Why you should buy a water flosser for your kid

The flossing problem in kids

If you have kids you probably know that they are bad at flossing, but flossing is essential part of oral hygiene. Without a proper daily flossing teeth tend to accumulate plaque. The situation becomes worse if your kid has braces, because braces collect a lot of plaque around the brackets. Without a proper oral care it can lead to white spot lesions that will become a pain in the *ss to treat cavities.

And while kids tend to skip flossing you still have to make sure they maintain a proper oral hygiene. That’s why many dentists and orthodontists recommend using a water flosser for kids.

Water flossers are fun to use and kids love them. But not only they are simple, they also do wonders to your teeth.

Benefits of water flossing for kids:

  1. Water flossers remove plaque and bacteria
  2. Water flosser cleans braces very well
  3. Water flossing is fast
  4. Water flossing is funny
  5. Water flossers clean and massage the gum line

Also in this article:

1. Water flossers remove plaque and bacteria

As you probably already know most of the bacteria sit in between your teeth. And while brushing helps to clean the main area of a tooth, the main danger remains in between the teeth. This is what is the main target of water flossers. They pulsate water and clean bacteria and plaque from the area in between. Some models also pulsate a real dental floss along with water making them even more effective. Imagine dental floss pulsating in your mouth 20 times per second and you will probably imagine how clean your mouth will be after using this thing. So this will really bring your kids’ oral hygiene to the next level.

2. Water flosser cleans braces very well.

If your kid got braces you know that cleaning them takes a lot of time and effort. And it has to be done after every meal. So it’s not surprising that kids tend cleaning them less thoroughly over time or skipping the cleaning at all. Water flossers can catch all the plaque between and around the brackets and also underneath and behind the elastic ties.

3. Water flossing is fast

How much do you value your time? Remember last time when you got angry because your favorite website loaded few seconds longer than usual? This is what I’m talking about. Today we value our time so much that we often want to spend extra to save it.

And water flossing is really fast. And I really mean that. Especially when your kid got braces it’s a life saver. Regular flossing takes a lot of time, whereas water flossing is just a 1-2 minutes process and you are good to go.

4. Water flossing is funny

Using a regular dental floss, especially with braces is a nightmare. And not only it takes a lot of time, it is hard to get it right and requires some skills. And while water flossing isn’t a very simple process and it has some learning curve involved, because it may make a mess when used in wrong way, once you mastered it it’s very fun and easy process. And kids tend to use water flossers every day because of the funny part involved, which is wonderful for oral care. Would you like your kids to thoroughly clean their teeth on a daily basis without additional supervision and stress? Then a water flosser can help you achieve that.

4. Water flossers clean and massage the gum line

And while cleaning between the teeth and around brackets is great, water flossers also clean the gum line. You just move a water flossing tip(nozzle) along the gum line and that’s it. And besides the cleaning effect you will also get an awesome massage for your gums.

Does a water flosser replace a regular floss?

It depends. If you are using Waterpik than it doesn’t substitute the regular flossing, but makes it a lesser need. If you are using JetPik water flosser than it is a fully fledged replacement for regular flossing, beucase JetPik pulsates a real dental floss along with water which makes it more effective. But Waterpik are also good for your kids’ oral health and many people report that water flossing alone made wonders to their kids’ oral hygiene.

What good water flossers are out there?

There are two major brands on the water flossing market. Waterpik is more established and well known brand and has a lot of different water flosser models. JetPik is a more modern variation that pulsates water plus dental floss simultaneously. I recommend reading my review on Best Water Flosser to get more information.

What water flosser is best for kids?

Water flossers are exactly the same as they are for adults. So I recommend getting one for the whole family. All you do is get a water flosser plus buy additional tips(nozzles) for you and your kid. Many water flossers already come with several tips so there is no need to buy ones. To find out more about what model to get read my full review on Best Water Flosser.

So the perfect choice for home would be Waterpik Ultra WP-100. It is a home based water flosser that is powerful enough to clean your kids’ teeth well. It has 10 adjustable pressure settings that allow setting preferred pressure for your kid. The maximum pressure is 100 PSI which is very high so make sure you teach your kids to use it properly.

The proper use of Waterpik Ultra WP-100 involves placing your kids’ personal tip(nozzle) into the handle and putting it into mouth. After that you just turn on the water flosser and water starts pulsating 1400 times per minute which is a lot. Then move the tip along your the gum line making pauses between teeth to clean there also. If your kid has braces then give him a special Orthodontic Tip that comes with this Waterpik, that has a little brush on the end.

You also can use this water flosser as well. Just make sure every family members uses its own water flossing tip. You can keep all of your tips in a tips storage that sits in the lid (above water reservoir.) The storage can store up to 4 tips so all your family will be able to keep their tips there.

Please note that Waterpik is very powerful water flosser and it can hurt if used in a wrong way. Don’t direct the tip under the tongue and other sensitive areas. Another important safety rule is to start from a lower setting and gradually increase to higher pressure over time when you get used to it. This way you will minimize possible mess in a bathroom and prevent any harm that may be cause by inproper use of Waterpik.

Make sure you supervise your kids and teach them how to use a water flosser properly. Also explain that it’s not a toy and should be used with a caution. That way your kids will be safe and don’t harm themselves.

Over time you will notice that your kids use the water flosser regularly because it’s fun and easy. Orthodontists and dentists also report that Waterpik water flossers improve oral hygiene and especially when a kid has braces it is hard to keep them clean.

Special Waterpik water flosser for kids WP-260

There is also a Waterpik specially designed for kids and it’s model is WP-260. But I would not recommend getting it because it doesn’t have any significant difference from typical models, except green water reservoir and some stickers in the package. Basically it is identical to Waterpik Traveler WP-300, but with a different color of water reservoir and that’s it. Of course it is a good model since Traveler is a really powerful water flosser and while it’s also a compact one, but it’s mostly suited for travels and this is probably not what you look for in a water flosser for your kid. So in a conclusion I still recommend getting Waterpik Ultra WP-100 over this one.

At what age kids can start using a water flosser?

There is no universal answer but I would say as soon as your kid is able to brush and floss his teeth by himself. Waterpik recommends using their kids’ water flosser from at the age of 6-12 and I think it’s totally reasonable range and you can use it for reference.

Just make sure to supervise your kid from the beginning and ensure that your kid uses it properly and doesn’t “play” with it, because it is not a toy and can be a dangerous weapon if used inproperly, since it is a powerful device. Other than that there are no problems at the young age and parents report that their kids love the water flosser and use it regularly with no harm.

Conclusion

Water flossers are essential for kids oral health and make them follow oral care routine more consistently and regularly. Dentists report that water flossers do wonders to kids’ oral hygiene. Water flossing is effective at removing plaque and bacteria and also cleaning braces and around brackets if your kid got ones. Water flosser can be used by whole family and not only your kid. That’s why I recommend getting Waterpik WP-100 that perfectly suits all family needs, is powerful and can store personal tips(nozzles) for all family members. Water flosser can be used from the age of 6-12 years. Just make sure you supervise your kids on the beginning and teach them how to water floss properly. Other than that I recommend water flosser for your kids and I believe it’s worth its money.

Alex

Alex

Hello, my name is Alex. Hope you can like and share this content. Thank you so much!