I've heard differently from the two dentists I've seen. The first suggested using a water pick and the second told me it was fine as a first pass but I still needed to floss. Might be because my teeth are very close to each other though.

If there's evidence stronger than a dentist's opinion, I'd like to hear it, because I preferred the water pick...

Can confirm that water pick and flossing work differently. Flossing is not primarily to dislodge food particles but distupt bacteria between teeth. So just water pick alone would be like trying to wash your car by just hosing it down with mild pressure. You want to firsh disrupt bacteria with mechanical action them flush them away with water.

My dentist recommends interdental brushes over flossing.

Interdental brushes are more effective in removing plaque than floss. [0,1]

Water picks are good for reducing gingival inflammation. [1]

[0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19820738/

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6630384/

That’s a good point that i never thought to ask about, how tight teeth fit might have influenced the advice i heard.

Was also sold one by my dentist. Turns out you still have to floss so it was just another thing I paid for at the dentist that I didn't really need. Cool.

try alternately flossing, then using the waterpik, or vice versa. You’ll find that either way, the second modality dislodges food particles left behind by the first. I take that as evidence that both > one > neither in terms of dental health and this of course assumes you then also brush your teeth.

Flossing doesn't replace water picking, and vice versa.

Both have independent benefits. Most importantly, using a waterpik is never a replacement for flossing.

My waterpik has solved pretty much all of my gum problems. I have one attached to my shower which is very convenient. Highly recommended.

Where did you get the attachment? Or which brand model?

It’s called Showerbreeze