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​About three years ago, I got a major ear infection and had to take antibiotics. 

Wait, wait, don’t click away! I’m not a total anti-antibiotic person. (Is that a probiotic?) I’m glad they exist. But I do think we use them too frequently and are too cavalier about their effects on our bodies. 

Part of the reason that I think that — because after the antibiotics I suddenly had horrible breath. And it lasted for months. 

It took a few months before the paranoia set in, because it was shortly after COVID and we were still masking in my school. But when the time came and the masks came off…suddenly I was thinking about my breath all the time​. 

Could this person smell it? Am I sitting too close to this person? Did the gum smell wear off?

I had always had okay-to-good oral hygiene — always brushed, usually flossed — but in response to all this, I stepped it up a LOT. 

This post will go over waterpiks, string flossing, and a simple, inexpensive routine to treat bad breath that originates in the mouth. 

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​What is a waterpik? What’s water flossing?

If you ever had braces or some other kind of orthodontic treatment, you were probably introduced to the Waterpik. 

Waterpik’s a brand name for a water flosser, and a water flosser is any device that shoots a thin stream of water out. It’s like a tiny water gun that you can use to displace food particles and spray off plaque. The pressure of the water will get rid of a lot of gunk that you don’t want on your teeth! And having a pressurized stream of water that can spray all that food debris off is ideal.  

Waterpik water flosser, the brand, is perfectly fine. It was the first oral irrigator water flosser, so it’s kind of like how people say Kleenex when they mean any type of tissue.I have not bought one (unless you count the one my mom bought when I got braces in 2001) because of the large water tank. I don’t like the idea of standing water sitting on my counter growing bacteria. 

So I buy a cheap travel water flosser from Amazon, and I replace it once a year (in my Christmas stocking so that I remember). Anything with tubing will grow bacteria eventually! I empty the flosser of water completely after every use: dump the tank and let the flosser run empty for a second to clear the tubes. Then I separate the top and bottom and let them air dry. 

(Is this paranoid? Possibly. Would you do it too if you had been through the breath drama I have? 1000%.)

What does flossing do for my teeth?

You already know what to do with traditional string floss, so I won’t bore you — if you don’t, I wrote up a lil bit about traditional flossing here.  

Flossing with traditional dental floss protects you from tooth decay by removing both food debris and sticky plaque before it can calcify onto your teeth. Flossing cleans the small spaces between your teeth where the brush can’t or won’t get. Especially if you have tight teeth or crowding, where it’s a little hard to get that thin piece of string up there, it’s super important to floss to remove plaque, because you know the brush bristles aren’t getting up there!

The process of flossing also protects you against gum disease, which can hurt every aspect of your health. Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancers have all been linked to periodontal disease or gum disease. Daily flossing is for more than just your smile! 

What does water flossing do for my teeth? 

So, water flossing is excellent for bacteria along the gum line. I’ve struggled with bad breath for a year or so (more on that at the end of this post) and water flossing got in there in a way that flossing and brushing didn’t! I also think that water flossing gives you a deep-clean feeling that regular flossing doesn’t quite get. 

A high-pressure water stream can flow in different directions once it hits the tooth, so you’re not limited to just where the floss touches. And it can access the gumline in the center of the teeth in a way that floss can’t. 

You also have the option to add a small amount of mouthwash to your water flosser tank, which I felt helped my breath a LOT. 

Which is better, waterpik vs flossing?

Well, water flossing is definitely not better. Clinical studies are trying to decide if water flossing is equally good or less good than using regular dental floss. 

There are definitely some people where water flossing is their best choice because it’s their only choice! If you have braces, or any type of dental implants that prevents flossing, then a water flosser is a great choice. If your choice is water flossing or no flossing at all, absolutely pick water flossing.

Most research until a few years ago said water flossing was an add-on, not a replacement, for flossing. Flossing won waterpik vs flossing every time.

But recent studies are finding improvements: in 2021, a study found that flossing removed 89% of plaque, and water flossing removed 87%. So, if you are more likely to do your water flossing, and skip even one day less a month, you probably come out ahead with water flossing. (The flosser used in the study? A Waterpik, lol.)

If you struggle with poor oral hygiene, or if you hate flossing so much that a water flosser is the only way that you’re going to do it, then that’s the better option. If a perfect routine never gets done, then it should be swapped out for something you can stick to on a daily basis. But if it’s Waterpik vs flossing, but you do Waterpik every night and flossing once a week, then pick the Waterpik.)

The American Dental Association, for their part, has a statement about the importance of flossing on their website. They acknowledge that water flossing exists but don’t make any statement at all about its effectiveness. However, some water flossers have gotten the ADA Seal of Acceptance! (In fairness to the Waterpik company, their flossers have gotten this Seal of Acceptance and the cheap one that I recommended to you above has not gotten the Seal of Acceptance. 

But, with all that said….

​Best flossing routine for bad breath

This routine took me ages to develop, and I actually delayed writing this blog post because I know it isn’t going to work for everyone and I remember how desperate I was to find a dental hygiene routine that would fix my bad breath. 

I would have done anything to get rid of the humiliation! 

And this routine isn’t going to work if your bad breath is coming from your stomach, or from active tooth decay. (If it’s tooth decay, start with a visit to your dentist or dental hygienist so you’re starting with a clean slate!)

Morning oral care routine

• Mouthwash – I use Therabreath — I quit Listerine when my bad breath started because I learned in my research how dehydrating it is!
• Water flosser – add a small amount of mouthwash and fill the tank with water. Spray along your gum line, front and back, getting the gum pockets. 
• Regular brushing – I would definitely suggest an electric toothbrush. Brush the tooth surface and along the gumline. Pay attention to your back molars. 

(after you brush: a half hour with no water, coffee, anything. After that half hour, I drink water and then  use the Boka microbiome tablets. I honestly don’t love using these, but they have been super effective for managing my breath and resetting my baseline. I tried them on a lark when I needed another item to reach free shipping, and I’ve been very happy with them.)  

Evening oral care routine

• Use tongue scraper – I have an inexpensive metal one I bought at Whole Foods.
• Floss – I use these little plastic flossers because i think they help me get in there more. 
• Water flosser – same routine as the morning.
• Mouthwash – same routine as the morning.
• Regular brushing – same routine as the morning.

So to me, it’s not Waterpik vs. flossing, it’s both — they do different jobs and they keep bad breath away. If I’m feeling lazy I might skip the water flosser at night, but I always always do it in the morning.

​Final thoughts – Waterpik vs flossing

If you’re living with bad breath right now, I know how hard it is! I hope that you find this routine helpful, and that it gets you back to the confident, healthy smile you deserve! 

Pin this post for when your Therabreath gets delivered!