Electric flossers

[Lemming Train]

Anyone got any experiences/recommendations for these jetwash teeth flosser water pik things? I can't floss with floss wire or the interdental brushes because my teeth are really tight together and the floss won't go through without either snapping or suddenly jumping through and slicing my gum. I can just about shoehorn in the smallest size interdental brushes between my front teeth at the gum line, but they're really painful on my gums. My dentist has basically said tough st, deal with it, because it's not using them that's caused my gums to be tender and the only way to fix it is to MTFU and keep doing it but I've tried this and predictably all it's done is agitated my gums further to the point where they're now too sore to touch . I suffer from weak tooth enamel as well since I was a kid and can't let the dentist use those ultrasonic cleaners because they strip the enamel off and I hit the roof with pain. Just wondering if these water pik thingies are basically a home version of those and I'm going to get the same problem?

I'm looking at reviews for the various models on Amazon and elsewhere and I'm seeing a strong trend of "it will work fine for a couple of months then stop working" which does not fill me with confidence.

[grumbledoak]

They make a right mess of the bathroom mirror. And walls. And floor. And mine started to smell quite quickly.

They aren't like the sonic stuff though, they don't irritate gums or harm enamel.

[Lemming Train]

grumbledoak said:

They make a right mess of the bathroom mirror. And walls. And floor. And mine started to smell quite quickly.

They aren't like the sonic stuff though, they don't irritate gums or harm enamel.

But apart from all those problems, would you recommend them?

I'm looking at the £40 Oral Fresh ProJet Flosser on Argos. Apart from it seemingly being virtually guaranteed to pack up at some point before a year is up it seems to fair quite decent. I note many comments about using warm water if you have weak enamel/sensitive teeth - definitely taken on board!

[GordonL]

Dentist here. There has never been any evidence that they actually do anything for gum disease, so I wouldn’t waste your money on one.
Are you using good quality waxed floss? The dental tape stuff seems a bit easier to use in my hands too.
I’d also recommend getting a dental hygienist to show you how to floss properly, there is a knack to doing it well.

[Lemming Train]

GordonL said:

Dentist here. There has never been any evidence that they actually do anything for gum disease, so I wouldn’t waste your money on one.
Are you using good quality waxed floss? The dental tape stuff seems a bit easier to use in my hands too.
I’d also recommend getting a dental hygienist to show you how to floss properly, there is a knack to doing it well.

Hi Gordon. There isn't a dental hygienist available on the NHS at my place, but my dentist tried to demonstrate both the dental brush and the tape, both of which didn't end well - the brush went partly into the nonexistent gap in my front low teeth after some force which them promptly went clean into my gum behind it and I hit the roof and there was blood to clean up. The tape was demonstrated on her own teeth with it wrapped round her fingers and looked easy enough, but when trying this at home it's nigh on impossible as there is no gap and it just breaks or eventually jolts through and slices my gum. I've also tried the harp shaped ones but unsurprisingly have the same issue. Willing to try anything really as clearly I have some tartar building up that's causing them to become inflamed so it's disappointing to read that you consider them to be a waste of time .

On a separate note, what is the difference between Duraphat 5000 and PreviDent 5000? They're both made by Colgate and are both Rx only but the ingredients list for both appears to be same . Apparently I need to use a 5000ppm flouride toothpaste permanently as Pro-namel isn't cutting it to keep the sensitivity fully at bay. She has prescribed me Duraphat again but personally I can't tell if it's doing anything and at prescription prices for such a tiny tube it gets quite expensive. Are there any other options or am I stuck with it?

[rossub]

Lemming Train said:

Willing to try anything really

Some teeth out and braces to pull them apart a bit?

[stinkyspanner]

The wife and I have tried a couple, I think a waterpik and now a hangsun. We've come to the conclusion that they're disposible-either the battery goes or something breaks.
Quite like them, just be ready to throw it in the bin every few months

[Hashtaggggg]

I have been looking at these as a recent visit to the dentist has highlighted some gum disease

I have the same flopping problem

My conclusion is buy from Costco and return for a replacement if it does break

[Big_Dog]

We use the Waterpik mains powered one. It will cover everything in the bathroom if you aren't careful but surprisingly after electric brushing and a poke around with the Teepee brushes it still seems to find stuff to rinse out. I don't know if it helps with gum disease but mine seems to have cleared up.

[craig1912]

We had one and found it a complete waste of time

[GordonL]

The Prevident stuff is aimed more as a desensitisation paste so has more Potassium in it and has lower abrasion property.
If you’re looking to reduce sensitivity then using them as regular pastes isn’t the best way to get results. I recommend this wee regime at bedtime: brush your teeth as normal and then massage a very small amount of the paste into the sensitive areas with your finger tip. Then go to bed. The idea is that saliva production decreases when you sleep so the paste gets left undisturbed for longer to do its thing.
OralB used to claim that their paste was as good as Duraphat because they use Stannous Fluoride which releases twice the fluoride ions that Sodium does in Duraphat. It’s a lot cheaper too.
It’s worth experimenting with different brands of floss to see if you get better results with another brand.

[Lemming Train]

GordonL said:

The Prevident stuff is aimed more as a desensitisation paste so has more Potassium in it and has lower abrasion property.
If you’re looking to reduce sensitivity then using them as regular pastes isn’t the best way to get results. I recommend this wee regime at bedtime: brush your teeth as normal and then massage a very small amount of the paste into the sensitive areas with your finger tip. Then go to bed. The idea is that saliva production decreases when you sleep so the paste gets left undisturbed for longer to do its thing.
OralB used to claim that their paste was as good as Duraphat because they use Stannous Fluoride which releases twice the fluoride ions that Sodium does in Duraphat. It’s a lot cheaper too.
It’s worth experimenting with different brands of floss to see if you get better results with another brand.

Thanks. What is the OralB one you speak of? Is that also prescription?

[paulwoof]

ive got one of the waterflossers off amazon, Not the waterpik but the chinesey knock offs, has been going strong for nearly a year, Packs a punch but obviously does not have the physical connection proper floss has but sure can knock out those pesky bits that get stuck between teeth.

I never got on with string floss, The water flosser takes a bit of getting used to to avoid a mess but works quiet well once you get it.

If you dont like it for your teeth you could also use it as a water gun.

[Four Litre]

Big_Dog said:

We use the Waterpik mains powered one. It will cover everything in the bathroom if you aren't careful but surprisingly after electric brushing and a poke around with the Teepee brushes it still seems to find stuff to rinse out. I don't know if it helps with gum disease but mine seems to have cleared up.

Also have a WaterPik and swear by it- was about £100 but I think well worth it. Bloody hurts when you hit inflammation but it always gets stuff out that traditional flossing does not.