Love your electric toothbrush? Hate that yucky mouthwash? Can't live without that terrific threader floss? Got a fave canker sore remedy? Here's where you can post your opinions and reviews of specific products relating to dental hygiene and your braces. Tell others what works....and what doesn't!
Okay so i have been having a hell of a time flossing with my braces, my ortho's assistant (intern) told me that i cannot just use my water pik. that i also have to floss....But i have been using a water pik for years instead of flossing and its even saying that its 99.9% better then regular flossing right on the box. i have never had any problems from my Dentist, he was the one who recommended the water pik.
Also i have tested the therory of even flossing with regular floss and then useing my water pik right after and there was still food coming out. just recently i upgraded my water pik to the ultra with ALL the different tools for ortho.
Does anyone else just use a water pik only, or is this really bad? HELP!!
I'll let you know this week. I've been using one since getting braces last month. I also "tested" it as you did and it seemed fine. I was always a flosser, so I want to make sure this is ok. Plan to ask at my "comfort check" on Thursday, because I don't see my dentist again until September.
I'm using ht ewaterpik flosser with the ortho tip.
i am also using the waterpik ultra.i dont know that the company could make a claim unless it has been tested very thouroughly. i kinda did my own test. i flossed then waterik and food still in there. then i waterpiked and flossed " nothing"
i still floss though maybe every day 2-3 though but no food though. i think the waterpik would be good at stimulating blood supply to the gums though. i think some denists are just so dead set the only floss is the floss way and are unable to be convinced. on the other hand i do have some teeth that are so tight i still floss. i use my waterpick 3 times a day.
Huggypillow wrote:i am also using the waterpik ultra.i dont know that the company could make a claim unless it has been tested very thouroughly. i kinda did my own test. i flossed then waterik and food still in there. then i waterpiked and flossed " nothing"
i still floss though maybe every day 2-3 though but no food though. i think the waterpik would be good at stimulating blood supply to the gums though. i think some denists are just so dead set the only floss is the floss way and are unable to be convinced. on the other hand i do have some teeth that are so tight i still floss. i use my waterpick 3 times a day.
Wow! 3 Times a day!! thats some serious water piking!! lol
i use mine only once a day before i go to bed, i did buy one of those portable ones...But the preasure is just way to strong. but you are absolutly right! how could they say its better then flossing if it wasnt true, could be a law suit for them if they werent right!
Maybe i will call oral B and ask them? i have such a hard time flossing, its next to impossible to get my side and back teeth. i have spent atleast 45mins trying. after that i said screw it! my water pik is a 10min job!!
Well i only waterpik 3 times if im home other than that only at night. actually i think i may have worked out a nifty way of getting floss through so once its perfected ill pass it on to you to try.
what date did you get braced it must have been close to my date i was done on the 11th may 2011. sesame scared i was. but then i was ok.
also i found that the oral b ultra turbo something electric toothbrush is fantastic especially for doing behind my teeth.
i paid about $170 for it but it has this timer thing that beep when its time to move on.
if you want the exact name for the brush i can post it on the board for you.
When you mention that food was 'still in there', I am not totally sure where you mean exactly? under the wire, around the brackets, between teeth? It's just that flossing is done to remove food/bacteria etc from just below the gum line, because if it's left to build up then you could end up with gingivits which then develops into gum disease if not looked after/treated. I am unsure where the food still is, but I do not think a waterpik gets just below the gum line.
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. I know flossing can sometimes seem pointless, because when flossing the floss remains clean, so maybe you think it isn't doing anything... but you're only meant to be removing/dislodging the crap that gets below the gum line there (I then rinse with mouthwash to wash it away) to avoid it turning into plaque and then tartar (which can cause cavities and periodontal issues). I have seen the same dentist all my life, he never once said I needed to floss, yet my gums bled when I first started... so infact, I DID need to floss.
It's up to the individual, but I say flossing is very important for oral health, no matter what other tools you use.
Braces: Metal fixed upper and lower Estimated treatment time: 18-24 months Braces Removed: August 2013 (after 33 months in braces) Retainers: Upper & lower essix and lower bonded My Story / Before & After photos
Update: I asked last week. They said that while it is not a substitute for flossing, it's ok for me to use in certain areas instead of flossing (for now) because the crowding and springs make flossing close to impossible. They did say that even when I can floss everywhere that it's a good addition.
So, I'm flossing once day (as I always did before braces) and using the water pik three after every meal.
While I highly recommend using a Waterpik (works well and feels good on sore teeth and gums), I don't think it's a good idea to use it exclusively without flossing.
Think of it this way...using a waterpik is alot like using the spray nozzle at the do-it-yourself car washes and we all know that you can run your finger across your hood after spraying it and still have a dirty fingertip. That's because it only removes surface dirt. Brushing and flossing is like thoroughly washing your car with water, soap and sponge.
So, if you want really clean teeth and zero cavaties....Brush, Floss, Waterpik.
I wrote an intersting post on my blog about all of this, check it out when you get a chance.
Since flossing is to clean under the gumline between teeth, the waterpik doesn't replace that. But something helpful to a lot of people are the Piksters. Size 0 or 1. I have to buy them directly from the website, since i don't see the small sizes in the stores. I love them, they're like tiny little pipe cleaners, and it feels really good when you use them.
29 years old
2-18-10 baby canine pulled
3-15-10 got braces
12-22-11 Moving-SO EXCITED!!
1-2-12 Meet new Ortho
1-5-12 Begin finishing treatment
3-5-12 Canine Implants...dun dun dunnnnn
4-9-12 Deband!
I had braces for Two Years and TwentyFive Days
Chrystal wrote:When you mention that food was 'still in there', I am not totally sure where you mean exactly? under the wire, around the brackets, between teeth? It's just that flossing is done to remove food/bacteria etc from just below the gum line, because if it's left to build up then you could end up with gingivits which then develops into gum disease if not looked after/treated. I am unsure where the food still is, but I do not think a waterpik gets just below the gum line.
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. I know flossing can sometimes seem pointless, because when flossing the floss remains clean, so maybe you think it isn't doing anything... but you're only meant to be removing/dislodging the crap that gets below the gum line there (I then rinse with mouthwash to wash it away) to avoid it turning into plaque and then tartar (which can cause cavities and periodontal issues). I have seen the same dentist all my life, he never once said I needed to floss, yet my gums bled when I first started... so infact, I DID need to floss.
It's up to the individual, but I say flossing is very important for oral health, no matter what other tools you use.
Hi All
Yes food was still there my teeth are so tight (molars) not even floss coud drag out the food, i do understand the need to floss, when i spoke to both my dentist and my ortho they both said the same thing that when the waterpik is used around the pressure 7 it will do just under the gum line. he also pointed out that if teeth were in perfect alaignment and the waterpik held a the precise 90 o it would be more than 99% effective. but since this is not the case, yes we still have to floss, and i have never treated my waterpik as a substuite for flossing. Flossing is aslo about scraping the side of he tooth as you take the floss up and down and up again to help remove any build up there too.
It's so great to have a discussion where everyones views are supported. Thanks heaps for sharing Chrystal good luck with everything
I've been really intrigued by the water pik, first because I thought I was going to have a problem flossing when I got my braces on. It has been a lot easier than I expected, which is great. I may still pick it up as an addition though, mostly because I'm still really curious about it.
I just bought a Water Pik from Costco last week. With the new braces, some of my teeth are now so tightly together that I don't think the Pik would get them. So I'm glad to see what was posted above, relating the comments from an orthodontist and a general practitioner.
That said, I have to say that I really like the Water Pik. It makes quick work of cleaning my teeth and brackets after a snack, and I'm glad I bought it. If someone can't or won't floss, at least a Water Pik would help!
I remember when I was a teenager and my brother had braces, he NEVER cleaned his teeth, and his brackets were utterly disgusting. The memory of that is so indelibly imprinted in my mind, that I couldn't bear the thought of not cleaning with braces on!
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.
