Water flossers

My dentist said that nothing takes the place of brushing and to use interdental brushes of different sizes to fit the gaps.

Why don't you try the rubbery soft type interdental brushes. Very easy to use, not hard and rough like the metal ones and really get into the smallest space as well as massaging gums inbetween.

Congratulations on seeing a dentist...if only

Muzzypops Agree! It's like electric toothbrushes, people think they are the "must have" in dental care whereas using a toothbrush properly ie circular motion does the job.

I bought a Waterpik on the advice of my dentist but found it difficult to use. Made my gums bleed so I gave up

I use a water pic and due to
Some oral surgeries I need the special “soft tips” and use it on a low power setting.

We use a Phillips water flosser. Tried cheaper ones but they were ineffective. It is rechargeable. Lasts nearly 2 weeks before it needs recharging. We bought from Argos as it's easy to get it exchanged if there are any issues with it. Not the cheapest, but worth paying a little more for a product that does as it claims.

I find the long-handled Tepe brushes much easier to use, especially for reaching teeth at the back www.boots.com/boots-expert-tepe-angled-interdental-brush-yellow-0-7mm-10219588

If you're worried about the amount of plastic thrown away, try Curaprox which sells the brushes and handles separately - but be aware that the Curaprox colours and numbers are not the same as Tepe's numbering system curaprox.co.uk/shop/interdental/interdental-brushes/cps-07-prime-start

Tepe brushes for me !

I have dry mouth as a medication side effect and I've begun to suffer with tonsil stones. The WaterPik was recommended for tonsil irrigation.

The blasted thing is like using a power washer in your mouth so I guess it must be brilliant at flossing. I only use it on my tonsils when I'm really in need. No gentle stream of water is it!

I get tonsil stones now and then, Muffin, I never thought of using the water pick on them. My current method is to poke at them with a cotton bud, which is a bit sick 🤢 inducing.

Thanks so much everyone for your very useful advice and info about water flossers. I do use interdent (or internet as I always want to call them) brushes and they’re good, but not perfect. Some of my teeth are very close together (especially at the front) but I’ll give a water flosser a go. They sound like some sort of water explosion in the mouth, so I’m a bit daunted but I want to preserve my teeth if I can. Thanks again.

I was advised to buy a water flosser by my hygienists some years ago. My teeth are ‘overcrowded’ so too close together to use floss effectively. The same hygienist more recently told my husband who has more conventional teeth spacing, that water flosser were a waste of money and advised flossing bows for him. Perhaps advice has changed or perhaps different mouths benefit from different methods. I like my water flosser ( I’m on the second one now) and have better gum health since using one. I use a Philips rechargeable water flosser.

I have a water flosser but either I'm not using it correctly or it isn't much use for me. A friend loves hers and enthuses about how much cleaner her teeth are with bits in the sink after use that she couldn't get through cleaning alone. My water flosser doesn't seem to dislodge anything at all. I even experimented with it before brushing to see what it might move. Nothing! Will see if my dentist can see any noticable improvements at my next check-up.