Fair enough. You-must-floss is probably the dental equivalent of 8-glasses-of-water-a-day: widely accepted, zealously practiced by a significant number of people, but with no medical backing. On the other hand, my teeth feel much cleaner and I feel much better when I floss. It might not have any effect on the health of my teeth and gums but I like it.
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I have better luck with flossing every day than with anything electric, which tended to aggravate my gums no matter what. The trick was to include a non-alcohol-based antibacterial rinse.
For the first three weeks it felt like I was rinsing my mouth out with lye twice a day – I swear I could feel the bacteria writhing in their death throes – but things steadily improved, and I was able to start flossing comfortably. Since it doesn’t hurt anymore, I actually do it. I still use the rinse too – it doesn’t hurt at all now.
I’m down to three dental visits a year from four. We’re taking about cutting it down to two in a couple of years.
So yes, some of us really do floss daily, but it took some work and problem-solving to get there.
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I mentioned this to my dentist’s office staff not long after the article came out. They absolutely couldn’t handle it. No way!
The newer ones have a charging base, so you could charge it once a week in the next room.
And they’ve even got one or two models that are waterproof, so they can go in the shower with you. That way, it doesn’t matter how messy you are while using it.
I have a Panasonic portable for travel which I can use in the shower, but the small reservoir means that it runs out of water around midway through my mouth, so for daily use I prefer the conventional one. I assume the same would be true for the travel flossers from Water Pik, as well as these knockoffs in the BB shop.
Funnily enough, while my mother had a Water Pik as long ago as 1970, I only tried one myself for the first time around 2 years ago, and immediately added it to my regular dental regimen. Regular flossing I hate, like all normal people.
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You know, that’s a good idea. The countertop one is okay, but it’d be way easier to do it in the shower. I might grab one of those, especially if there’s a Waterpik model that I can use the tips I already have with.
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There are also water flossers you can buy that hook directly into your shower, but I believe they do not have the pressure of the powered flossers.
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