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TEETH - cleaning properly between them

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  • I have been using a Waterpik 100 E for years, in fact I am on to my second machine.

    They are brilliant!

    I have trouble with floss fraying within certain teeth, so my routine is, floss the wider gaps, "jet wash" the whole of my mouth with the waterpik and then brush for 2 mins. My teeth are very important to me and whilst they are not those of a movie star they are pretty decent for my age ( mid 50's)

    The water piks do have a tendency to leak as they get older, in fact my current one does, but you can still use it you just make sure you put it on a towel.

    The last one I got was about £70 but they may have gone up. You may have to get an adapter plug as mine has a two pin plug which I put into a 3 pin adaptor, I use an extension to the plug in the hall and place the machine on the side of the unit next to the sink whilst it is in use.

    You can buy new hand sets (for that bit with the hose/wire attached) from the USA they will ship to the UK, which I may get around to doing.

    The water pik I have has adjustable pressure settings, but the smaller water piks ( travel type ones) are just one pressure, which is quite forceful/high and if you are not used to it you would find it too brutal!.

    When I go on holiday and only floss and brush my teeth don't feel really clean until I get back home and "jet wash" them!!
  • Hello,

    Many apologies for the delay in coming back.

    I've looked out the paperwork and the new item is not a Waterpik, but an Air flosser. It's made by Phillips Sonicare and has just been launched.

    Good luck - hope this helps.
  • bedpotato_2
    bedpotato_2 Posts: 329 Forumite
    edited 13 September 2011 at 5:00PM
    I bought a WaterPik a month ago. Due to reviews I'd read on the Internet, the first time I used it I was expecting it to remove loads of smelly gunk that had been festering unseen between my teeth for ages. Much to my surprise, it didn't.

    I suspect that all the people who rave about how much stuff it removed from their teeth had simply never flossed their teeth at all. Yuck.

    I already brush, floss and rinse after every meal. Using the waterpick three times a day (as some people claim they do) was just too much. My gums were getting very sore after a few days doing that (even on the lowest setting) and I felt that it was unnecessary with everything else I already do. So I'm hanging onto it to use it only now and then - say, once a fortnight - when I fancy a deeper clean.

    Slickrick25: you should learn how to floss. Not flossing is disgusting. It leaves loads of rotting food between your teeth which can (and will) lead to bad breath, as well as tooth decay.

    guineapig: Oral irrigators are NOT for "jet-washing" your teeth. They are designed for the gumline and interdental area only. The jet stream is very powerful and even on the lowest setting if you use it regularly it will erode the enamel if you direct it at your teeth. It is for the GUMS, not the TEETH. Teeth are cleaned with toothbrushes. They should not be jet-washed. I am surprised you did not notice that in your instruction booklet.

    The best instructional video I have yet encountered is this one:

    youtube.com/watch?v=flLt9swaWFM <
    Add www.

    because it includes an actual demo on how to use! :)
  • brook2jack
    brook2jack Posts: 4,563 Forumite
    Only one thing.... Don't rinse after brushing, spit don't rinse otherwise you are rinsing away the fluoride in the toothpast and not allowing it to stay in contact with the teeth. Unless you have specific problems you really don't need mouthwash.
    Totally agree with flossing rather than irrigating though.
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