From the earliest willow leaves, to toothbrushes, toothpicks, to dental floss, everyone’s requirements for deep cleaning of oral hygiene are increasing. And among these cleaning tools, there is also a similar high pressurewaterCleaning dirt like a gun – dental irrigator.
What is a dental irrigator?
A dental flosser, also known as a water flosser, is a tool that assists in cleaning the mouth by using pulsed water impacttoothTeeth. Dental irrigators are dental floss formed by water flow to achieve the purpose of washing and cleaning teeth. Its principle is that the electric motor or tap water generates pressure and sprays out a high-speed pulse water column, which can be used to clean the teeth and teeth gaps by adjusting the frequency and pressure of the water column.
At present, there are many types of dental irrigators on the market, mainly electric irrigators and faucet irrigators; It can also be divided into three types: fixed-frequency type, household inverter type and portable type. Today we mainly introduce the electric portable dental irrigator, which is characterized by simple maintenance, easy use, and can be carried around.
Differences from traditional cleaning methods
At present, the most commonly used oral cleaning tool is the toothbrush, but the disadvantages of the toothbrush are very obvious, it can only remove relatively flat tooth surface dirt, and the toothbrush cannot do anything about some corners, even small gaps.
After the widespread popularization of toothbrushes, the simple smooth surface cavities have been greatly reduced, and the remaining is mainly the pit and fissure in the hidden corners and adjacent surface caries. Therefore, cleaning tools such as toothpicks and dental floss have appeared on the market.
In fact, most dentists are relatively repulsive to such a rough and violent object as a toothpick, but we cannot deny that in some specific caseshistoryDuring the period and some economically underdeveloped areas, toothpicks can still play a more positive role, at least with usfingernailIn comparison, toothpicks are still much stronger.
The advent of dental floss basically completes the last piece of the puzzle in the teeth cleaning area, and the cleaning of dental floss is very good for the residue and dirt hidden between the teeth. Compared with toothpicks, dental floss can penetrate deep into the gingiva while less irritating to the gums, removing soft scale that cannot be reached by the naked eye, and avoiding the formation of tartar. Therefore, the correct and standardized use of dental floss can make oral hygiene and cleaning reach a high grade. However, dental floss also has disadvantages such as inconvenience and environmental protection. Therefore, the advent of the dental irrigator made up for this shortcoming.
The dental irrigator uses electrical energy, will not produce a lot of white pollution, and it is also very convenient to use, no need to be like dental floss, after cleaning a tooth, you need to readjust the position of the floss or deal with the “loot” on the floss stick, which ensures the continuity of the cleaning process. Secondly, compared with the flossing method, the water flushing method of the dental irrigator makes cleaning more thorough. Microscopicly, the tooth surface is not absolutelightSlippery, the uneven area after flossing cannot be completely cleaned in place and attachedbacteriaAll it takes is a thin layer of biofilm that has not been completely cleaned to continue to “make waves” and affect the health of teeth and gums.
Therefore, the best oral cleaning method recommended by dentists is a combination of brushing teeth in the morning and evening + flushing after meals, and then regularly consult a professional doctor for routine check-ups.
Is a dental irrigator suitable for everyone?
In theory, dental irrigators are suitable for all people who need oral cleaning. For some special groups, dental irrigators are even more necessary.
First, the orthodontic group. As an orthodontist, I strongly recommend that all friends who are getting orthodontics use dental irrigators, whether they are traditional metal aligners or bracketless invisible aligners (100% necessary for children’s shoes with lingual orthodontics). Because no matter what kind of orthodontic treatment method it is, there will be more or less orthodontic accessories in the mouth, such as brackets, lingual buckles, rubber rings, etc. A temporary cleaning blind spot will also form around these accessories, and if you only brush your teeth with a toothbrush, it is difficult to clean your teeth effectively, and the dental irrigator can work well. Of course, relatively healthy periodontal conditions are the prerequisite for the smooth movement and successful correction of teeth. Inadequate oral hygiene and cleaning may lead to periodontal tissue damage such as gingival hyperplasia, alveolar bone resorption, and “black triangle”.
“Black triangle”: refers to the gap between the gums between two adjacent teeth that cannot completely cover the gap between the adjacent points of the two teeth to the tooth neck of the tooth, a triangular gap seen by the naked eye.
Secondly, “denture people” such as dental implants and dental implants. With the current level of technology, even the most realistic dentures are difficult to achieve 100%human bodyorganizationnatureCohesion. Conventional restorative crowns and abutment teeth have edge sealing problems, and implants need to consider the possibility of inflammation of the surrounding gums. If the teeth cannot be cleaned in place in this case, then long-term restoration can only become a “beautiful luxury”. However, it is difficult to ensure post-restoration hygiene with conventional cleaning methods, and the emergence of dental irrigators is a good fit for this need. The scouring of tiny water streams can greatly remove plaque from the edge-closed area, and the appropriate pulse jet can also massage the gums around dentures, implants, etc.
Finally, people with inconveniences such as oral surgery. Some patients with perioral maxillofacial surgery are difficult to achieve the desired effect due to pain or limited mouth opening or the surgical incision is in the mouth after surgery, which will further affect the healing of the postoperative wound; There are also some elderly and children with poor cooperation, and it is difficult to achieve oral hygiene and cleaning even with regular brushing; Oral health care for some people with disabilities is also generally undervalued. The embarrassing situation of these vulnerable groups can often achieve twice the result with half the effort.
