Water Pik instead of flossing?

[Nana51]

I proactively purchased a Waterpik ultra today, in advance of my brace date of July 29th. I thought it might be helpful to get the hang of it and experiment with the different pressure settings. I've read so much here that I can't recall who posted the hilarious story of using the Waterpik. It just brought a smile to my crooked teeth and reminded me not to take all this too seriously.

[LanaTeeth]

I use a WaterPik to wash out nuts and other stubborn particles. I'm under no illusion though that the WaterPik exempts me from a thorough flossing at least once a day.

[Nana51]

If anyone has read the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie", they can understand how a new WaterPik user might end up cleaning the bathroom! My ultra model sort of got away from me tonight and I got a good facial, the mirror got a good moisture treatment and a couple of other spots had a shower, too, before I could regain control! I laughed out loud!

9 days till vacation; 19 days til braces!

[Kevinr144]

[quote="kamor"]i have found that the water pik flosser helps to dis-lodge any food that is between the wires and brackets, but it is not a substitute for regular floss. I use the waterpik flooser, brush then use regualar floss. Very time consuming but well worth it.[/quote]

This. I brush, floss, water pik, then rinse with mouthwash.

[sally1988]

[quote="BraceFace2o1o"]I didn't start flossing until I was 24. When I first started my gums would bleed, a sign of needing to floss and that my gums were irritated/unclean. After about 2 weeks this stopped and my gums haven't bled since[/quote]

This is the exact same as me although I still don't floss religiously, from my own experiences flossing is not seen as an important part of dental hygiene in the UK and my dentist also never mentioned it. I just tried it out once and was shocked that my gums bled and it smelt bad so carried on! I probably only floss twice a week but recently purchased the airfloss which I use every other day.

I definitely intend on flossing more regularly when I am braced from tomorrow...

[cs2thecox]

I quit flossing after I got my braces and switched to the WaterPik instead.
My hygienist was horrified at the thought, but admits that my teeth and gums are WAY better than when I flossed, so there you go!

She's still not convinced that a weird new(ish) gadget is better, but I'm all about the results. If the results are better then the process must be just fine!

[Glhernan]

I Just recently purchased the water pick and found it helpful but a. Bit messy. Still trying to get used to it.

[Nikki36]

I was told that you can not use a water pick alone. Your gums need the stimulation in between your teeth from floss to remain "tough" and healthy. I was braced for the second time in my life just 2 weeks ago. I use my waterpik ultra with the ortho appliance and sometimes just the regular sprayer before I brush with my Oral B 6000 toothbrush. I follow that with regular flossing with my super floss then another quick spray on low pressure from my water pik and lastly ACT Floride rinse. My teeth are amazingly clean.

[Aspiring]

Brush and Waterpik, then use a plaque disclosing tablet. You'll see how much the Waterpik doesn't get. Gotta floss to get your teeth clean.

As somebody said earlier, if you could aim perfectly and hold it at a perfect 90 degree angle, you'd be fine. But you can't hold it at a 90 degree angle between your teeth, because there is another tooth in the way.