How to use an irrigator?

To maintain the health of your teeth and gums, brushing your mouth with a toothbrush is not enough. To remove plaque, which is the cause of the development of caries, in any hard-to-reach place, a special modern device called an "irrigator" will help. With its help, you can achieve ideal cleanliness of teeth and gums, and the efficiency of the device is about 90%.

An irrigator is an excellent prophylactic agent that allows you to slow down or completely eliminate the formation of tartar, gingivitis and periodontal disease. With this handy device, you can prevent the darkening of the tooth enamel, which often develops with the regular use of strong tea or coffee. In addition to prophylaxis, the irrigator is able to massage the gums, which significantly improves blood circulation and prevents the development of inflammation or bleeding.

Both adults and children can use the oral irrigator. But it should be noted that home use of the device is possible only after consulting a dentist.

Besides, the dentist will help identify the most problematic areas of your oral cavity, which will require special attention.

Despite the fact that there are several types of irrigator, there are general rules for their use, which are as follows.

• It is advisable to use the irrigator only after the dentition has been treated with a cheek with toothpaste. The brush can be ordinary or electric.
• It is best to start brushing your teeth with an irrigator with a small minimum jet pressure, and already during the procedure, the pressure can be gradually increased. The gradual increase in pressure allows teeth and gums to adapt to brushing, which in turn relieves you of any discomfort.
• To avoid injury to the gum tissue, the working attachment of the irrigator should be held in relation to the dentition at an angle of no more than 60-90 °. The movement of the tip should be downward from the gum to the edge of the tooth.
• If braces, bridges or crowns are installed in the oral cavity, it is advisable to clean with an irrigator after each meal.
• In the event that unpleasant sensations appear during the use of the device, the pressure regime must be reduced. It is important to remember that it is not recommended to floss the interdental spaces before using the device, as it injures the gums and causes bleeding, and the jet of liquid directed by the device can aggravate trauma to the gums.
• To prevent water from entering the stomach or respiratory tract during cleansing, the root of the tongue must be pressed against the upper palate. In this case, the waste fluid will pour out of the mouth by itself.
• The device can be used by all family members, but each must have their own individual removable attachment. The use of the irrigator by children is allowed only in the presence of parents and under their control. Dentists advise not to use the device for children under 6 years of age.
• The duration of the hygienic procedure carried out using the device should not exceed 3 minutes. First, you need to clean the easily accessible areas of the oral cavity, and then process the hard-to-reach areas. The irrigator is used 1-2 times a day, but if necessary, cleaning is carried out more often.

An irrigator is not a substitute for mechanical tooth brushing. On the contrary, this device is used as an adjunct to the oral cavity cleansing procedure, increasing its effectiveness.

When using an irrigator, cleaning with water is most often common, since the use of antiseptic solutions is allowed during the period of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity and only after consulting a dentist.

The liquid poured into the reservoir of the device should have a temperature that is comfortable for the enamel of the teeth and gum tissue. To clean your mouth from food debris and plaque, you can use filtered or distilled water, which will not spoil the irrigator with salt deposits. Running water needs some time to settle before use, but even in this case, its use can cause the device to break down due to the presence of foreign salts or impurities in the liquid.

An irrigator is used not only to clean the oral cavity, but also to provide a therapeutic effect on the gum tissue or tooth enamel. Achievement of the therapeutic effect is due to the use of liquid formulations with antiseptic, hemostatic or strengthening properties. A dentist will help you choose the right treatment and prophylactic agent.

Special balms can be poured into the reservoir of the irrigator, which have a different spectrum of action. For example, Terasol solution has antiseptic properties, Asepta is used to prevent the development of caries, and Irix is ​​used to provide fresh breath for the whole day.

A certain amount of the desired drug is poured into the container of the device and diluted with water, acting according to the attached instructions. A concentrated product, as a rule, is not used, as it will foam heavily during the procedure and reduce its effectiveness.

In order to properly perform an additional cleaning procedure at home after using a toothbrush, you need to know and observe certain nuances of using an irrigator.

• Before using the cleaning device, thoroughly brush your teeth, tongue and inner surface of your cheeks with toothpaste and a regular or electric brush.
• Select the required specialized agent or fill the reservoir of the irrigator with water. The liquid for use should be at room temperature or slightly warm, and the reservoir of the device itself should be filled to a certain mark.
• The selected replaceable attachment is installed on the apparatus. The device is connected to a power supply and the lowest pressure mode of water supply from the nozzle is selected.
• During the hygiene procedure, it is necessary to bend over the sink so that the waste liquid can drain from the oral cavity. Throwing your head back during the procedure is prohibited, as in this position water can enter your stomach or bronchi.
• With the help of a nozzle, it is necessary to process the dentition of the upper jaw, after which you can proceed to cleaning the teeth located on the lower jaw. First, the lateral teeth are processed, and after them the front teeth. Particular attention should be paid to hard-to-reach areas of the oral cavity and should be treated with special care.

It is best to treat the replacement nozzle with an antiseptic solution after use. Cleaning of the irrigator and replacement nozzles should be done after each use.

Often users have a question about how often the irrigator can be used. Dentists believe that it is advisable to use this hygiene device once a day or 2-3 times a week. If you do not turn on a too strong pressure of the water jet and use the device in a gentle mode, then the device can be used more often.

In the case of using the device for medicinal purposes, the oral cavity treatment mode and the type of liquid used are selected only by the dentist, taking into account the condition of your teeth and gums. In cases where the device is used for the prevention of dental diseases, then to obtain the desired effect, it is enough to use the irrigator no more than 4 times a week.

As for the daily use of the device for hygienic purposes, it can only be used if there are no signs of inflammation or bleeding of the gums in the oral cavity.

The average time of using the irrigator is 2-3 minutes, but if braces are installed in the mouth or dental prosthetics are performed, then the time of the hygienic procedure can be increased to 5-10 minutes.

Despite the many positive advantages of the irrigator, which are manifested not only for hygienic, but also for preventive purposes, the device has some restrictions on its use.

• The cleansing water jet should not be used if you have recently undergone a dental operation related to tooth extraction or implant placement. The break in procedures should be at least 14 days, but this figure is conditional, since it all depends on the individual rate of healing of the wound process.
• The use of an irrigator on implants is possible only in a gentle mode and on condition that the prosthetics process was completed without complications.
• If there is an inflammatory process in the oral cavity, for example, stomatitis or gingivitis, or if there is increased bleeding of the gums, then the use of the hygiene apparatus should be temporarily stopped and dental care should be sought.
• The use of the irrigator in children is allowed only in a gentle mode, no more than 2-3 times a week. The processing time of the oral cavity should not exceed 1-2 minutes.

In order for the use of a modern dental device - an irrigator - to be effective and not to cause deterioration in the health of teeth and gums, the following precautions must be taken:

• a jet with a strong pressure should never be directed to the gum area, as this injures the soles and causes severe bleeding;
• the safest way for the enamel to supply a stream of water is when the irrigator nozzle moves downward from the edge of the gums, sliding along the surface of the teeth;
• if the gum has a tendency to bleeding, then the pressure of the stream of water on it should be as gentle as possible;
• in the presence of an acute phase of periodontitis, it is better to refuse to use the device;
• each family member must have his own personal removable attachment to the device, the use of one common attachment is prohibited;
• you cannot turn on the irrigator if there is no water or treatment solution in its reservoir.

To make the procedure for cleaning the oral cavity as effective and comfortable as possible, do not use concentrated solutions. Any medicinal or prophylactic agent poured into the reservoir of the irrigator must be diluted with water.