Flossing
Water Flosser vs String Floss: Which Actually Cleans Better?
Both work. They do different jobs. Here is when a water flosser beats string floss, and when it does not.
Patients ask this constantly. The honest answer is that water flossers and string floss are not interchangeable — they remove different things.
What string floss does that water cannot
Floss removes plaque from the flat surfaces between teeth by mechanical scraping. A water jet rinses; it does not scrape. For tight contacts with sticky plaque, floss still wins.
What a water flosser does that floss cannot
A water flosser reaches under gum margins, around crowns and bridges, and into orthodontic brackets. If you have braces, implants, or deeper pockets, it reaches places floss physically cannot.
The practical answer
Most people should do both, and most people will only reliably do one. If you know you will not floss, a water flosser you actually use beats floss you skip.