Are Waterpiks as effective as flossing?

After initially getting a Waterpik, I almost gave up on flossing before returning to it very recently. Are Waterpiks as effective as flossing? Yes and No. Yes, because they indeed are just as effective when it comes to cleaning your teeth of particles and to actually getting it done even faster and sometimes even more efficiently. No, because they simply cannot get rid of plaque as well as flossing does and therefore remain incomplete on their own.

Overall, it might be argued that Flossing and the Waterpik go hand-in-hand and none of them should really be ignored. To find out the exact benefits that each of these give you over the other, and the exact details as to why you might want to continue using both of them for now, make sure that you read till the very end.

What benefits do Waterpiks provide me with?

There are actually quite a few benefits that Waterpiks provide you with- in fact, Waterpik claims to be,

• 51% more effective than dental floss for reducing gingivitis
• 2X as effective as dental floss at reducing gingival bleeding
• 29% more effective as dental floss at removing plaque

But, even if one ignores these technical details there sure are a handful of first-hand benefits that you can directly experience with Waterpiks, these are:

• Better Reach: One of the main benefits that waterpiks offer you over regular flossing is a much better reach. Regular floss cannot reach a lot of places, but waterpik can easily reach those, making it easier for you to ensure that you can maintain your oral hygiene a lot better.
• Easier to use: Let’s be honest, floss isn’t really easy to use for most people-including me. It is hard to hold and hard to use properly, especially if you have uneven teeth. In fact, it’s everyone that has used it not-so-well as of yet is well aware that it can actually be one of the best ways to strange your fingers. However, you can avoid all of that hassle with waterpiks, making them a great alternative when it comes to use.
• Reduced Gum Bleeding: You’re also much less likely to make your gums bleed if you’re using waterpik. Using dental floss often doesn’t go as well as we would have liked it to and the gums bleed a bit. But if you’re using waterpik, this is a much unlikelier scenario.

How effective is Flossing?

On the other side is regular floss, the tried and tested method that your dentist has always recommended and you’ve always been at least a little reluctant about. Well, as it so happens, your dentist does know more about teeth than you do! Flossing does provide you with a wide array of benefits, including, but not limited to:

• Control: Without doubt, the chief benefit of using regular floss is the amount of control you have over it in cleaning your teeth. Quoting Healthline,

The main benefit of using floss is control. Flossing manually allows you to meticulously wipe down each tooth, in an up and down motion, and to maneuver the floss between teeth.

• Plaque removal: Another really important thing about using regular floss is that it is perfect to get rid of plaque before it can turn into tartar and do irreparable damage to your teeth. This is exactly why dental professionals recommend sticking to floss even if there’s the slightest chance that other devices aren’t able to get rid of your plaque as effectively as floss does.

Are Waterpiks as effective as flossing?

Are Waterpiks as effective as flossing?. Well, as we saw earlier, the answer is a mixed one- it is in some aspects but really isn’t in a few others. Let us now draw a close comparison between flossing and waterpiks and see where each of them really shines, and then we can proceed to discuss what one might want to do at the end of the day.

• Waterpiks are better than floss when it comes to reach: There is no denial that despite being really easy to handle, floss cannot really reach every spot all that well. This is one of the main flaws that waterpiks overcome, and therefore become fairly important to maintain your dental hygiene.
• Waterpiks reduce gum bleeding: Another major advantage that waterpiks provide you with is that they really reduce gum-bleeding, and this really means a lot, especially for people who are already dealing with braces (if you’re looking for toothbrushes that would suit your braces, click here for recommendations.)
• Floss is better at getting rid of Plaque: Where floss beats waterpik is at plaque removal, most users agree that waterpik cannot really remove plaque as effectively as floss, and that’s something that you should continue to keep using floss for.
• Waterpiks are a little more expensive: It should come as no surprise to see that waterpiks are a little more expensive than regular dental floss. But at the same time, that does not mean that their price isn’t justified- in fact, far from it, it actually is a really worthwhile investment as we shall now see.

What to do at the end of the day?

Well, there are a whole range of options to choose from and it can be baffling between using either the waterpik or the floss or to use both of them. However, we would recommend using both of them because of the simple fact that their benefits seem to add up if you choose to go with that idea.

Since the waterpik is better at reaching places and the floss is better at getting rid of plaque, there is no reason to just stick to one of them and lose the benefit that the other one provides you with. So, going with both of them seems to be the most sensible option here. As Mayoclinic says,

 A water pick can help remove food particles from your teeth and might help reduce bleeding and gum disease — but it isn’t generally considered a substitute for brushing and flossing.

Conclusion

So, Are Waterpiks as effective as flossing?? At the end of the day, we now know that both the waterpik and the floss come with their own share of added benefits as well as minor disadvantages. While both of them are really great options to go with and really worthwhile investments on their own, that does not mean in any way that you have to limit yourself to either of them. On the contrary, it would seem that actually going with both of them at the same time is the best idea that seems to lie ahead.

By using both of them, you can actually get their combined benefits and therefore get all the small particles removed as well as get rid of the plaque build-up at the same time, ensuring that your dental hygiene always remains in the best possible shape. Of course, that does not mean that you can be entirely oblivious to your other needs- keep in mind the other needs that your dental health makes you take care of, ranging all the way from sensitivity to braces. You have to ensure that you do the proper research and adjust your methods according to your needs to get the best results and to keep that smile up for the longest amount of time.