Waterpiks can be extremely useful when it comes to keeping with a good oral hygiene routine.
They can help remove excess food particles and debris you may have missed during your usual brushing and flossing.
However, many people often wonder if you could replace water with mouthwash, perhaps for added oral benefit.
We’ve written this guide to help clear up some of the confusion, along with some other very helpful tips.
Read on to learn more.
What Is A Waterpik?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with a Waterpik, it is a type of device that works as an oral irrigator or a water flosser.
It looks to remove the excess food particles and large pieces of food from your teeth and mouth.
This is an ideal tool for people who do not like or cannot properly floss. Normally, a Waterpik will be filled with tepid water, ready for you to use it.
You will then lean over the sink and tilt the Waterpik up towards your teeth and spray the water in every area of your mouth. The extra focus should be kept on the top of your teeth near the gum lines.
The idea is to remove excess food and particles to prevent plaque from developing, which eventually can lead to tartar and then, subsequently gum disease.
Could I Use Mouthwash Instead Of Water?
There’s no reason you cannot use mouthwash instead of water in a Waterpik. There are probably more benefits to using mouthwash instead of warm water.
Let’s take a look at some of these in more detail.
Extra Oral Cleaning
Mouthwash should be a part of your oral hygiene routine anyway, so using mouthwash in this manner is very beneficial.
Not only do excess food particles likely get removed using the tool, but you’ll be coating your teeth with tooth-friendly chemistry.
Not to mention, mouthwash tends to give your breath a minty freshness, whereas warm water will not do this. This simply gives you an extra boost in your normal oral hygiene routine!
Less Likely To Remove Fluoride
Studies have suggested for a while that using water to rinse right after brushing your teeth can be detrimental to your oral health.
When you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, you want it to coat across your teeth and help to remove plaque and other things that should not be there.
However, to get the most out of it – you want the fluoride to remain on your teeth so it can continue the cleaning process.
If you rinse using water, there is a chance you will remove all of the fluorides, rendering them useless.
Using mouthwash, however, the chance of this is significantly reduced – whilst also giving you that added bonus.
Note, however, that you should be careful about how you use fluoride toothpaste. If you were to “consume” too much fluoride, you could potentially develop a condition which causes a calcium separation in your blood.
The toxicity of this, however, would only be if you were to eat an entire tube of fluoride toothpaste – but it’s worth noting!
Useful If You Have No Water
Sometimes, we are in a position where we cannot access water. Whilst this can be a problem, using mouthwash in your Waterpik can help alleviate some of the situations, allowing you to continue with your oral healthcare.
What You Must Remember
Of course, while you can use mouthwash in a waterpik, there are various points that you must remember when it comes to your oral health routine.
Here are some of the most important points.
Waterpiks Cannot Replace A Toothbrush!
Some people think they can simply use a waterpik, especially with mouthwash and they do not need to use a toothbrush.
This is absolutely untrue and dangerous for your oral health. You should always continue brushing your teeth as regularly as advised by your dentist, and do not consider a waterpik as a replacement.
In fact, Waterpiks should only be used as a “sidekick” to your normal brushing routine.
If, for any reason, however, you cannot access your toothbrush, but you do have your waterpik, then anything is better than nothing – but you should brush your teeth at your next available opportunity.
“Spray Flossing” Isn’t As Good As Regular Flossing
Most dentists agree that using a waterpik can be useful, but it cannot replace the original, traditional floss.
Studies have suggested that even with the best use of a waterpik, there is a chance of leftover plaque in hard-to-see areas.
The best thing you can do is to use both along with your usual oral health routine – but if given a choice between one or the other, regular flossing wins hands down every single time.
Children May Have To Be Supervised
It goes without saying that you should not drink mouthwash, and when you’re using a waterpik – this can be easier said than done.
Children may find it very difficult not to accidentally drink the mouthwash, so they may need to be supervised.
Not only this, children may not quite understand how to use a waterpik correctly to begin with, and may use it ineffectively.
Ensure they know what areas of the mouth they need to target, and if necessary, do it for them.
Speak To Your Dentist
You should always consult your dentist if you’re thinking of changing your oral care routine, even if it is as simple as replacing water with mouthwash.
Get their opinion on the matter at your next check-up before you decide to add mouthwash to your waterpik.
The Bottom Line
There’s nothing to say you cannot add mouthwash to your waterpik instead of water – but to be absolutely sure, you should consult with your dentist.
We hope this guide has helped you with your questions!
He has combined both of these skills to create his first company, Isopharm Limited, which became one of the top learning platforms within the dental industry.
With over 120,000 active users, he has been able to educate others in order to provide better dental care around the world.
With his expertise and work in the field, Andrew has been able to help many dental care professionals succeed in treating their patients.
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