Is the oral irrigator useful? Is it just a waste of money?

As the saying goes, "Toothache is not a disease, but it can be fatal." It is very important to have a good set of teeth.

There are too many corners and edges of our teeth that cannot be brushed, and it is difficult to take care of them completely by brushing alone. Over time, dental calculus will form, bringing a series of health risks: tooth decay, periodontitis, gum recession, etc.

As the name suggests, the water flosser is used for flushing teeth. It is said to be a home version of teeth cleaning. Regular use can prevent the formation of dental tartar.

However, this product has not been used in China for a long time, and I believe everyone must have some questions about it: Is the oral irrigator effective? How should it be used? Is it a waste of money?

We have compiled some popular questions about water flossers and would like to give you unified answers.

01 Is the oral irrigator useful? The oral irrigator, like toothpicks, dental floss and interdental brushes, is an auxiliary cleaning tool for cleaning the oral cavity.

The principle is to spray the water in the water tank out from the tip of the nozzle in a pressurized form, which can clean the soft plaque and food residues between the teeth that cannot be cleaned by a normal toothbrush.

Many studies have shown that water flossers are quite effective in removing dental plaque.

02 Do I need to buy an oral irrigator after buying an electric toothbrush? We can think of a tooth as a cuboid. In addition to the root side, the tooth has five sides:

The occlusal surface for chewing food, the labial (buccal) surface, the lingual (palatal) surface, and the two surfaces adjacent to the front and back teeth.

A toothbrush can clean the occlusal surface, labial and buccal surface, and lingual and palatal surface, but it is powerless to clean the mesial and distal adjacent surfaces.

At the gum margin of the tooth, the toothbrush can only enter the 0.5mm area within the gingival sulcus, and cannot enter the deep part of the gingival sulcus.

Therefore, cleaning with a toothbrush alone is not enough. Cleaning between teeth still requires the use of auxiliary tools, such as dental floss, interdental brushes and water flossers.

Using them together will be much better than using them alone and can clean teeth more effectively.

03 Which is better, an electric toothbrush or a regular toothbrush + water flosser? Using both together will produce a better cleaning effect.

The Bass brushing method + water flosser is the method we recommend, especially for children and teenagers. It can avoid damaging teeth by using electric toothbrushes too frequently and can also provide better cleaning.

Of course, if you are an adult who is not used to the Bass brushing method, the effect of using an electric toothbrush + an oral irrigator will be better than using an electric toothbrush alone.

But please note: water flossers cannot replace brushing with a toothbrush! Water flossers are only auxiliary and must be used with a toothbrush!

04 Is there any difference between using an oral irrigator and having your teeth cleaned at a dental clinic? The difference is huge!

The water flosser uses instantaneous water pressure to flush away food residue on teeth. It is not considered a medical device and is not very useful for tartar that has accumulated over the years.

Teeth cleaning is the use of an ultrasonic dental cleaning machine to remove tartar, plaque, etc. attached to the patient's teeth.

After ultrasonic cleaning, tools are needed to remove missed tartar. When cleaning tartar, a sandblasting system will be used to flush out the cleaned tartar.

Some people may have tartar-like particles fall off after using the water flosser, but that is just some surface tartar or soft plaque that has not yet taken root. For real stubborn tartar, you still have to go to the hospital for treatment.

05 Can an oral irrigator replace dental floss/interdental brushes? An oral irrigator cannot completely solve the problem of food stuck in teeth, so it cannot completely replace dental floss/interdental brushes.

Among the supplementary tools for brushing teeth, ordinary dental floss, interdental brushes and water flossers each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and their functions do not completely overlap.

Ordinary dental floss

It can clean the two adjacent surfaces and the subgingival of the adjacent surfaces, and the cost is very low. However, it cannot clean the subgingival of the labial and lingual sides, and it emphasizes the method. If used improperly, it may cause gum damage, swelling and pain.

Interdental brush

Interdental brushes can also clean adjacent surfaces of teeth and are relatively easy to use. However, due to size issues, they cannot provide deep cleaning under the gums of adjacent surfaces, and due to the soft nature of the material, they are not very convenient for cleaning the back teeth.

06 Is it normal for the gums to bleed when using an oral irrigator? If you find bleeding gums when using it, it is recommended to first determine whether there is inflammation. If it is gingivitis or periodontitis, you need to stop using it, otherwise it will get worse.

If it is caused by pressure, it is recommended to lower the water pressure to an appropriate level before use.

07 Is it suitable for children to use children's water flossers? It is not recommended for young children to use water flossers.

If there is a lot of soft plaque on the surface of young children's teeth and it cannot be cleaned by daily brushing, you can ask a professional pediatric dentist to help. They will use a slow-speed dental turbine with a small grinding head called "silicon ion" to clean the child's teeth.

This method is painless and non-destructive, and can effectively remove pigments and old soft plaque (plaque) on children's teeth.

08 How to use the oral irrigator correctly? 1. For the first time use, it is recommended to set the gear from weak to strong.

2. Select the appropriate position of the punch. If a unified punch is used, you can point the punch slightly toward the tooth and gently press it against the tooth surface or gums.

It is not recommended to keep the brush head too far away. If the distance is too far, the water column will become larger and may be dispersed to the gums. Excessive water pressure may cause bleeding gums.

The above is our popular science about water flossers. If you have any questions, please leave a message in the comment section~

References: [1] Feng Yan, Lin Liangqin, Chen Ruibin, et al. Evaluation of the effect of pulse water flosser on inhibiting dental plaque and gingivitis[J]. Journal of Fujian Medical University, 2012, 46(3): 212-214.

[2] Zhong Chunmei, Ge Yuanshu, Zhou Jia. Evaluation of the effect of water flosser on oral hygiene maintenance in fixed orthodontic patients[J]. Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing, 2010, 26(14): 61-63.

[3]Xie Ning, Ding Xiaojun. Water flosser improves periodontal tissue during fixed orthodontic treatment[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2012, 19(4):433-434.

[4] Zhou Quan, Xu Juguang. Comparison of the effects of water flosser and interdental brush in periodontal maintenance[J]. Zhejiang Practical Medicine, 2014(1):54-55.

[5] Sharma NC , Lyle DM , Qaqish JG , et al. Effect of a dental water jet with orthodontic tip on plaque and bleeding in adolescent patients with fixed orthodontic appliances[J]. American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics, 2008, 133(4):565-571.

[6] https://www.zhihu.com/question/385465810/answer/1344138487