Electric Flossing Devices
Let’s face it – most people do not like to floss. You have to stick your fingers in your mouth, move a string around between EVERY space between your teeth, have this relatively disgusting material come out from between your teeth, and the floss smells awful when you finish. Also, if you’re prone to gagging, you just can’t get back to where you need to be to accomplish this task.
Just brushing won’t do the job. The bristles will not get between the teeth, and that is where most of the dental disease shows up, whether it’s tooth decay or periodontal disease. But what if you just can’t get in there?
There are 2 kinds of electric flossers on the market. One is air floss, which shoots pulses of air between the teeth with enough force, hopefully, to remove the debris. I tried this product and was not thrilled with it. I have had no patients report back that they have been using this.
The second kind is the water floss. I have a patient who came in for his cleaning recently and he looked very good. He has a significant gag reflex and is difficult to take x-rays on. He loves this kind of flossing device. It claims that he can fill the reservoir with water or mouth rinse and clean all of those hard to get to places without turning on his gag reflex.
When evaluating gadgets I like to see them in use. From this one patient alone I think this a good product. If you just can’t stand flossing, give this a try.