Waterpik Cordless Dental Irrigator

During a trip to America last year I was often seeing some strange looking dental equipment around the place that I had never seen advertised or displayed in the shops back in the UK before. One of these things was this Waterpik cordless water flosser that I picked up in a Walmart store for roughly $40 which seemed excellent value at the time and it was cheap enough to pick up from the shelf as I was slightly skeptical about its efficiency at first.

What is a water flosser and who makes them?

A water flosser is a very clever device that uses a high powered pump and a variety of jet fittings to blast plague and food particles from between teeth to help maintain a healthy mouth. Brushing does not remove all of the plaque and food particles from your mouth so it is important to floss, however conventional floss can be hard and a real pain to use and that is where the Waterpik comes into the equation. A Waterpik makes flossing easy and it is proven to do just as good a job at flossing as conventional floss itself, from my time of using this machine I can confirm that it works superbly and it is probably better than normal floss also being much quicker. The manufacturer of Waterpik in the USA state that their devices clean just as well as normal flossing methods.

*** Setting up ***

Setting up was rather easy, inside the box was the Waterpik itself with two nozzles, one high power and one slightly lower. After a quick flick through the user manual it was recommended that the battery was first charged for a period of 24 hours to ensure a healthy battery life, but of course I was impatient as always and I had it switched on and put it into service only a few hours later. The manual was very easy to read and there was plenty of information to read with detailed instructions on how to use the flosser. It was recommended to start off with the low powered nozzle to begin with until you get used to the strange sensation of flossing with water, I however went straight ahead and started using the high powered nozzle but blimey it did take some getting used to!

It was time for the first use and I filled the water reservoir at the rear of the flosser to the very top before turning it on. The instructions said not to turn the flosser on when the nozzle is outside of the mouth but of course I messed this part up, I pressed the button and I got shot in the eye with the extremely high flow of jetted water being thrown out of the tiny device. Just a word of warning, if you do buy one of these – please do not be an idiot like me and only turn it on when it’s inside your mouth! Once I got over the shock of this event I started flossing with my head held over the sink as instructed, it was soon obvious why when I started the flossing. To floss with this unit you simply insert the angled nozzle into your mouth and turn it on, the extremely powerful flow of water is instantly shot out of the nozzle and you work your way around the bottom and sides of teeth to clean out and plaque and food particles while leaving the dirty water flow out of your mouth and into the sink, pretty gross huh? But better than having it in there!

My first flossing session with this device was a slight shock to me as I never thought that the flow of water would have been so powerful. My gums and teeth did ache slightly after my first few uses but after a week or so I was used to the power and my mouth instantly felt cleaner and healthier. The flosser seems to do a fabulous job at removing any nasty things that can lurk between teeth and I was instantly hooked from the first use.

During use things can get messy. The water jet that comes from this device is rather strong usually resulting is a mist escaping from your mouth and things can get damp.... If you use this in a mirror then you can expect a lot of polishing being needed after use as it sprays everywhere and I find the easiest place to use this is in the shower.

*** Effectiveness ***

Now the big question is - does this thing really work at removing plaque from between teeth? The simple answer is yes and I have noticed a rather large difference with my gums appearing tighter and my teeth generally feeling much cleaner than they used to. I’m a slight oral obsessive and I love caring for my teeth and I find this product perfect and in all honesty, I would now never live without it. The power of the flow is extremely high and it can be painful at times but as they say – no pain, no gain and I believe this saying. The high flow does not just work between the teeth but also around the gum line blasting any bacteria or nasty plaque that can settle under the gum line preventing gum disease and other oral illnesses. Flossing is also a major help for people with bad breath as it removes any (As bad as it sounds) rotting food from between the teeth creating a generally healthier environment.

*** Benefits for people with gum disease / gingivitis and other conditions ***

Amazingly these water flossers are proven to be more effective at preventing and reversing gingivitis from early stages than standard floss as they clean below the gum line. The powerful water flow blasts below the gum line and if you wish you can add some mouthwash or antiseptic delights to the water tank to treat or prevent problems – the powerful flow ensures that the antiseptic is well applied to all areas. The water picks are also very handy for smokers and research has proven that smokers that use the Waterpik daily are less likely to develop gum disease than those who do not use one. The picks are also perfect for people with crowns and even braces as they clean around the very hard to reach areas of the mouth. I often put some Listerine in mine and it tastes wonderful without the usual Listerine burn that can be experienced from using it neat!

*** Quality and battery life ***

The unit does not feel of an extremely high quality but it is definitely strong enough and after six months of daily use my unit is still working 100% and nothing has broken off or caused any bother. The battery life is rather good and I find that one 24 hour charge lasts me a week of using the pick twice daily with a whole mouth clean each time. The battery seems to have lost some of its performance over the time that I have owned this but it’s more than likely that I have damaged it by not doing the initial charge correctly so I shall not knock any stars from the rating. I believe that the battery can be replaced but some screwdriver skills are required, I shall update this review when it comes to replacing mine :)

*** Overall opinion ***

These Waterpiks are absolutely fabulous and after using one I can say that I quite honestly would not live without one now. My mouth feels extremely healthy from using this and I reckon that these could help many people with mouth problems and of course from preventing them. The price seems right for this unit and the general quality is rather good, I highly recommend!

EXCUSE THE AWFUL PICTURE!! Hahaa - it's been a longggg day :)