Traditional floss scrapes the sides of the teeth. A dental water irrigator doesn’t scrape—it flushes. That constant stream of water dislodges food particles, rinses out plaque around the gumline, and reaches into areas a string of floss can’t easily touch, like deep gum pockets.
When patients ask me whether a water irrigator is better than flossing, I don’t give them a one-word answer. The truth is, flossing does one thing water can’t do: it scrapes. When you slide floss along the side of a tooth, you physically remove the sticky plaque layer. That’s important because plaque is bacteria. If it’s not removed, it hardens into tartar, and at that point, you can’t get it off at home.
A water irrigator, on the other hand, uses a pressurized stream of water to rinse away food, bacteria, and loose plaque from between the teeth and under the gumline. Ultimately, the research is clear: using a water irrigator in addition to brushing (and ideally flossing) can significantly reduce bleeding gums and gingivitis. In fact, studies have shown that people who add water irrigation to their routine see up to a 50% reduction in gum bleeding compared to brushing and flossing alone.
Dr. Rossouw holds a BChD (Pret), HONS (Medunsa), and MChD (Medunsa), completed cum laude. He is an Associate Professor with 12 publications and a professional background spanning public health, epidemiology, health systems, and health economics.
He has consulted to SADC countries in epidemiology and health economics, served as Clinical Director at the Institute for Health Economics and Technology Innovation, and was registered as a specialist in Public Health, Health Systems, and Epidemiology.
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