Oral Irrigators: Useful, but Not a Substitute for Floss

Oral irrigators, first developed in 1962, have become popularized among people who hate the chore of flossing.  They are marketed as a more comfortable and easier alternative to wrapping string around your fingers and weaving them through each of the individual crevices between your teeth.  The truth is, as useful as they are for some purposes, they can only be used in addition to, but not in place of flossing in the way of overall oral health and hygiene.

An oral irrigator made by Waterpik, perhaps the most popular brand in the market.

Author: Waterpikinc, under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Removal of Particles Between Teeth

Many people have one or more what are commonly known as "food traps" in their set of teeth.  They have those gaps between the same two teeth where food particles seem to habitually get lodged.  This problem can be exacerbated in people who develop bone loss or tooth wear, which tends to enlarge the gaps and enable more food to be caught in between.

The standard recommendation for flossing is once per day.  If you eat three meals a day, and also have a snack between meals, it would be inconvenient to floss every single time, not to mention you would go through a roll of floss much faster.  Simply turning on the irrigator and running it through those gaps will save a lot of time, effort, and of course, floss.

Tonsil Stones

Tonsil stones, commonly known as tonsiliths, are round-like clusters of material that form in the crater like pockets of tonsils.  Some people have deep enough pockets that bacteria can form a three dimensional biofilm and accumulate minerals inside these gaps.  Often, they have no symptoms, though in some they have been known to cause pain similiar to a sore throat when swallowing.  They often become malodorous, and should be eliminated from the tonsil.  An oral irrigator that can shoot a powerful enough line of water to dislodge accumulated matter between teeth can also eliminate matter from a tonsil.  This is one job that floss is not capable of doing.  If you are prone to getting tonsil stones, an irrigator would be a wise investment.

Canker Sores

These non-contagious streptococcus infections can last up to a week.  They can be caused by a number of things, including stress and trauma to the inside of the mouth.  They usually come with considerable pain and sensitivity, and make eating and drinking a somewhat painful experience while they are there.  Treatment by use of an oral irrigator can reduce the life of the canker sore.  Set your irrigator to low pressure, and aim the pulse directly at the whitish center of the sore.  This will be even more effective if you use warm, salt water.

More good news - it isn't only good for treatment, but also for prevention.  If you are prone to getting canker sores, regularly pulsing around the entire gums and insides of the cheeks will reduce your risk of getting them.

Not a Replacement for Floss

As shown above, the oral irrigator can perform more than one function that floss is not capable of.  Where their duties loosely converge is the elimination of particles from between the teeth.  However, in that duty, it can assist, but not replace floss.  When you floss, you accomplish three tasks - you remove particles between the gaps of your teeth, which is the most visible part.  However, you also remove the layer of biofilm both above and below the gum line.  An oral irrigator simply cannot effectively clean below the gum line, and it cannot rid the biofilm layer on the sides of the tooth the way floss can.  Cleaning below the gum line is critically essential to preventing gum disease.

Oral irrigators come in many brands and a wide range of prices.  They have different pulsing options, both in quality and quantity.  If you are prone to any of the above conditions, or even if you aren't...they can be good for prevention of problems and a good assistor to floss.