Does Waterpik remove plaque? This is one of the ‘big’ questions. The plaque-removing ability of the Waterpik water flosser is often at the heart of their marketing campaigns. Of course, a lot of oral health companies make wild claims that simply can’t be backed up by evidence. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that many people are dubious abouthow the abilities of the Waterpik. That is why we have put together this blog post. We want to share some of the legitimate evidence with you.
The First Water Flossers
To be honest with you, one of the main reasons why people search for ‘does Waterpik remove plaque’, is because of false marketing claims in the past. When the first water flossers came out, even dentists were doubting their plaque removal capabilities. This was, in part, down to the fact that the first water flossers were not all that powerful. That, and the vast majority of people didn’t actually know how to use them properly. Over time, the design of the water flosser was refined. They were made easier to use, and a ton of helpful advice was provided on how to use them properly. This means that the water flossers of today are far better at removing plaque. We even have clinical studies which back this up.
It is also worth noting that because the use of water flossers is so new, many of the currently operating dentists were not educated on the benefits of water flossers. In fact, many of them who graduated in recent years have still not seen the plethora of clinical studies into the effectiveness of the Waterpik and other water flossers. This allows the myth that the Waterpik does not work continue to grow.
The Evidence Behind Does Waterpik Remove Plaque
There have been several clinical studies over the years that look at the impact of a water flosser when it comes to plaque removal. While we could mention all of them here, we want to focus on just one of them. This research study, published in 2013, found that the water flosser was significantly better when it came to plaque removal.
This study involved 72 adults. Half of them were given a water flosser to use. The other half were told to floss using the traditional flossing method. They all brushed their teeth in exactly the same way, which helped to remove ‘tooth brushing bias’ from the study. The subjects who used the water flosser were asked to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. While we do not know the exact water flosser that was used by each of the test subjects, we can assume that a significant number of them were Waterpik branded, as this is, without a doubt, the most popular brand of water flosser.
This study found that those who used the water flosser, on average, reduced the amount of plaque in their mouth by 74.4%. Those who used the standard flossing technique reduced plaque by just 57.7%. This is a massive difference. The researchers estimated that there was a 29% difference in the amount of plaque removed by the two methods. While they did not speculate on the reasons as to why the water flosser was more effective, we can assume that it is because the water flosser provides more coverage when it comes to cleaning, and it is far quicker.
How can the Waterpik water flosser remove plaque?
Easy! Just point the water flosser in between your teeth and below the gum line. This will help to remove any plaque that your electric toothbrush has failed to remove. If you want to do a better job at removing the plaque on your teeth, then you may want to use the ‘plaque seeking’ water flosser head that Waterpik sells. Dependent on the water flosser that you pick up, you may actually get one of these heads included with it.
So, there you have it. We have provided you with evidence that the Waterpik can remove plaque. We have told you how to remove plaque with one of their water flossers. So, if anybody in the future asks you ‘does Waterpik remove plaque’, you just need to answer ‘yes’.
