Floss isn't always best (in fact it rarely is!) but the various little interdental brushes you can get are usually the most efficient ways. I have seen no machine that does it better than that.

Everybody is different, so no one way will be good for everybody - it is best to get, and act on, the personal advice you get from your dentist or hygienist.

Water jets can be good if a patient has very limited mobility or dexterity.

If you have the dexterity to write your name with a pen though - interdental brushes will always do a better job. It's just a case of being bothered to.

My hygienist told me to use the interdental brushes and spent some time showing me how to use them. I have always found traditional floss very difficult to use.