Which Water Flosser Is Best?
If you’re like most Americans, keeping up with your flossing is one habit you just can’t seem to keep. No matter how many times your dentist tells you to floss daily, it’s just not happening. Even though you love that fresh-from-the-dentist’s-chair-clean, it’s not enough to motivate you to pick up that floss and get to work. The great news is that now there are so many helpful and effective alternatives to flossing. Water flossers – or water picks – are an affordable and effective way for you to continue your dental health at home. You get that fresh and clean feeling daily, and you get to impress your dentist the next time you go in for a cleaning.
Why and How to Use a Water Flosser
Most dentists agree that the flossing habit you keep and actually execute properly is the best flossing habit to have. Ideally, dentists recommend traditional flossing AND water flossing, but if that sounds like too much work for you, you’re not alone. So, whether you are a traditional flosser or not, whatever keeps you in the habit is what you should go with. For this reason, water flossers are a great choice for people because they’re easy to use and are not as technique-sensitive as traditional flossing.
Traditional and water flossing are not exactly equal in terms of effectiveness, but they both have their strengths and weaknesses, which contribute to a healthy dental routine. Traditional floss typically doesn’t have the surface area reach that water flossing does. Water flossing is also a fantastic method if you have braces, which often inhibit the use of traditional floss. Either way, dentists recommend brushing first, and water flossing last.
As far as the best water-flossing technique, you’ll want to close your lips slightly over the tip of the water flosser, ensuring that water does not spray you in the face or shower your bathroom with water. You’ll want to point the water flosser’s stream down towards your gums and trace your gum line in the front and the back of both rows of teeth. This technique does take some getting used to, so be patient with yourself as you learn to twist, turn, and maneuver your water flosser. The sheer force of the water coming from the water flosser can be a surprise for some, so beware that it takes some getting used to in order to turn the tiny water gun onto yourself.
Which Water Flossers Are Best?
There are so many factors to consider when choosing a water flosser. Luckily, they are now common on the market, and no matter what your price point or priorities are, there’s a water flosser suited to meet your needs. Below are some highly-rated types of water flossers on the market today.
The Flosser That Matches Your Preferences
The water flossers that came most highly recommended by dentists and customers alike offer users personalized experiences through customized settings. According to customers and dentists, one of the most important features of these water flossers is the customizable pressure settings, which come in handy if you have sensitive gums. Some of the water flossers that were most highly rated had upwards of 10 different pressure settings.
A Water Flosser You Can Take Anywhere
For less customization, but for a lower price, portable water flossers that are battery-operated offer sleek portability that other bulkier water flossers don’t. They use about half the water that the other water flossers use, and their mechanisms are often less complicated, but this does lead to some flossers being less thorough.
The Water Flosser That Does It All
If you’re looking for a combination solution that does it all, this category of water flossers and toothbrush solutions might be for you. Retailing at higher prices than the portable flossers, these are expensive solutions, but ones that customers love for some nice features like built-in timers, adjustable water pressure, and convenience.