<p>I was watching the Seinfeld episode the other day where George’s father starts a computer sales business in the garage and unwisely recruits George and a neighborhood eccentric, Lloyd Braun, to work the phones. Of course it’s a hysterical mess, with Mr. Costanza quickly reaching the boiling point and shouting “Serenity now! Serenity now!” to calm down. The prize for selling the most computers is a Water Pik. Anytime one of the two salesmen starts to achieve that goal, George’s mother yells from the house to her husband, “You’re not giving away my Water Pik!” Funny stuff.</p>
<p>So that got me thinking about the usefulness of a Water Pik. I started researching on the Internet, and they look pretty good. I think it would be a pleasant way to clean teeth. Have you used one? Are they good? Any advice? Does the water get all over the place?</p>
<p>I like mine a lot. I’ve had one for years…actually many over the years. Every time we go to Europe, Husband insists on bringing it, and every time it burns out with the first use…I finally got him a cordless one to take on trips.</p>
<p>My dentist tells me the best way to clean teeth is sonicare. His comment is that he knows how to get all the plaque off but it’s easier to use this thing. It vibrates bristles.</p>
<p>One of my kids has a waterpik to get out crypts, those little white balls that stick in tonsil holes.</p>
<p>I had braces in my twenties and used a waterpik after my nightly brushing. I felt it got to areas missed with normal brushing stopped using it after the braces came off.</p>
<p>I used one when I had braces. It was wonderful! The only problem is, I have really sensitive teeth so I had to make sure that the water was really warm or it would hurt really bad.</p>
<p>Funny you should ask. One of my kids got one when she had braces but never really used it. I pulled it out of the cupboard a couple of months ago and started using it. I quickly became addicted. I use it twice a day and every single time, some vile chunk of food comes out from between my teeth, although I’ve already brushed them. Yes, it’s easy to accidentally spray the room and the last poster was right that it is more comfortable with warmish water. But all in all, it’s a great invention. I’m interested to hear that there are cordless ones. I definitely need one of those for travel.</p>
<p>I really like the WaterPik–it isn’t used instead of a Sonicare or other toothbrush but in addition to. Warm water is important. It does make a mess–floods the area around the sink just about every timet.</p>
<p>Don’t know the name of the product, but one of my former coworkers used a product that attached to her shower head and allowed her to “waterpik” in the shower. It was recommended by her dentist. Anyone ever heard of this?</p>
<p>My parents had used one ever since I could remember. I remember seeing little chunks coming out of my Dad’s mouth when he was using it and it grossed me out. I never consider using it. I do use Sonicare and floss. Waterpik is more gentle on your gums though.</p>
<p>I just bought an Oral B cross-action power battery toothbrush for travel. It’s much lighter than Sonicare.</p>
<p>We have a couple of them. I used it when I was a teen then DS used one when he had braces. I still occasionally use it to message the gums. I have basically traded this for a something that washes the exit end of my being. :)</p>
<p>Brushing and flossing are the first line of defense against infection (gum disease). Water pics are great for braces because flossing is so cumbersome with all that metal in your mouth. Electric toothbrushes (inc sonic-care tb’s) are excellent because they often clean your teeth and gums better than a manual tb. But, you still need to floss!</p>
<p>Can you tell I’m a dental hygienist? I actually don’t lecture my patients tooooo much.</p>
<p>Our dentist is a strong proponent of Waterpiks and always recommends using it. My husband has used one for years and swears by it. But to be honest, I never really liked it all that much; I use a Sonicare toothbrush.</p>
<p>I use the sonicare toothbrush at home. But while I am in the car, I keep a sulca brush and Glide floss-pics (you can floss with one hand) handy. If I am on a long car ride on the freeway (for example), I can floss and brush away plaque from the gumline while driving. It’s pretty mindless, not like using a cell phone.</p>
<p>The sulca brush was suggested by my then dental hygienist years ago (she had to retire with carpal tunnel). Anyways, I went from lousy checkups to wonderful ones. Now I always quiz my new dental hygienists about any new hygiene products or research. They are actually quite excited to hear that someone is really interested in hygiene.</p>
<p>So funny! Ellemenope, I can picture you driving along and flossing! And to think about a “putrid, germy moat of saliva,” now there’s an image I won’t be able for forget. Now I am thinking of getting a Sonicare Flexcare. It sounds like a real advance!</p>
<p>I did ask my dentist about getting an electric toothbrush, but he wasn’t too enthusiastic. Maybe he didn’t want to put himself out of business.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting that Readers Digest article! Some real gems in there.</p>