Water Flossing Vs Mouthwash
Water Flossing
Water flossing is a type of dental flossing in which water is used as the floss in place of the traditional string floss.
Water flossing like traditional flossing,removes food debris inbetween teeth as well as plague and also helps in preventing Tartar from building up and harming the teeth.
Water Flosser
A water flosser is an oral health care flossing device used in the home. It streams jets of water at steady rhythms. Flossing with a water flosser is a good alternative for people who have trouble flossing the traditional way.
Water flossers are also called oral irrigators or water piks or dental water jets. The first water flosser was created by a dentist named Gerald Moyer and an engineer named John Mattingly in 1962.
Types Of Water Flossers
Water flossers come in various types, choosing a particular type of water flosser depends on a person’s needs and preferences. There are three major types of water flossers.
(1) Corded Water Flosser:
These type of water flossers come in two kinds;
(a) Corded with reservoir
These type of water flossers do not have an inbuilt water storage capacity, but instead they come with a separate water reservoir that is easily refilled. The water reservoir is connected to the flosser by means of a tube called the cord.
(b) Corded with faucet hookup:
These type of water flossers do not have an inbuilt reservoir nor an external reservoir. They have a special type of cord which plugs directly into your sink faucet or your shower faucet.
The problem of refilling is eliminated here.
(2) Cordless Water Flosser:
This type of water flosser has an inbuilt water storage capacity and therefore require no cords. They are powered by batteries which can be recharged. They can also be refilled when the water in the reservoir is drained.
Pros
Water flossing has been proven by scientific research to be highly effective in reducing gum diseases such as gingivitis and gum bleeding etc.
Cons
Water flossing may not be highly effective in removing plague as studies vary on its effectiveness there.
Mouthwash
Mouthwash is a solution used for rinsing the mouth before or after eating by either gargling or by swishing it around the mouth and spitting the solution out.
It usually comes in different flavors based on the flavouring agent used such as mint or sweeteners such as sorbitol or sodium saccharin etc.
Mouthwash can be classified based on its ingredients or functions.
Based on its ingredients, it can be classified by its active and inactive ingredients.
For inactive ingredients,it is classified into
Alcohol based and non alcohol based mouthwash.
The alcohol acts as a carrier agent for active ingredients such as thymol and menthol etc.
The non alcohol based mouthwash is also called natural mouthwash.
Based on its active ingredients,It can be classified into:
**Antiseptic mouthwashes :
These contain anti-bacterial ingredients such as chlorhexidine gluconate etc
**fluoride mouthwashes:
These contain fluoride which is a strong anti-tooth decay agent and helps strengthen the teeth.
**Antiplague mouthwashes:
These contain anti-plague/tartar agents such as hydrogen peroxide etc
Others are anti-inflammatory etc
Based on their functions they can be classified into:
**Cosmetic mouthwashes :
This type of mouthwash does not serve clinical purposes, they help to mask bad breath without tackling the cause.
**Therapeutic mouthwashes :
This type of mouthwash serves clinical purposes like attacking bacteria and plague,prevent gum diseases etc i.e fights the root cause of the problem
Pros of Mouthwash
Mouthwashes help in fighting gum diseases, preventing cavities and tooth decay , protecting pregnancies and giving fresh breath etc
Cons of Mouthwash
Alcohol based mouthwashes can cause mouth ulcers, it has also been linked to be a cause of oral cancer.