I use a regular Waterpik oral irrigation unit at home. But while I was on vacation I missed it. I love my Waterpik for cleaning my teeth and getting the the hard to get stuff out of my braces. So while I was on vacation, I decided to buy a Waterpik WP360 which is a cordless rechargable model. I had read reviews on Amazon.com, and they weren’t real positive, but I wanted to try it and see for myself.
The unit was bigger and heavier than I expected. I got it assembled, and charged it for close to 24 hours. I was excited to try it. I filled it’s water tank, and got started. The water ran out shortly. I refilled it, and started again. Again the water ran out. I found it took about 3 fillings of the reservoir to clean my teeth as well as I like. Then I plugged the unit back into recharge.
There were several things about the WP360 that I didn’t like. I didn’t like how fast it went through the water. The tip turned too easily, and I had to actually hold it in place so that I could keep it aimed where I wanted the jet to go. And as I said, the unit was larger and heavier than I thought it was be. I had bought it for travel, and though the regular home unit wouldn’t take up all that much more space in a suitcase, and would work much better.
I returned the unit and got my money back. I just ordered a Panasonic EW1270AC Portable Oral Irrigator which is slightly more expensive, but has better reviews, and I am hoping will work better for me.
I study as well as teach karate. I need to wear a mouth guard when we spar. And with all the money I have spent on my braces, I am not going to go cheap on a mouth gaurd. The most common type of mouth guards are the boil and bite kind. They are inexpensive, and they work very well. But they wont work for braces as the hot soft plastic will stick and mold to the braces.
I bought a mouth guard made by Shock Doctor that was designed for braces. It isn’t a boil-and-bite kind. You don’t boil it at all. You just stick it in your mouth. It was bulky, and very uncomfortable. And I couldn’t talk very well with it on my mouth. And when I kiai’d while sparring, it would sometimes fly out of my mouth.
I kept looking for a better mouth gaurd for braces. My search paid off! I found a mouth guard made for braces that was produced by a company named Shield. It is called Extreme Braces Mouth Guard. The mouth guard is made of two different types of plastic. So when you boil it, the part of the mouth guard that fits on the bottom of the teeth gets soft, but the sides where the brackets are, doesn’t get soft, so doesn’t stick to the braces. I dipped the mouth guard in some boiling water for 35 seconds, then stuck it into my mouth, and bit down. Then I dunked the mouth guard into cold water to make it rigid again. The mouthguard was very comfortable! It fit as well as the traditional boil-and-bite mouth guards.
If you do a Google search for “shield extreme braces mouth guard”, you find various places to buy it.
Waterpik Personal Dental System (model WP60W)
SUMMARY: Leaves my teeth and gums really feeling clean. Works great with my braces.
When I got my braces put on, my orthodontist recommended a Waterpik. I had never used one before, so I started reading reviews on the net. The reviews generally weren’t that good. The reviews generally said the Waterpik’s worked well, but tended to break, or leak. I haven’t been using mine long, but thus far I haven’t had a problems beyond learning to use it. After studying the various models available, I came to the conclusion that the base Waterpik unit is the same, and the only difference is the accesories that come with it. I didn’t think I needed all of the extras, so I bought the basic model (WP60W). I read the manual that came with it, and it told me to aim the jetted water down into my gums around the teeth. It blasts out all of the little food particles that remain after brushing and flossing. I am not sure if I am supposed to removed the tub that sits on top to fill it. I found it easier to leave the tub in place and just poor in the water with a glass. I initially used cold water, but found it uncomfortable. I started using warm water, and found it much more comfortable. The manual suggests starting the unit on a low setting, and moving it up. I found the highest setting fine for me. I recommend the Waterpik highly. It works very well.
One bit of dumbness on Waterpik’s part is that the jet tips that come with the unit have little colored rings to differentiate them for different family members. Mine came with one pink jet tip, and two dark blue jet tips (same exact color). I emailed Waterpik, and was told by Molly M. in Waterpik’s Cusomer Services “the color of the jet tips which are included with the unit are not something we control. It is a random act that places certain colors in the packaging. ” So odds are there are people who get tips all of the same color. This would be of no use when a unit is being used by multiple people. When I buy brushes for my electric toothbrush, it comes with snap-on color rings in four different colors. If Braun/Oral B can do it, why can’t Waterpik?
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Braun Oral-B 980TX Bright Advance Power Electric Toothbrush
SUMMARY: Does an excellent job of cleaning my teeth even with braces.
Having just gotten braces, I need to brush my teeth more often than ever. If I eat anything, I get stuff trapped under the wire. So pretty much immediately after eating, I brush my teeth. I have a Braun Oral-B toothbrush at home, and when switching from a regular toothbrush to one of these, I was amazed at how clean my teeth were. I could feel the difference. I need one for work as well. I had a battery powered Oral-B toothbrush, which did an okay job, but lacked the power of the rechargable model I had at home. So I bought another rechargable Oral-B electric toothbrush for work. The Advance Power Oral-B definatly has more power. Not quite as much as the 3D power model we have at home, but close. More than enough to brush my teeth after lunch. The bristles easily clean under the wire, and around the brackets of my braces. If you have never used an electric toothbrush, you should try one of these, and see the difference for yourself, even if you don’t have braces. My dentist visits have been much more pleasant experiences ever since I started using my Oral-B electric toothbrush.
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