Metal Mouth Message Board

I just got braces yesterday. I am learning that they can be difficult to clean! Am also reading about all the dental floss threaders...the samples I got from the orthodontist are unwieldy.

Anyway, I've read a lot of good things about the sonicare. I've also been told, albeit by people who had braces a long time ago, that waterpiks are good. I don't want to go out and buy all sorts of expensive appliances so I ask you. Which would YOU buy? I already have a Braun electric toothbrush but it seems like sonicare is better?

Also, is there such a thing as a portable waterpik? I am learning it takes forever to clean stuff out between my teeth with the little brushes. Sometimes at work I don't have forever. I have all the portable things like brushes and floss and I can try to remove food with water in my mouth but it just seems like there HAS to be an easier way. I know when I had my wisdom teeth out AGES ago I had to irrigate with a bulb thingie. Has anyone tried anything like that?

Jane

Here is a portable irrigator.

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catal ... ?sku=PA865

I have one and I highly recommend it. The design is really neat, the whole thing telescopes down to a really compact size (easy fit in a jacket pocket) and the nozzle detaches and clips to the side.

At home I use a normal Waterpik.

I'd say that both are a good investment.

Steve

There's a portable version of the Waterpik as well, I saw it right next to the one I bought in the store.

Using the special syringe that they give you for the antibacterial solution after the wisdom teeth extraction is a neat idea as well. No batteries needed

you can get a waterpik as they're pretty good but be prepared to replace them every 6 weeks or so (you can do this by sending them to a waterpik retailer near you..they're pretty good about getting new ones out to you but it gets tiresome...i'm on my 5th water pik since last may).

glowstix wrote:you can get a waterpik as they're pretty good but be prepared to replace them every 6 weeks or so (you can do this by sending them to a waterpik retailer near you..they're pretty good about getting new ones out to you but it gets tiresome...i'm on my 5th water pik since last may).

Six weeks? What happens after six weeks? Why would my dental hygenist recommend something that brakes so easily???

swan wrote:Six weeks? What happens after six weeks? Why would my dental hygenist recommend something that brakes so easily???

the motor stopped running. the first time you charge and use it, it runs perfectly; the motor is running at top speed and you get cleaned in a minimal amount of time. from that point it goes downhill. the motor gets slower and slower and eventually after a couple of months, it just stops running.

i think its inevitable based on the design. i'm not saying that the design is that poor. its just that water vapour and energy storage devices and motor/rotational devices don't mix.

what i think is going on in the device is that over time, the particles from the water out of the tap buildsup in the device and perhaps get between the brushes and commutator rings of the motor inside the device and acts as an insulator. the brush/commutator combination is what's causing the rotation in the motor based on lenz law (current carrying conductors in a magnetic field produce rotation). with this being the case, over time, the motor just doesn't run as fast because there's too much buildup between the two components.

i'm not sure if they improve the design of the device. as long as the motor is in close proximity to the water chamber, there will always be water vapour escaping and getting into the motor.

pretty much, i just accept that i have to get a new one every couple of months..

I have had my SPAMTRONIC SPAMSONIC SPAMONAIDE SPAMSTER SPAM SPAMINATOR portable irragator for over 18 months and, touch wood, it is still working as well as when I first got it.

I am on my second counter-top Waterpik though, the first one lasted just on 12 months.

So they do break after a while but it probably depends on how hard or soft your tap water is.

Steve

I used a waterpik the first time with braces and will ABSOLUTELY buy one for this go around. I was amazed at what it flushed out of my braces. Gross I know.

I got a Waterpik today and I think it may take some practice. I had water all over my neck, shirt, face, plus the mirror, countertop, the machine itself, etc. I did get it to essentially floss my teeth but really, all I got out was blood from one spot. No food or particles, although I'm sure I got some microscopic stuff out...nothing gross per se.

Seems like it might be ok to use but as I mentioned, I am going to have to figure out how to use it without soaking my bathroom and myself every time, plus my 3 year old wants to come and watch and she got sprayed too...YIKES!

bracefaceat34 wrote:I got a Waterpik today and I think it may take some practice. I had water all over my neck, shirt, face, plus the mirror, countertop, the machine itself, etc. I did get it to essentially floss my teeth but really, all I got out was blood from one spot. No food or particles, although I'm sure I got some microscopic stuff out...nothing gross per se.

Seems like it might be ok to use but as I mentioned, I am going to have to figure out how to use it without soaking my bathroom and myself every time, plus my 3 year old wants to come and watch and she got sprayed too...YIKES!

Heh, I had water all over myself, the mirror, and the countertop, too, the first couple of times. (Because I suspected something like that happening, I didn't even wear a shirt, so I could dry myself off afterwards )
But now I usually wear a T-shirt and it stays dry, and the mirror doesn't look bad, either. You will learn it, too

stevem wrote:I have had my SPAMTRONIC SPAMSONIC SPAMONAIDE SPAMSTER SPAM SPAMINATOR portable irragator for over 18 months and, touch wood, it is still working as well as when I first got it.

I am on my second counter-top Waterpik though, the first one lasted just on 12 months.

So they do break after a while but it probably depends on how hard or soft your tap water is.

Steve

I have a "waterpik" type thing as a part of my Braun toothbrush. I've had it for 5 years!!!! It still works beautifully.