Excellent oral care is a necessity to preserve your natural teeth and gum health, but did you know that dental health is linked to general health and wellbeing? Believe it or not, your oral cavity could be responsible for bacterial infections that can affect your whole body, including your heart health. Your best defence against bacteria is brushing and flossing twice a day but for many people, flossing is often neglected, leading to cavities and dental decay. Using a water flosser can simplify your oral care routine and make it more efficient. And, if you’ve never used a water pik before, we’ll explain how water flosser tips can make your dental life so much easier.
The Importance Of Flossing
Brushing correctly does a great job at keeping the largest surfaces of your teeth clean and free of plaque. But there are parts of your teeth that a toothbrush cannot reach, such as the spaces between your teeth and below your gum line. The only way to access these areas is by flossing regularly.
The Benefits Of Water Flossers Over String Floss
There are lots of patients who can’t or don’t like using string dental floss – and that’s hardly surprising because it does require some special technique to get it right. Furthermore, not everyone can use dental floss easily:
- People with sensitive gums may find that they bleed easily when using string floss
- People who do not have full mobility in their hands can find flossing uncomfortable or painful
- Children may not have mastered the art of flossing just yet
- Patients who have dental restorations such as dental implants and bridges need to take flossing very seriously and ensure they clean around their restorations as thoroughly as possible. Using a water flosser can give you peace of mind that this is being done properly.
- Patients who have had gum disease also need to ensure they improve their dental hygiene, particularly if periodontal pockets have developed.
In these circumstances, water flossers can take care of the important job of keeping your teeth plaque-free. Water flossers can make flossing fun for people of all ages, simplifying the task and making it much more likely that you will do it twice a day.
So, How Easy Is It To Use A Waterpik?
Waterpiks are suitable for all ages. All you really need to do is set yourself up in a convenient place, ideally in front of the bathroom mirror. Some waterpiks can be used in the shower too, however, flossing over the bathroom basin is easy enough.
For young children, it is recommended that parents let them sit on their lap while they learn the technique. This creates a positive environment and gives them a chance to supervise the process.
Water Flosser Tips To Improve Your Dental Hygiene
Standard Water Flosser Tips To Complement Brushing
If you do not have any special dental needs, you can use a standard water flosser tip to keep your teeth clean and your mouth plaque-free. All you need to do is hold the water flosser tip at a 90-degree angle and guide it around each tooth. This should be done twice a day, and it can be done before or after brushing.
Orthodontic Water Flosser Tips
Patients who wear braces are under extra pressure to keep their teeth plaque-free because wearing orthodontics makes it difficult to clean between each tooth.
Water flossers with an orthodontic tip are designed for patients who wear braces, making it easier and quicker to clean around brackets and wires. Using a water flosser with an orthodontic tip gives you the double action of removing plaque and rinsing your mouth.
Toothbrush Tips
A Waterpik toothbrush tip resembles an electric toothbrush in appearance, in that it brushes your teeth and then uses jets of water to clean between each tooth. Pulsing water jets are much gentler on the gums and will not cause abrasion. They also require less dexterity to use, because you only have to hold the tip close to your teeth and direct it, in order for it to flush out food particles, debris and plaque deposits. This makes these tips suitable for use by children and people who have limited dexterity in their hands.
Plaque-Seeking Tips
Some waterpik tips are highly specialised in plaque removal. If you have dental restorations, then this tip could help you to remove any plaque that accumulates around them.
Tongue Cleaning Tips
Plaque doesn’t only settle on your teeth; this sticky film also covers the soft tissue in your mouth, like your tongue. The tongue can harbour a lot of bacteria, contributing to bad breath and creating a breeding ground for plaque. Tongue cleaning tips use a gentle scraping action that is soft enough on your tongue but tough on plaque.
Pocket Tips For Water Flossers
If you have had gum disease and periodontal pockets have developed, you are at greater risk of further infection. When you have periodontal pockets, your risks include accumulating more bacteria, more plaque development, susceptibility to future infections and bone loss. Using pocket tips on water flossers gives you a deeper and more thorough clean that removes more bacteria. String floss cannot clean out periodontal pockets like water flossers with pocket tips.
To find out more about which water flosser tips are best for your dental hygiene needs, or to schedule an appointment for a check-up, please contact us for an appointment: (02) 9159 6237.