Chatbot Avatar

AI Chatbot

Ask me anything about the Dental Patient Forum!

v1.0.0
Notifications
Clear all

Which one actually gets your teeth cleaner: blasting with water or good ol’ string floss?

223 Posts
215 Users
0 Reactions
4,497 Views
slee95
Posts: 39
(@slee95)
Eminent Member
Joined:

But I still think there’s something about string that gets into those tight spots a water jet sometimes misses.

Totally agree with this. I’ve seen kids (and, honestly, adults too) get way more food out with string floss, especially around brackets and wires. Water flossers are awesome for rinsing out gunk you can’t reach, but if you want to really break up that stubborn plaque, string’s hard to beat. I know it’s a pain to thread it through braces, but those little floss threaders or superfloss things help a lot. My nephew hated flossing until he found a combo that worked—water flosser first, then string for the stubborn bits. Gums have looked way healthier since.


Reply
Posts: 27
(@brain61)
Eminent Member
Joined:

I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’ve seen some patients do a great job with just water flossers—especially if they’ve got dexterity issues or just won’t use string.

Water flossers are awesome for rinsing out gunk you can’t reach
—sometimes that’s enough to keep gums healthy if someone’s consistent. Not everyone can manage string every day, and I’d rather see daily water flossing than no flossing at all.


Reply
Posts: 16
(@sophien34)
Active Member
Joined:

- Seen both work, but in my experience, string floss still gets more plaque out from tight spots.
-

“Water flossers are awesome for rinsing out gunk you can’t reach”
—agreed, especially for folks with braces or arthritis.
- Had a patient who switched to water flossing daily after struggling with string. Gums improved a ton—way better than when they weren’t flossing at all.
- If it’s between water flosser every day or string once a week, I’d pick the water flosser. Consistency matters more than the tool sometimes.
- Still, if you can manage it, string + water flosser combo is hard to beat...


Reply
megan_skater
Posts: 19
(@megan_skater)
Eminent Member
Joined:

String floss always seemed to get stuck or shred between my teeth, so I gave up on it for a while. Tried a water flosser and yeah, it’s not perfect, but my gums bled way less and it actually made me want to keep at it. I figure doing something every day beats doing nothing or struggling with string once a week...


Reply
Posts: 38
(@gamer56)
Eminent Member
Joined:

Tried a water flosser and yeah, it’s not perfect, but my gums bled way less and it actually made me want to keep at it. I figure doing something every day beats doing nothing or struggling with s...

Totally get where you’re coming from. I used to buy the cheap floss and it’d always shred or get stuck, which honestly just made me avoid flossing altogether. Tried a water flosser when it was on sale and yeah, maybe it doesn’t get every little bit, but like you said, “doing something every day beats doing nothing.” My gums stopped bleeding as much too. I figure as long as I’m not breaking the bank and my mouth feels cleaner, it’s a win.


Reply
Page 24 / 45
Share:
Scroll to Top