Have you ever heard of a water pick for your teeth? These ingenious little devices are excellent for clearing away food debris between your teeth after a meal, and they’re quickly gaining dentists’ praise around the globe. Like flossing, a waterpik can be utilized to clean the space between your teeth. A waterpik has a few benefits over standard floss, but the MayoClinic.com currently suggests that waterpik use shouldn’t be a complete substitute for flossing. Here are some of the benefits that a waterpik has to offer:
Keep Your Gums Happy, Healthy, and Pain-Free
Gum disease can be a drag. With many gum diseases, the flesh of the gums can become tender and easy to break. Waterpiks are unique in the fact that they actively clean the gums and clear them of harmful bacteria; at the same time, waterpiks are gentle and shouldn’t agitate sensitive gums. If your gums are especially sensitive, if you have bleeding gums, or if you have gum disease, a waterpik may aid you in boosting your oral health and cleaning out your mouth.
Reach Hard to Reach Places
Dental floss is great, but it isn’t perfect. Although dental floss is ideal for clearing the space between your teeth of plaque, it’s inferior at cleaning deep down into the gum line. Our gums are a bit flawed in that they don’t entirely cling to the surface of the teeth that they cover; instead, our gums loosely cover our teeth at this crucial juncture. This is unfortunate because bacteria and debris can easily accumulate in this tiny gap, and it’s hard to clean this space – and nearly impossible with dental floss. A waterpik, fortunately, can dig into these tiny bacteria reservoirs and clear them out.
In short, a waterpik is an excellent addition to your dental cleaning toolkit. However, it certainly isn’t a replacement for dental floss and brushing. This dentist’s advice, consider adding a waterpik to your dental hygiene routine.