Proper dental cleaning is indispensable for good dental health. Especially for cleaning the interdental spaces, an oral irrigator can be a useful helper. Does an oral irrigator thus replace dental floss? And what should be considered when using and cleaning oral irrigators? Here you get tips around the function and handling of oral irrigators.
Why thorough dental care is important
Often, dental care focuses on exposed tooth surfaces. However, cleaning the spaces between teeth is at least as important, as these areas account for approximately 30 percent of the total tooth surface. Plaque can form there just as it does on the surfaces of the teeth. Food debris accumulates between the teeth throughout the day. Since normal brushing often does not reach all parts of the tooth, bacteria can often multiply unnoticed in the interdental spaces. This can lead to inflammation of the gums and caries formation.
Oral irrigators for cleaning the interdental spaces
In terms of thorough cleaning of the interdental spaces, it makes no difference whether you use a regular toothbrush or an electric toothbrush. Helpful in cleaning narrow interdental spaces is therefore dental floss. For somewhat larger interdental spaces, interdental brushes can be used. Complementary to these tooth cleaning methods can be used oral irrigators, which are particularly helpful in certain situations.
What is an oral irrigator?
Oral irrigators are used as an aid in daily oral hygiene, using a jet of water to quickly and easily remove food debris and loose plaque from teeth and interdental spaces. Oral irrigators do not replace the use of a toothbrush, but unlike dental floss, they can reach difficult places, such as under bridges or implants.
What are the benefits of an oral irrigator?
Regular use of an oral irrigator to supplement tooth brushing is said to offer the following benefits:
- Elimination of food residues
- Reduction of bad breath
- Prophylaxis and, if necessary, even alleviation of gingivitis.
- Rinse poorly accessible areas for people with implants or bridges.
- Cleaning of teeth and interdental spaces in people with fixed braces or dentures.
- Alternative to flossing for the elderly and people with limited mobility.
- Less application time than dental floss
- General improvement of oral and dental hygiene
Studies suggest that an oral irrigator, in addition to brushing teeth, can be effective in helping to prevent gingivitis.
What types of oral irrigators are available?
There are several types of oral irrigators available:
- An oral irrigator that connects directly to the faucet with a hose does not require a water tank and thus has no problems with bacteria buildup in the water tank – unlike stationary models. Such models are usually cheaper, but require close proximity to a (suitable) faucet.
- A stationary electric oral irrigator is often somewhat larger, usually has a removable water tank, but does not allow great flexibility in some cases due to the hose and the necessary proximity to a power outlet. For hygienic reasons, the water tank should be cleaned regularly.
- In contrast, a mobile oral irrigator (travel oral irrigator) is powered either by a rechargeable battery or battery and has an integrated water tank, so there is no need for a cable and hose. However, the water tank is smaller than in stationary models and must also be cleaned regularly.
Note differences in the water jet
There are also differences in terms of the water jet: there are oral irrigators with a single water jet, which can rinse targeted food debris from the interdental spaces by bundling. Furthermore, however, there are also devices with a multi-jet setting, which have a massaging effect on the gums and thus have a preventive effect against gingivitis. In many models, the strength of the water jet is adjustable, and there are also variants with pulsating or rotating jet.
Accessories and accessories
In addition, some oral irrigators allow certain antibacterial additives to be mixed into the water and thus introduced into the gum pockets with pinpoint accuracy.Furthermore, various attachment nozzles are often included in the accessories or are available separately, for example for wearers of fixed braces.
Which is the best oral irrigator?
Meanwhile, a variety of different oral irrigators is available. In addition to well-known brands such as Braun (Oral-B), Panasonic or Philips, there are also oral irrigators from lesser-known suppliers such as Waterpik to buy. In a study, larger stand-alone devices performed better in comparison. Each oral irrigator has different features. Which type of device you choose as a user depends decisively on the result you want to achieve and which type of oral irrigator is best suited for the application. Due to the constantly growing number of offers, one should first compare current test results before buying or carry out a test oneself, for example at the dentist.
How do I use an oral irrigator?
The handling of an oral irrigator is uncomplicated. If one uses an oral irrigator for the first time or possesses sensitive gums, one should pay attention with the function to set first a low pressure of the water jet, in order to avoid injuries of the gums. If you already know how to use an oral irrigator, the water jet can be increased to a medium pressure range if you have healthy gums. During use, the water jet must be directed away from the gums in the direction of the tooth crown as far as possible in order to remove plaque. The water jet can then be directed towards the gum pockets so that further deposits are rinsed out there. With high-quality oral irrigators, you can choose between a cleaning or massage mode. By means of a timer, the duration of the cleaning process can be monitored to avoid overstressing the gums.
How often should you use an oral irrigator?
Mouthwash should be used daily in the morning and evening before or better after brushing teeth. But you can also use the oral irrigator in between, for example, to remove annoying food debris.
How do I clean my oral irrigator?
Follow these tips to clean your oral irrigator hygienically:
- After each use, oral irrigators should be rinsed with hot water and dried with a cloth to prevent limescale buildup.
- Disinfection of the device is necessary at regular intervals to prevent the proliferation of bacteria, viruses or other germs in the nozzle or hose.
- Supporting a simple mouth rinse solution can be used to clean the mouthpiece or handpiece. It is recommended for stationary oral irrigators to fill the cleaning solution directly into the water tank. The cleaning agent can then be rinsed out again through the hose.
- For models with water tank, this should be cleaned regularly – preferably at high temperatures in the dishwasher.
Bad breath: what to do?
Which is better: oral irrigator or dental floss?
You can use both dental floss and just an oral irrigator to remove irritating food debris from between your teeth. Flossing is often found to be cumbersome and time-consuming to use. For “flossers”, the oral irrigator is therefore popular as a quick and convenient alternative. However, unlike the use of an oral irrigator, flossing does not involve any cleaning effort. The oral irrigator can also be an alternative to flossing in the following cases:
- For wide tooth spacing, the oral irrigator is more suitable than dental floss.
- Especially for people who wear fixed braces or dentures and can hardly reach the teeth and interdental spaces with a toothbrush and dental floss, an oral irrigator is therefore an important tool for cleaning teeth.
- Even with bridges or implants, the use of an oral irrigator is advisable, because just the hard-to-reach spaces under crowns and dentures can be rinsed specifically.
- Sometimes so-called tonsil stones (tonsil stones) form in the area of the tonsils in the throat due to the deposition of food residues, which lead to strong bad breath. Here, the oral irrigator can provide relief by directing the water jet of the oral irrigator specifically to the pharynx and thus the tonsil stones are rinsed out.
- Even for people with gingivitis, the careful use of an oral irrigator can relieve the symptoms and act preventively.
- People with limited mobility or the elderly, for whom flossing is more difficult, can minimize the risks of dental disease with the help of an oral irrigator.
Basically, to clean teeth in a healthy dentition, you should use a combination of electric toothbrush with sonic or ultrasonic, oral irrigator and dental floss to achieve the best possible cleaning result.
For whom is an oral irrigator unsuitable?
In acute gingivitis, small injuries in the mouth or periodontitis, it is better to refrain from using an oral irrigator, otherwise it could worsen. At most, the oral irrigator can be used carefully and with low pressure in such cases, for example to gently massage the gums. Dental floss and interdental brushes are then more suitable for cleaning the interdental spaces. People with an increased risk of endocarditis (inflammation of the inner wall of the heart), for example people with heart defects or artificial heart valves, are generally advised against using oral irrigators. This is because there is a risk that the endocarditis pathogens will be carried from the oral cavity into the bloodstream by the oral irrigator.
Conclusion: is an oral irrigator useful – yes or no?
Oral irrigators are quite useful when used correctly and can be used as a supplement to the toothbrush. Especially if you rarely use dental floss or its use is not possible, so you can not clean the interdental spaces regularly, the purchase of an oral irrigator is recommended. Oral and dental hygiene can be significantly improved by regular use of an oral irrigator. However, under no circumstances should the oral irrigator replace the toothbrush – and in the best case, not even the dental floss.
