Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Water Floss or String Floss?

Friday, June 15, 2012

We keep repeating - you need to floss every day to avoid plaque formation and keep your smile healthy. Problem is, most people don't like to floss.

It is really too bad. Floss is a wonderful tool for preventing oral disease, which in turn can lead to problems throughout your body. Floss is inexpensive, easily transported and pretty simple to use. But people still seem to avoid the stuff.

The alternatives includes those little plastic floss pics that you can buy at the drug store or dollar store. Same idea as floss, you just don't need to use your fingers. These are pretty effective but not quite as good as the real thing.

Water flossing sounds new but is actually a rebranding of the old Water Pik you probably used when you had braces. Water flossing is pretty effective at reducing plaque formation but does require that you stand over the sink.

A new options is the Air Flosser by Sonicare. This uses water plus a puff of air to clean between teeth. Researchers in Canada compared the Air Floss with the WaterPik and it seems that the WaterPik is slightly more effective at reducing plaque.

The most important thing - pick one that you are going to use!

Please contact Boca Raton cosmetic dentist Dr. Kenneth Mogell at 561-394-9000 today to schedule your next appointment.

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.