The best water flossers work by blasting tiny jets of water along the gumline and between the teeth, clearing away plaque and debris while being gentler on gums than running a few feet of traditional dental floss between your teeth. While the learning curve might be a bit splashy, once you get to grips with how these gadgets work, they’re a game-changer. I’d go as far as to say that, much like making the swap to an electric toothbrush, you’ll never go back to manual.
But are they actually an effective replacement for the string? To find out, I spoke to expert cosmetic dentist Dr Jinesh Thakrar. “If someone refuses to use string floss, using a water flosser is certainly better than doing nothing,” he explains. He notes that water flossers are a highly viable alternative that aim to disrupt the “oral biofilm” – the plaque-like bacterial layer that builds up along the gumline. Dr Thakrar points out that they are particularly great for those with braces, bridges or implants, as the pressurised stream reaches areas string can’t get to.
