Hacker News Reader

Comment by sergiosgc | Hacker News Reader

This, but for water jet flossing. Why did I muck around for decades with strings in my mouth? A water jet is a lot less effort and much much more efficient/effective.

P.S. If you never tried these gizmos, get a portable, battery powered one, so you can use it over the bathtub (or in the bathtub). They tend to soak everything around you.

View on HN

I never got used to water flossing, how do you know where to aim it while it's in your mouth? Are you literally dragging the tip across your gum line? I always had trouble getting the proper angle (perpendicular to teeth) and then when it comes to the front teeth it's impossible to do behind them because the tips don't have enough of an angle to them and you're also shooting water everywhere.

Get one with a separate tank and controls on the actual handle part, much easier to manoeuver and can turn toggle it on/off quickly while switching areas of your mouth.

I saw these, but they felt a bit scammy, what model are you using ?

Not who you were asking, but I use a Waterpik WP-100 and I'm very happy with it. According to my dentist they are less effective than normal flossing, but I hate flossing and was never able to do it on a regular basis, whereas I use the Waterpik once a day.

I worked my way up to a fairly high pressure and it regularly removes stuff that I missed with my electric toothbrush. It also leaves you with a very fresh and clean mouth feel.

I also wasn't very sure about them when I first looked into it, but it's really not a snake-oil product. It's also not the holy grail of dental health, just a reasonable alternative to flossing.

How do you clean these out? It's gotten backed up due to water deposits and no longer gives the nice pressure feeling.

I haven't had that problem, but I'd say flush it thoroughly with white vinegar and possibly replace the tip.

Depending on how quickly you lose pressure you might also consider using it with filtered water

I have a Waterpik cordless and it has been very good - the industrial design is meh but it does the job. It's nice to have a simple handheld unit. I have some gaps between teeth that can trap food and cause gum disease.

It's used in combination with brushing, of course - water-pik then brush.

It's a WF-02 ... it's the kind with 3 AA cells that I have rechargeables in (this is better for my bathroom setup).

I have the cheapest Waterpik and it's still amazing how much the water jet helps with dislodging various food bits trapped between teeth.

A bit late on the reply, but mine is a Sonicare Power Flosser.

I use Panasonic EW-1211W. Much better than brushing.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com