3 Reasons Why Your Kids Will Love Water Flossing

By Mariah Chitouras on Dec 12, 2017 @ 04:56 PM

Flossing is critical to your child’s dental health routine, but at least one study shows that not very many kids and teens actually do it.

Do you fight with your kids before bed to make sure they are flossing before or after brushing for two minutes? What if you could take the battle to the food particles and bacteria in your kids mouth, and bypass the battle? A water flosser might be the solution you need to get kids to love flossing.

What is a water flosser?

A water flosser is a handheld tool that uses a light stream of water pressure to clean in between teeth. The ADA backs many water flossers for the important function of removing plaque, which can increase the likelihood of cavities and gingivitis.

Here are three reasons why your kids will love water flossing:

1. It'll make flossing fun!

As an adult testing a water flosser for the first time, I was surprised at how much fun it was to use, what basically feels like a water gun, as part of my dental routine—and that it actually works! If I knew that flossing could be this much fun, I would have been on board much earlier! I can only imagine how much more fun a child would have using a water flosser. Your kids will see this as a game and less of a battle (and chore), and you’ll build a healthy habit for success in the future.

2. It doesn’t hurt.

It’s hard to ask your child to do something that continually causes them pain. Sometimes, when your child first starts to floss, it hurts their gums and may even cause bleeding. You know you’re supposed to teach your child to floss every day, but who wants to put them through that kind of pain? A water flosser is a more comfortable alternative that still offers the same benefits.

3. No more getting caught up in braces

If your child has braces, it’s even harder to get them to continually floss—string floss is easy to get caught up in the brackets and an accidental snag hurts. The water flosser allows them to get to the hard-to-reach spaces between teeth, without having to worry about string getting stuck in their braces. Don’t let braces get in the way of the habit you’ve already taught your child. Flossing with braces can be frustrating for a child; they’ll appreciate a flossing option that doesn’t complicate.

Flossing is an important step in your kids’ dental health routine. If they are having trouble with regular floss, flossing with a water flosser (ADA approved) will provide the same benefits. Don’t forget to remind them to brush twice a day as well—good oral health is started from the early years and will serve them well as they grow up.