Anyone use a waterpik?

With the ongoing pandemic, I've been reluctant to get my teeth cleaned.

I'm diligent about brushing and almost never miss a day flossing, but I feel like I need to up my game. Anybody have any suggestions about what brand to buy or any other input?

Jen bought one of the $80 ones her dentist recommended. We both used it religiously. Next check up was the same as always and they recommended we get a water pik. I think it's in the master bath closet somewhere.

My teeth have been much better since I got one, it was well worth the money. 

My wife uses a water pic and likes it.

If you dont have any underlying health issues... dont worry about the pandemic. Me and my family just went through it and it was NOT like we have heard on cnn type news shows. My dr even rolled his eyes when i asked about the fears i had. He then showed me some stuff that only dr's have access to and said .. "This is not as bad as they have made it out to be"

Not saying that to be debative just sharing my expereince.

ttt123 said:

My wife uses a water pic and likes it.

If you dont have any underlying health issues... dont worry about the pandemic. Me and my family just went through it and it was NOT like we have heard on cnn type news shows. My dr even rolled his eyes when i asked about the fears i had. He then showed me some stuff that only dr's have access to and said .. "This is not as bad as they have made it out to be"

 

Not saying that to be debative just sharing my expereince.

A friend of a friend who is a body-builder, does half-marathons for fun kinda guy had it earlier this year.  Following along with his progress it took him about a month to get over the main symptoms and about three before he could walk up two flights of stairs without being winded.  He lost something like 60lbs of mass during this.  As far as I'm aware, he didn't have underlaying conditions.

The plural of anecdote is data, right?

like mentioned in my post.. not trying to debate. telling MY experience with just going through it a couple weeks ago and what MY Dr had to say about. It took me about 1 1/2 week to get through it.

when i had swine flu 10 years ago... blew this covid thing out of the water. the covid was nothing compared to that one.

This was MY  experience with it not someone of someone of .. that guy etc. lol

No reason not to get your teeth cleaned.  Our infection control standards have always been the best out of any medical office and are off the charts now.  I've been running again since mid May, everyone's fine.

Water Piks are nice, but do not replace flossing. 

We had one as a kid. It was mainly used for water fights in the bathroom.

Have used one at different times in my life for multiple reasons. During the years of braces was the most useful.

In more modern times of usage, I saw less benefit and decided keeping it clean was more work than it was worth

Dentists will likely be more concerned about catching something from YOU, not the other way around; you won't have any mask on so you'll be able to "project" pathogens into the air (coughing, sneezing, ect) so they'll likely have you wash your mouth out with something before the procedure and have you make obvious commands so you can cover your face. Basic infection control genuinely protects you to an impressive degree. That being said, I've got stories just like WonkoTheSane's; COVID just RIPS up the lungs, and my hospital has already had repeat infections.

My sister uses the pick and really likes it; funny enough, it's best at keeping stains and plaque from building up. Others said it doesn't replace flossing and that's absolutely true.

I got one because I absolutely HATE flossing with string.  I find that I will absolutely use the waterpik a lot more often than I would floss.  So for me, some type of periodontal care is better than none at all.  

We have a thing called a Shower Floss which is basically a water pick head, except it taps off of your shower head. That eliminates the tank, pump, enclosure, and mess you get with a stand-alone unit. I use it every day and my gums are in great shape. I have very crowded teeth and string floss is difficult to use. 
 

I'd never stop flossing. I probably haven't missed 10 days in the last 20 years. I just want to up my game.

As for the relative risks, my county is still a hotspot to some degree, and this is Florida.

I turn 65 this month; I want to be around for a while. My family is counting on me.

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

You're not going to get sick from going to the dentist.  We have far more of a chance of getting sick FROM you.

Duke said:

We have a thing called a Shower Floss which is basically a water pick head, except it taps off of your shower head. That eliminates the tank, pump, enclosure, and mess you get with a stand-alone unit. I use it every day and my gums are in great shape. I have very crowded teeth and string floss is difficult to use. 
 

We used to have one, but it died & I couldn't find another. We really liked it.

I bought this one and I've been very happy with it.  The battery lasts forever.

My very strong suggestion (and you'll see why after you use it) is to get one of the cordless waterproof ones and use it in the shower.  I've never used one of the tank-style at the sink, but if it's anything like my cordless one, it is an absolute mess.  It is a mini pressure washer for your mouth.  You'll be hosing down your shower walls from all the bits of peanut, lunchmeat, and popcorn husks that it dislodges from your teeth and flings in all directions.  I can't imagine using it outside the shower.

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

Duke said:

We have a thing called a Shower Floss which is basically a water pick head, except it taps off of your shower head. That eliminates the tank, pump, enclosure, and mess you get with a stand-alone unit. I use it every day and my gums are in great shape. I have very crowded teeth and string floss is difficult to use. 
 

We used to have one, but it died & I couldn't find another. We really liked it.

https://showerfloss.com/

In reply to Duke :

Ah ok, that's a little different. Ours ran off shower water, but had a rechargeable battery. I presume yours still puts out sufficient pressure from tap water alone, since it's through a much smaller orifice?

Duke said:

We have a thing called a Shower Floss which is basically a water pick head, except it taps off of your shower head. That eliminates the tank, pump, enclosure, and mess you get with a stand-alone unit. I use it every day and my gums are in great shape. I have very crowded teeth and string floss is difficult to use. 
 

Whichever DA is cleaning my teeth invariably tells me to floss more, then breaks the floss on the first few sets of teeth they try to do. The tone always changes after that. Being able to do the cleaning in the shower is attractive, thanks for the heads up.

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Yes, it does fine from tap pressure.  We have city water but while the pressure is good, it is not excessive at all.  This puts out enough to clean between teeth but maybe not enough to scour them.  It tickles a little to use at first but never hurts.

In reply to bluej (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, this works really well for me, and it's cheap.  My gums are now nice and healthy, tight to my teeth, and I've had almost zero cavities since I started using this every day.