The well-known oral irrigators in the past were always a product reserved only for health professionals. Surely you have already gone through that procedure and experienced the efficiency of the devices.
How to forget that jet of pressurized water to clean the residues of the procedure? Considering getting one of these products was not a tangible reality, due to the exclusivity, the good thing is that this option is now obsolete.
Thanks to advances and changes in everyday life, many of the things that once seemed unattainable are now possible. Today you can get oral irrigators, perhaps in smaller sizes so that you can apply them in a particular way.
These products have come to stay with us, thanks to the positive feedback they have received from users. This clearly starts a market in which all brands compete to offer the best product with which you can get a much more professional oral hygiene in the comfort of your home.
According to studies, for an effective oral cleaning, you must have a good brushing, in addition to this, you must apply dental floss and mouthwash. If you comply with the three cleaning methods in the corresponding order, you will be able to achieve a 10/10 effectiveness.
Brushing is essential, a correct brushing with a suitable toothpaste will leave the surface of our teeth impeccable, but it is important to know that although this is effective to leave our teeth shiny, it is not enough to keep our whole mouth in perfect condition.
Remember that in the interdental areas there can be an accumulation of food that will end up proliferating bacteria. That is why we will give you solutions so that you can treat this type of problem.
One of the 3 musketeers, dental floss is used to reach those areas where brushing cannot. If used correctly dental floss can prevent the appearance of bacterial plaque in our interdental areas, thus avoiding periodontal complications.
Within this, we can find variants such as nylon dental floss, which is formed by multiple filaments or PTFE dental floss, which only has one waxed filament.
Starting with nylon floss, this is formed by several strands, which can be waxed or not, it all depends on the one you buy. This product is usually very economical.
On the other hand, the PTFE dental floss is a single waxed strand. This allows it to slide better between the teeth. Its value is a little more expensive than the previous case, but it is much more resistant than the previous one so it is less likely to damage us.
Using dental floss properly requires a bit of dexterity. This goes a little further than just inserting them into our teeth and moving them in a vertical direction to clean the interdental spaces, but also going around the teeth to remove tartar that may accumulate under the gum lines.
Now that you have more knowledge about dental floss and its uses, we want to tell you a little about the dental irrigator that we were discussing earlier.
The dental irrigator is similar to the already known dental floss. It is part of the same way in our procedure to clean our teeth and mouth. Performing a proper cleaning will help us not to have to visit the doctors for infections or dental diseases. This could lead to heart problems, strokes or lung diseases. Did you know about this?
This product has become a substitute. It is very similar to the already known electric toothbrush, but it has a variant. Instead of having a brush, there is a nozzle that is in charge of expelling water jets under pressure.
These jets have the option to be regulated depending on the intensity you need, either more or less power. By means of water pulses, the objective of this product is to remove the remaining food accumulated in all those places that the brush cannot access.
Dental irrigators are more efficient than dental floss when it comes to cleaning brackets properly. Studies have shown that oral irrigators can be three times more effective than regular dental floss, especially in orthodontics. If we make a comparison with the conventional toothbrush, it is five times more effective in getting rid of all the bacterial plaque. It is also less harmful to our gums, which is essential to prevent bleeding.
By offering the possibility of regulating the water pressure, it can be more easily directed to the remaining gums or teeth. For people who use braces, this product makes it easier for them to wash through the wires to completely remove the remaining food that often accumulates.
Although this product is sensational and allows you to reach places that the traditional toothbrush does not, it still does not become a substitute for it. Therefore, you should continue to apply the conventional brushing correctly two or three times a day, especially if you have braces and then if you wish, you can complement the brushing with the irrigator to make sure you clean even more all the areas.
You should also keep in mind the number of times you want to use the irrigator, it is recommended only once a day.
One point to keep in mind when using either of these two products is that, as we have already mentioned, they require some skill to be able to perform an ideal application and thus obtain the best results when it comes to maintaining excellent oral hygiene.
The disadvantages are already known, on the one hand dental floss can cause bleeding and pain in the gums, a risk that is not run when using the dental irrigator.
With the dental irrigator on the other hand it is very easy to lose focus when irrigating. When using the irrigator you should be leaning towards the sink drain so that all the water that is coming out can be drained from the mouth in the rinsing process. This can be a little uncomfortable, especially if we need to see the area we want to clean.
Knowing how each cleaning mechanism works, it is evident which one is the most effective, but we will present some advantages and disadvantages of both. In this comparison, the frequency with which both methods are applied is the same, only once a day, either in the morning or at night.
● It is economical.
● Easy to carry everywhere. It can be carried anywhere or even in your pocket.
● A complete complement when you want to have good oral hygiene on a daily basis.
● Easy to break.
● Can cause damage to the gums.
● Can cause bleeding.
● Cannot be applied if you use implants, orthodontic treatments or braces.
● Not a refreshing product.
● Cannot be applied in all interdental spaces, especially if they are located in the molars.
● The water jet can be applied with good pressure even in the deepest areas of the mouth.
● You can regulate the pressure and even the water pulses, which allows for greater versatility depending on the area we are cleaning.
● Due to the pressure it has, it is effective in removing tartar and food residue even in areas where dental floss could cause damage.
● You can control the temperature of the water whether it is cold or warm, and you can even add mouthwash to the tank and then apply it, which allows it to have more than one function.
● It produces a sensation of cleanliness in our mouths.
● It does not cause pain.
● It is an expensive product.
● Not all models are practical to transport to other places. So you could not take it to the office if you wanted to.
● The models that are fixed to the table do not allow free mobility since they must be connected through cables.
If we talk about effectiveness and comfort, the irrigator would take the medal in this presentation. Even so, dental floss still fulfills its function of eliminating the remaining food between the teeth.
Whatever product you can or decide to use, the important thing is to maintain good oral hygiene through the right methods. Also remember that although each one offers you a different effectiveness.
You can complement one with the other. Apply irrigator when you are at home and when you need to go out, take the dental floss with you to keep your mouth healthy.
