Oral Irrigator: Applications & Health Benefits

The oral irrigator is used for dental care and oral hygiene. It works with one or more fine water jets, the pressure forces of which can gently loosen food debris from between the teeth, as well as loose plaque and plaque. However, extended dental care with the oral irrigator does not claim to replace tooth brushing. However, according to dental findings, the oral irrigator, together with the use of dental floss, is an ideal complement to tooth brushing.

What is the oral irrigator?

Oral irrigators are used to clean teeth more thoroughly and are similar in form to electric toothbrushes. Although the operation of the oral irrigator has been steadily perfected in recent years, the principle remains the same. All types of oral irrigators require electricity and a water reservoir to produce one or more fine jets of water to clean the gums. Between the fine gaps of the teeth, even after thorough brushing, there are often still unwanted materials such as food residues, which can be removed gently, gently but still thoroughly with the help of an oral irrigator. The impact of the water jet on such food residues immediately blasts them out and they can be rinsed out after use. The operation of the oral irrigator has shown that it is also useful for very hard-to-reach, narrowly spaced interdental spaces. These particular narrow spaces sometimes cannot be reached even by dental floss. However, the use of an oral irrigator to clean teeth is not necessarily medically necessary, so its use remains controversial to this day. Even among dentists, there are proponents and opponents of its use. The use of the oral irrigator is considered a wellness treatment. However, it can give the subjective feeling of a complete cleaning of teeth and gums.

Forms, types and types

The oral irrigator was invented in 1962 by Mattingly, an American engineer, in close collaboration with Moyer, a dentist. Today, oral irrigators of various shapes, types and styles are widely used around the world and produced by many different manufacturers. It is usually a durable product, a life and use of several years is normal and also desired by the customer. Today, mainly multi-jet models are on the market, which are also supposed to fulfill a certain massage function for the gums. In terms of purchase costs, single-jet models are considered to be particularly favorable. Gum massage is only possible to a limited extent. Oscillating models provide additional cleaning potential due to the special treatment of the waterjet pressure. With a so-called subgingival nozzle as an attachment, additional mouth rinsing solution can be introduced into the gum pockets. Furthermore, typical extensions are attachments for tongue cleaning and nasal rinsing.

Design and mode of operation

Oral irrigators work on the principle of vibration and pressure. There have been long experiments to find out what water pressure and number of vibrations are ideal for cleaning interdental spaces and gums. For this reason, studies were carried out which concluded that water pressure between 0.7 and 6.3 bar with a number of vibrations of 750 to 1300 per minute must be generated in order to achieve an optimal cleaning effect. Only oral irrigators that meet these criteria are recommended by the German Society for Dental Hygiene for supplementary tooth cleaning. The combination of pressure and water oscillation allows effective post-cleaning to a depth of 6 millimeters after brushing. This makes the oral irrigator superior to mechanical cleaning options such as interdental brushes or toothpicks. Since many oral irrigators are equipped with rechargeable batteries, convenient cordless use is also possible. In addition to natural dentition, an oral irrigator can of course also be used to clean crowns, braces, bridges or implants well.

Medical and health benefits

The biggest avoidable risks of using an oral irrigator are setting the pressure too high, which risks injuring gum pockets. In addition, devices that are not cleaned and maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications can become significantly germy over time.If micro-injuries to the gums occur during use with such a germ-infected oral irrigator, then germs can be introduced into the bloodstream, which in the worst case can lead to sepsis (blood poisoning) or inflammation of the heart valves. At the beginning of use, slight bleeding of the gums may well occur, but this will disappear after a few weeks of proper use. The medical benefit of oral irrigators is mainly prophylaxis by reducing the established biofilm on teeth and gums. By preventing periodontitis, diabetics in particular benefit from the use of the oral irrigator. The gums are gently massaged, bad breath is reduced and the bacterial pocket environment is enriched with oxygen, which in turn contributes to oral hygiene. In dental terms, the oral irrigator is considered the treatment of choice for patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. If medically indicated, the lukewarm water for use in the oral irrigator can also be enriched with additives. In the case of inflammation, germ-reducing rinsing solutions, for example in the form of chlorhexidine, have proven effective for supportive periodontitis therapy or for effective prevention of implant bed inflammation.