StacyC—July 24, 2017✓ Verified purchase
6 week Update: with fresh batteries, the force of the spray is much better than with month old batteries. I replaced the batteries and love this tool once again. Moral: get the rechargeable model! The tank is slightly larger, don't worry about being shower safe, you will learn to use this without making a mess. It does a great job, but the added cost of replacing batteries each 6 weeks will become ridiculous over time. I very seldom leave product reviews, but felt that others should know my mouth feels like I just left the dentist and had my teeth professionally cleaned! I have not been one to floss regularly - but this tool makes it so much easier! My kids have built in retainers and I can only imagine how much of a challenge it is to get the threaders out and floss properly. This product will make it so much easier for them! I have been using for three days and I am getting better at using it. I purchased this model because it is shower safe, and I was concerned about making a mess. However, the water tank only holds 5 oz of water, so I have to refill to get to all of my teeth, so I will not likely be taking in the shower. The larger 7 oz reservoir might be beneficial. It was really not a problem to refill. After I got the hang of it, I was able to do all of the top teeth with one tank, and then all of the bottom teeth with another 5 oz fill, so I don't know if 7 oz would do the trick anyway. I kept my mouth closed and turned on/off to get rid of the excess water in my mouth. It made no mess with my mouth closed. There is a quick release for the tip, so sharing with family members who each have their own tip is very easy to do. I like that this unit does not take up excess counter space. I found out the hard way that some areas were more sensitive to very cold water, so I use cool water now. Read more
Edith—January 9, 2017✓ Verified purchase
I accidentally bought two of these, so one went to my mom and dad which means that this is sort of a double review. If you havent used one of these before, I highly recommend giving one as a gift when you get your own. Having four people in one house trying to figure out a water flossed is hilarious! Lets just say we ended up with water spray on most surfaces of the bathroom which made clean up pretty easy! Real review - The biggest point is that this thing works. I've got a bunch of crowns, as well as an implant, and a history of bleeding gums and lackluster dentist visits. My dentist suggested getting one of these in the fall to help clear the gumline around the restorative work. I was skeptical at first, but I went back for my cleaning a few days ago and the hygienist was impressed with how much improvement she saw in my gums. She did the entire cleaning with ZERO gum bleeding for the first time in YEARS! This is the first time I've ever left the dentist office without a sore mouth, so I'm pretty psyched about this water flosser. Other points - Its not as loud as some reviewers make it seem. Yes, it makes noise, but not enough to wake up the baby or make the dog leave the bathroom. I'd put it on par with my battery-powered toothbrush. Speaking of batteries, the ones it comes with won't last too long, but since I replaced them with Energizers they've lasted quite a while. Size wise, it takes up about as much space on the countertop as a bar of soap, so no issue there. Definitely worth the trade-off to the bigger ones with a larger water tank. This one holds enough water to basically do a thorough job of one side at a time. I do front-top, back-top, back-lower, and front-lower. But if you don't have as many crowns and such to work around, it won't take as much. My husband and I don't really care about the interchangeable tips, but my parents love that aspect of it. The only suggestion I have is to use a good mouthwash after this since you're clearing a lot of areas that a toothbrush won't get to. Overall, I love having this tool as part of my tooth care ritual. It really is making a big difference in my little dental world. Read more
ljdbs—January 10, 2017✓ Verified purchase
UPDATE: I've now used this Waterpik for several weeks. When the batteries are not low, the clean feeling from the stream of water irrigating your teeth and gums is amazing. The stream starts to become weak when the batteries start to wane (I'm using rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries and I recommend doing the same if you use this product often.). I usually only refill once or twice now using the smaller "pocket" tips. The reservoir will run out more quickly with the other tips. I really enjoy the pocket tips and highly recommend them to get a very direct, penetrating stream. For the flossing solution, I have been doing a mixture of half mouthwash (Lysterine Total Care - the purple one,) about 7 drops of Eden's Garden Tea Tree Oil (which is amazing and the best tasting/smelling tea tree oil I've ever tried,) seven drops of Eden's Garden Peppermint Oil (delicious,) and the rest warm water. I've found that my teeth are way too sensitive to use a cold solution. The only problem I've encountered - and this may or may not be due to the use of oils - is the black rubber ring seal of the reservoir became bloated or stretched and I had to remove it to get it to seal after filling. It would literally get in the way and not allow me to close the reservoir without a sharp object to force in the section of the seal that was sticking out. After a few more days even that stopped working. I now have to leave the reservoir (minus the seal) open between uses or it will become stuck and nearly impossible to open. It's a minor annoyance and I wish i could keep it closed for sanitary reasons but I've chosen to keep it regardless. I do use this in the shower (the main reason I chose this model) and I imagine I would make a mess if I attempted to do otherwise. For me at least, it's very easy to accidentally redirect the spray and squirt the walls and yes - I've zapped myself in the eye quite a few times. It hurts but it's admittedly kind of funny and could just be me. Overall, I LOVE the feeling after using this with the solution mentioned and plan to keep it as a permanent part of my regimen. Original review: This is my first Waterpik. I chose this one so I could use it in the shower. I fill it with WARM water (I have sensitive teeth and using cold water was intolerable) mixed with mouthwash and/or tea tree oil, peppermint oil. I also bought the pocket tips and I am very pleased with the results. I can feel the water cleaning between each tooth and I am able to reach spots that are impossible to access with a toothbrush. I also HATE flossing, so this is the perfect alternative. With the pocket tips I fill up the reservoir about 3-4 times with each use to clean my entire mouth very thoroughly, though twice would suffice if you were in a rush. Only downside is that I wish there was an easier way to fill the reservoir and flush it out for cleaning but it's not a big problem. In all I really enjoy using this product and I would recommend it. Read more
