Water flossing vs string floss: which actually cleans better?

Brushing only reaches the outer surfaces of your teeth. The tight spaces between them, and the pocket just under the gumline, need something else, and that is where flossing earns its place in the routine.

String floss is precise. It scrapes the flat sides of two teeth where they touch, and for very tight contacts nothing else quite fits. The catch is technique: most people rush it, skip the back teeth, or never reach below the gum.

A water flosser takes a different route. A focused pulse of water flushes debris from between teeth and rinses just under the gumline, which is easier to do well and gentler on tender gums, and far simpler to reach the molars with.

You do not have to pick a side. Plenty of people use string floss for the tightest contacts and the WaveOne water flosser for everything else, especially around the gumline. The one you will actually do every day is the one that works.