Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Oral Hygiene - waterpik, water pick
I've been using an oral irrigator as part of my dental hygienics for a long time. I use to be a Waterpik fan for many years until recently. My first Waterpik lasted over ten years. Fair enough for a home appliance. So about a year ago I bought their new model; big mistake. The cheap brittle hose snapped after a few months. Being a technically savvy sort I was able to get the machine apart, and reattach the hose. Then it started breaking at the handle. That took a little more finesse and some Super Glue. After the third time it broke off at the handle, I had my fill with a poorly made product.
So I went in search of an alternative. Oral Breeze's Quikpik QuickPik - Dental Oral Irrigator was the answer for me. It attaches directly to your faucet where you can adjust the water pressure and temperature with you faucet. It does require you to replace your aerator, but that is not a difficult task. Once you've done that, you can simply attach and detach the unit at will.
Oh, did I mention it's made like gang busters and has a life time warranty. And talk about customer service: I had a small problem with one of the tips (it comes with two), so I called Tom at the customer service number. No problem, he sent out two new tips at no extra cost and included a little gift of Therapics to boot. Wow!
I love this thing, no electricity , no ugly thing-a-ma-tub in the bathroom taking up space. I'm a convert, but I guess you figured that out by now.
I bought this to have a quieter waterpik for late night use, so I wouldn't disturb people trying to sleep. The sellers sent me an email with helpful tips on gum care and rinsing solutions. The product was very easy to install. Very quiet, and easy to adjust for either hand!
Three issues with it - first is the hose, which is a tiny bit stiff and can be awkward to turn if you don't hold it just right. It can be a bit fiddly to adjust pressure and water temperature, as these are controlled by your faucet handles. (if you live in a house like mine, the water slowly gets too hot, then quickly gets too cold, etc) Last is the spray. Possibly I'm still learning how to use it properly, but I end up with a very fine misty spray all over the place.
In all I'm pleased with it as a backup waterpik. Note if you want to travel with it, you'll have to do some disassembly to any faucet you plan to attach it to.
I've used a Water Pik for years but hated the noise and the big "box" sitting on the sink. When the plastic tubing, which can not be replaced, got a hole in it I saw the Quick Breeze on the website and decided to give it a try. First of all, it's much cheaper, takes up no space on the sink and is quiet....all pluses. I love it. It's a great alternative. It does not pulse like the Water Pic but I think it does a good job irrigating teeth. There was a small white piece that was not in the directions when we installed it. I was having trouble with the plastic tube coming off when there was too much water pressure. I finally discovered that if you push the tube on FIRST, as far as you can, then slide the small while plastic piece over it and push it as far toward the pic as possible it holds it on even under high water pressure. Now it's perfect.
I have been so pleased with the performance of this item. It is easy
to use - no tanks to fill, no batteries to charge. It is completely
portable - just screw the adaptor onto any bathroom faucet and you are
good to go. Adjusting the pressure can be a little tricky but really
no big deal once you get the hang of it. I am going to recommend this
to friends and family.
This oral irrigator is well-engineered, well-constructed, is quiet, easy to use, inexpensive and functions beautifully. It uses top-quality materials and is guaranteed for life. It makes all those other clunky, loud, rickety, clumsy contraptions, ah, not so good.
After two waterpiks died, we tried this and are happy we did. Works really well, and since there's no battery, we expect it to last a long time. The only downside is that you have to remember to move the lever back to the regular faucet position or the spray goes everywhere when you turn on the water.
This thing greatly helps to keep your gums healthy, but bear in mind that YOU STILL NEED TO FLOSS!!! As others have noticed the documentation wasn't perfectly clear about that issue, but I asked my dentist and he said flossing is still required, bit of a bummer... I've noticed though that I don't need to floss for as long to get all the junk out between my teeth. Usually just a couple of passes with the floss is enough for this thing to blow out the garbage, definitely worth it IMO. Only problems I had with it was the short tubing and that I found only 1 of the tips worth using (the other was too restrictive so not enough water would flow through...). Make sure to hold the tip pointed such that the stream of water is directed down/up below the gumline, and not touching your teeth, otherwise it won't be able nearly as effective at keeping your gums/teeth healthy!! - Water Pik - Waterpik - Oral Hygiene - Water Pick'
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