The best water picks and flossers

Dental irrigators have become another step in our daily oral...

The best water picks and flossers

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Dental irrigators have become another step in our daily oral hygiene. The cleanliness provided by these devices that complement the toothbrush and dental floss make them especially attractive.

Nowadays there is enough variety of irrigators for us to think about which features suit us and thus, choose the best one for us.

Our favorite is the Waterpik 660, backed by more than 70 independent studies and because it is certified by the American Dental Association. The brand itself is also an endorsement of quality and trust, as Waterpick has been at the forefront of creating innovative oral health care products since the 1960s.

Keys to choosing our dental irrigator

The first thing, in case anyone still does not know, is to explain what a dental irrigator is and what it is used for.

It is a small machine that with different terminals (each one its own) releases a jet of water under pressure in order to clean the mouth even better than dental floss.

Because irrigators have the great virtue that with their water jet they are able to reach the most difficult parts of our mouth, such as the interdental areas, the gum line, the periodontal pocket or wisdom teeth.

And so, they are probably the most effective system for removing food debris and bacterial plaque, and the best complement to the toothbrush.

We should really use the oral irrigator once a day, preferably after evening toothbrushing, and for about two minutes.

To use it well, it is important to direct the jet of pressurized water at both your teeth and gums.

2-in-1 or specialized irrigators

To make daily full mouth cleaning easier, many irrigators today also come with a built-in electric toothbrush that can be charged in the same base as the irrigator. This 2-in-1 solution is very attractive for those who do not yet have an electric toothbrush and are looking for a complete appliance.

If we already have a toothbrush, we will find devices that include only the irrigator function, which will be cheaper.

Where are we going to use it?

It is essential to be very clear about the use we are going to give it and the place where we are going to have it.

If we are looking for an irrigator to use at home, we will be able to access almost any product with minimum characteristics.

However, if we intend to take it on a trip or use it in the office, we will have to go to the smaller (portable) versions of the irrigators. Although they do not usually have the same pressure as those for home use, they are becoming more and more similar in terms of features.

Charging mode

Also depending on where we want to put it, we can choose between wireless irrigators (with battery or batteries) and those that are connected to the current.

If we choose the corded ones, we will have to make sure that the cord is long enough to use it without problems.

The portable ones are usually battery operated.

Water container

Another of the fundamental questions when thinking about the irrigator that we are going to buy are the measurements of the water tank. It will be important that they can hold enough water to be able to clean the whole mouth at once and not have to stop halfway through the task because of refilling.

For example, portable irrigators usually have a tank of between 150 or 200ml. A quantity that does not usually last more than 40 seconds of use, so we will have to refill the irrigator more than once.

However, those for home use have sufficiently large reservoirs to allow us to use it several times before refilling it again. And their capacity is between 300 and 1,000ml.

Pulses per minute

This is one of the key figures to look at when deciding which irrigator to buy.

The pulses per minute indicate the power with which the water comes out. And although it is generally possible to regulate the output intensity and it is most likely that we will not use the maximum power… to eliminate the most encrusted and resistant dirt we will need a minimum of 1,200-1,400 pulses per minute.

Type of water output

The intensity of the water output can be regulated through several possibilities:

  • Continuous jet: a single and constant jet comes out.
  • Multijet: it launches small discontinuous jets to remove particularly encrusted residues.
  • Regulating rings: These are usually only present in the most sophisticated models, and allow the intensity of the water supply to be regulated.

Nozzles

If there is more than one of us in the family, it would be a very good idea to have a single irrigator for everyone. And it is neither difficult to obtain nor particularly expensive. Because it is enough to buy a model with several nozzles.

The most common is that each nozzle has a colored ring. And once the colors have been distributed, everyone can use theirs hygienically.

But this extra is usually found only in larger irrigators, intended for home use.

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