Patients frequently as us, “Which should I use, a water pick or dental floss?”
At our practice, our patients who use a water pick or dental floss, along with brushing, have cleaner teeth and a lower incidence of periodontal disease. Overall, they have healthier teeth and gums. The key is that they have to use the water pick or floss and brush regularly.
Our first recommendation to all of our patients is to brush and floss twice a day.
For patients who have periodontal disease or who have a hard time using traditional dental floss, we typically recommend using a water pick.
We recommend and sell the Waterpik Water Flosser at our office.
The Waterpik helps clean food debris and plaque from between the teeth and around the gum line by flushing water between the teeth.
Most of our patients still use regular dental floss.
Traditional floss is still the most recommended and most commonly used type of flossing system.
In terms of flossing, the Waterpik is similar to an electric toothbrush. Our patients who use an electric toothbrush, like a Sonicare, instead of a manual toothbrush, have healthier teeth and gums. So, ultimately, we would recommend using a flossing system like the Waterpik over traditional flossing.
But, regardless of what type of floss system you use, we want you to floss every day because your toothbrush only hits the tops and sides of your teeth. When you don’t floss, decay builds up between the teeth because you are not getting rid of the plaque and food debris.”
