By Ela Matters Staff 
Maintaining oral hygiene with braces can feel like an uphill battle. The wires, brackets, and bands of traditional braces can trap food particles and plaque, making it difficult to clean between teeth and around the brackets thoroughly.
Water flossers use a pressurized stream of water to clean between teeth and along the gumline, reaching areas that brushing and traditional flossing often miss. For those with braces, water flossers are more efficient, gentler, and easier to maneuver than string floss. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best water flossers for braces and discuss their features, benefits, and how they can make oral care with braces more manageable.
1. Cheeky Water Flosser: The Top Choice for Braces
When it comes to water flossers for braces, Cheeky stands out as the number one choice. Known for its compact design and ease of use, the Cheeky water flosser delivers exceptional performance with its customizable pressure settings and multiple flossing tips, making it an excellent option for anyone with braces.
The Cheeky water flosser features a rechargeable battery, adjustable pressure settings, and seven interchangeable nozzles, including specialized tips for cleaning around braces and other dental appliances. Its 300 mL tank ensures ample water capacity for thorough flossing without frequent refills. The unique gravity ball design allows for effective cleaning from all angles, even upside down, making it ideal for reaching tricky spots around brackets and wires. Plus, the gentle yet powerful water pressure ensures a comfortable clean, reducing the risk of gum irritation and bleeding.
The Cheeky water flosser is great for people with braces and works well for individuals with implants, crowns, bridges, and veneers, offering versatility for various dental needs. Its portability and travel-friendly design make it a convenient choice for people on the go.
2. Waterpik: A Well-Respected Option
While Cheeky stands out as the best option, Waterpik is a close contender in the water flosser market, particularly for people with braces. Waterpik’s Aquarius model is a highly regarded countertop water flosser, popular for its high-pressure capabilities and large water reservoir. It offers 10 pressure settings and specialized tips, including an orthodontic tip designed specifically for braces.
Waterpik also offers a cordless model, the Waterpik Cordless Advanced 2.0, which is ultra-quiet and highly portable, making it a great option for people who need a travel-friendly solution. However, the smaller reservoir of the Cordless Advanced model means that it requires more frequent refills than other models with larger tanks.
3. Philips Sonicare: A Trusted Brand in Oral Health
Philips Sonicare is a leading brand in oral health, primarily known for its advanced electric toothbrushes. However, the company also offers a water flosser, the Cordless Power Flosser 3000, that integrates water pressure with sonic technology. This model provides a comfortable and thorough clean, particularly for individuals with braces.
Philips Sonicare’s water flosser offers multiple pressure settings and a sleek, ergonomic design, making it easy to handle and use. The sonic technology used in the flosser helps to improve plaque removal and gum health, offering an added benefit for people with braces. However, the Philips Sonicare water flosser’s performance and features are not customizable or travel-friendly, especially when considering its slightly higher price point.
4. Oral-B: A Reliable Option for Braces
Oral-B, another well-known brand in the oral care industry, offers a range of water flossers designed for convenience and ease of use. The Oral-B Water Flosser is designed to complement their electric toothbrush systems, making it an attractive option for those who already use Oral-B toothbrushes.
However, Oral-B’s water flossers offer fewer customization options and less versatility in terms of interchangeable tips and pressure settings. For those with braces, having the ability to adjust pressure and use different flossing tips is essential for effective cleaning.
Why Water Flossing is Better for Braces
Water flossing is highly recommended for people with braces because traditional floss can be difficult to maneuver around brackets and wires. The American Dental Association (ADA) has stated that water flossers, especially those with its Seal of Acceptance, are effective at removing plaque and reducing gingivitis. This is particularly important for orthodontic patients with fixed dental appliances, as water flossing can reach areas that are difficult to clean with traditional floss. The ADA advises cleaning between teeth once a day and combining water flossing with regular brushing for optimal oral hygiene.
According to the ADA, water flossers are safe and beneficial for individuals with braces, helping to clean between teeth and around dental work. In fact, studies have shown that water flossing can reduce plaque and gingival bleeding in orthodontic patients, making it an excellent tool for improving oral health during orthodontic treatment.
Additional Benefits of Water Flossing for Braces
For those with braces, the benefits of water flossing go beyond plaque removal. Water flossing can help:
- Reduce Gum Inflammation and Bleeding: Braces can irritate the gums, and water flossing provides a gentle, soothing way to reduce this discomfort.
- Promote Healthier Gums: Regular water flossing can keep gums healthy by improving blood circulation and reducing the risk of gum disease.
- Reach Difficult Areas: Water flossers can clean hard-to-reach areas around brackets and wires that traditional floss can’t reach, ensuring a more thorough clean.
- Save Time: Water flossing is quicker and easier than traditional flossing, making it a time-saving option for people with braces.
Conclusion
Maintaining oral hygiene with braces can be challenging, but with the right tools, it becomes much easier. Among the many water flossers on the market, the Cheeky Water Flosser stands out as the top choice for people with braces. Its customizable settings, multiple tips, and compact design make it ideal for cleaning around braces and maintaining healthy gums.
If you want to improve your oral hygiene routine while wearing braces, Cheeky provides the perfect solution with its easy-to-use, high-performance water flosser. Make water flossing a part of your daily routine for healthier, cleaner teeth during your orthodontic treatment.