Use A Water Flosser Over String Floss? This Dentist Has Bad News

I’m going to be too honest here: I only recently started properly flossing my teeth using the gumline method we’ve written about before.

That’s because, like a lot of people, I thought a simple in-out floss was enough to get my gnashers clean. In fact, it took a dential hygeinist’s video to encourage me to change my ways. 

And dentistry clinic Provident Dentistry might do the same for those of you who use a water flosser over the string kind. 

In a TikTok, the professionals responded to a comment which read, “would you recommend a water flosser?”

A dentist at the clinic began their video by saying, “A  water flosser alone is not usually enough.” 

Why not?

The clinic showed a model set of teeth with some purple “gunk” stuck in between some of its molars. 

“Imagine this purple stuff here is like plaque on your tooth,” a dentist explained. “When you’re using a water flosser, it will remove food, but not the sticky stuff.” 

When they tried the string floss using the “C-route method” we referenced above, though, the “plaque” lifted cleanly out. 

“You need that mechanical action,” the dentist explained. “You think of plaque as like algae on a rock in a fish tank ― you need a little bit of a mechanical action to get that sticky plaque off.” 

Healthline seems to agree, writing, “The rinsing action of [water flossers] may not be enough to remove plaque completely from the surface of your teeth.” 

Should I give it up completely?

Provident Dentistry said, “If you like using a water flosser, you can continue to use it, but just make sure that you alternate it with string floss… I often tell my patients you can use water flossers one day, and then string floss the next.” 

Additionally, Colgate says that “People with arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, or other conditions that affect the hands may find it hard to use string floss around the teeth.” They might find a water flosser easier.

A water flosser is always far, far better than nothing ― it can also be useful for those with braces, bridges, implants, crowns, and more.

A study published in Dentistry Journal found that “Oral irrigators are a promising tool for reducing gingival inflammation,” even “despite minimal changes to plaque levels.” 

“For cleaning around dental implants, oral irrigators and interdental brushes are preferred over floss,” the paper adds. 

Listen to your dentist’s advice if you’re not sure or if you have specific dental needs ― but otherwise, to banish stubborn plaque, you might want to add in some string floss too.