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Big savings on both money and pain


My old WaterPik died after eight years of service. I ordered a new one from Amazon. The new models have some small improvements. The lid pops up and stays put rather than coming off completely. The water tube curls up inside the case when it’s not in use, saving a little space. I don’t yet know what the “massage” setting is, but my guess is that it drives the little rotating toothbrush that was included with the WaterPik. I can’t wait to try that out.

I’m a faithful flosser. But I learned that unless I use a WaterPik daily in addition to flossing, it’s hard to always get the numbers one wants in the periodontal gum scores done by your dental hygienist — that is, all 1mm, 2mm, and 3mm. I found that, with flossing alone, I tended to get a 4mm or two around a molar. WaterPiks finish the job that flossing and brushing begins.

Many people don’t realize that more teeth are lost to gum disease than to tooth decay. There also is a mysterious connection between inflammation of the gums and inflammation elsewhere in the body, including the arteries. As far as I know, no causal connection has been proven. But the odds are that if you have healthy gums, you also have healthy arteries and joints. WaterPiks pay for themselves many times over not only in savings at the dentist’s office, but also in misery avoided.

2 Comments

  1. Henry Sandigo wrote:

    I whole heartily agree re your WaterPik. My wife and I have been using ours for years. We also use a Sonic toothbrush or similar electric toothbrush. We score pretty high at our twice yearly dental visit. Though I find as I age I need to work harder and more often re brushing and flossing. Thanks for the comment

    Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 6:09 pm | Permalink
  2. daltoni wrote:

    Hi Henry: I learned many years ago that the misery of dentistry is directly proportional to the cost of dentistry, and that most of the cost and misery can be prevented. Younger people these days are lucky. They grew up with fluoride, and many of them have never had a cavity. I’m probably typical of people my age — most of my dental problems occurred many years ago, and now the maintenance is mostly about re-doing old repairs. And fluoride, of course, does not prevent gum problems. Only flossing and water-piking will do that.

    Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 8:22 pm | Permalink

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