Dental Air flosser, any good?

ripplyuk

I saw these in Boots today and they're around £99. They look a bit like an electric toothbrush that blows air. I was wondering if they are worth the money and if they're as good at cleaning your teeth as traditional dental floss. I really like the idea of it as I think it might be easier than using the fiddly tape. Has anyone used one or know anything about them?

brook2jack

Save your money. Ask your dentist to demonstrate how to use floss as the vast majority of people don't floss effectively. If the gaps between teeth are quite big try tepe brushes.

ripplyuk

Are they not as good as floss then?

It's not that I'm struggling with the traditional floss and my dentist says I'm doing it fine, it's just I just like the thought of doing it with air. I've read somewhere that floss can damage the gums, though I'm sure they mean people who are rough with it. I'm very careful but it's still something I'm a bit concerned about.

Also, I've been thinking that the air would get into more awkward areas of the teeth, whereas a straight piece of floss may not. I noticed when I got my first molar out, that the surface of the second molar that was against it wasn't exactly sparkling white looking. It is curved inwards slightly on that side and the floss couldn't reach there.

I don't mind paying the money as long as it does the job properly. But I guess these things are quite new and only time will tell. Not sure if I fancy being a guinea pig!

brook2jack

Very very unlikely you will damage gums with floss.

Tepe brushes are very good , if you have the space, for getting into the nooks and crannies.

Air flossing is a gimmick. There is no way it has sufficient pressure to clean stuff off. People who use it , then a tepe or floss find stuff still come off on the floss or tepe.

ripplyuk

Thanks Brook2Jack. I'll stick with the floss. I've just looked up the tepe brushes, though I'm not sure if my teeth have room for them. They would work out quite expensive though, 25 for almost £9. Do people use the same one for their whole mouth? I'm used to using a clean bit of floss for each tooth.

brook2jack

Keep reusing the tepe until it looks a bit sad. One brush will normally last quite a few days, after all you don't change your toothbrush several times during tooth brushing. You just need to rinse the tepe.

Anoneemoose

Sorry to hijack the thread but are the 'flossers' any good as well? I know it sounds daft but I have never got the hang of tape!! I cannot coordinate myself so have been using the flossers but am never quite sure if they're doing the job!

I haven't enough space for the brushes.

YORKSHIRELASS

I bought a water flosser a few weeks ago and absolutely love it. I have poor teeth and a mouth full of fillings so flossing is difficult. I suppose the test will be my next dental check up but my mouth feels so clean and it does remove debris that your toothbrush misses!

grumpyoldgal

I bought one on offer from Boots £49.50 earlier this year, haven't thought much of it other than a waste of money......just feels like insufficient pressure to make a difference.


Could buy a hell of a lot of floss and brushes for that, and at least my teeth and gums do feel clean after them!

VanyaHargreeves

I quite like mine, but then I have braces so traditional floss is quite difficult to use...even floss specifically designed for braces is a pain in the bum!

The only thing is that I do have to fill mine with mouthwash and go around twice otherwise it doesn't feel very clean!

brook2jack

Don't use mouthwash just after brushing it interacts with toothpaste to stop it working properly and unless you use a fluoride mouthwash it washes all the fluoride away, a bad idea especially for a brace user. You should also be using a tepe brush (interproximal or single tufted brush) to clean around the brackets and wires. This video has a good demo of cleaning around a brace http://youtu.be/GtSi2IcfynE

You are never going to do as good a job with a water jet etc as you are with a brush etc