What is a Waterpik (water flosser)?

A wa-ter flo-sser is a device that allows you to shoot a stream of water at and in between your teeth in order to dislodge anything unreachable by a toothbrush, and to clean off plaque.

They have become extremely popular in recent years due to their ease of use and widespread acclaim as a viable alternative to flossing.

Wa-ter flo-ssers make use of a small tank of water that either sits on the countertop and is connected to the device by a cord, or they have an even smaller reservoir of water attached to the device itself allowing for cordless use.

It is a widely held belief in the dentistry community that traditional dental floss is the most effective tool for cleaning between teeth and gums, but what about the wa-ter flo-sser?

Both traditional dental floss and wa-ter flo-ssers are considered to be extremely effective at cleaning plaque and food out from between teeth and gums, and preventing gum disease such as gingivitis.

There are a few points of contention as to which is best at what, but here’s what we think:

The wa-ter flo-sser is better at removing food and plaque from places dental floss can’t reach. For example: under and around braces, in certain spots under the gums that are too sensitive to rub with dental floss, and other hard to access areas.

Dental floss is overall more efficient at ‘spot cleaning’ plaque, as dental floss ‘wipes’ the plaque away whereas wa-ter flo-ssers merely ‘rinse’ the area.

Despite the love for dental floss by experts in the community, there have been a number of studies comparing the two methods and the main conclusions have been: