matrips Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 My dd12 just got braces today. They mentioned a water pic could be used instead of floss. What do your kids use and prefer? Pros and cons? She has a rooftop distal jet as well as braces top and bottom. Any particular water pic you like and why? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Our orthodontist specifically recommended using a waterpic. The girls hate, hate, hate flossing. They tolerate using the waterpic. The choice was easy. I think we have the kid one, but I don't remember the specific product #. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 DS21 used floss and did okay. DS18 tried diligently to floss but was still having a lot of gum irritation. His orthodontist recommended a Water Pik. It made a huge difference and even though the braces are gone DS still uses it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Mine both use one with braces. Cleans well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 It depends. Older boy did just fine with flossing nightly. Younger boy has quite a bit of ongoing gum irritation from his braces so he must floss and waterpic in order to get the inflammation under control. And even with both, it's not great, just ok. He also uses cloysis mouth rinse. Both boys only like Glide threader floss. The Oral B threader floss has a tendency to shred and get caught in their braces. Those stupid little plastic things the ortho gives you to help with flossing were useless. The threader floss made a huge difference. But before you buy a waterpic give it a few months to see how she does with the flossing. If flossing is a new daily habit, take it up with her. I always floss at the same time as my kid, in solidarity, lol. I just go reallllllly sllllllooooowwwwwly so we finish at the same time. It seems to help, misery loves company and all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 My husband strongly recommends a water pik even though none of us have braces. It is lots easier than flossing. My husband claims his gums are healthier after using the water pik. Link is what we use https://www.waterpik.com/oral-health/products/water-flosser-toothbrush/WP-900/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 DS uses both. Honestly, I feel the water pik has helped him more than he admits due to "lack" of remembering if he brushed his teeth. We got the kids version for under 30 on Amazon. It is small and great for traveling. It also came with the braces pik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Yes, I would. I had one when I had braces and it made cleaning soooo much easier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Mine uses one. He hadn't figured out how to floss yet anyway, so the water pic makes it easy and it gets done every day without fail. I would definitely recommend it for ease of use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I believe the waterpik is the only thing that has prevented permanent damage to my DS's teeth from braces due to his far less than ideal brushing habits. I definitely recommend it for the average teen/kid. If your child is very responsible and fastidious, or you can commit to ensuring good habits, then flossing is probably fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 DD#1 did a great job with flossing even though it took forever. We got her a Waterpik & she used it 5 out of 7 nights per week. The other two nights were full on floss nights, just so she kept in practice & felt like she did a good enough job by hand. Eventually, she switched back to completely flossing by hand, but that Waterpik was a great help when she was short on time or needed a quick floss job (like right before a dentist or ortho appt). I inherited the Pik (new head, of course). We're on our third handset thing, so I can't necessarily recommend our model. You can either wait until she gets the hang of flossing or just let her WaterPik right away. But, it was definitely worth the purchase in our house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I think you need Water Pik and floss. FWIW, my gums got really bad after exclusively water pik-ing multiple times per day (someone told me it was the equivalent of flossing -yeah right) so I went back to flossing and things are getting better. But if you add in the Water Pik it can help with a lot of the gunk that floss can't really get to easily. I think they complement each other. My daughter flosses in bed while talking with her sister or while playing a board game. Emily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 My son had a loooong routine that involved flossing (having to feed the floss through the braces for each and every tooth, brushing, using mouthwash and the water pick. It used to take him forever to get ready for bed. And even with all that, the dentist and ortho used to tell him he needed to do better cleaning his teeth. Ay yi yi. So, I'm glad we had the water pick. Without it, I don't know how bad his teeth cleaning would have been. :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 My kid is doing ok with flossing. He just got braces a few months ago. We actually have a waterpik, but he prefers flossing so far. Do you have a sonicare? That I would highly recommend, over the waterpik. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrips Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share Posted April 11, 2017 My kid is doing ok with flossing. He just got braces a few months ago. We actually have a waterpik, but he prefers flossing so far. Do you have a sonicare? That I would highly recommend, over the waterpik. By a sonicare, do you mean the toothbrush? Or something else? She hashed a sonicare toothbrush for several years, but now she feels the manual toothbrush is easier to use with the braces. This is just the first night though. She did an amazing and thorough job flossing. She was grossed out by everything the floss found and I think it inspired her. We'll see if it keeps up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrips Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share Posted April 11, 2017 I think you need Water Pik and floss. FWIW, my gums got really bad after exclusively water pik-ing multiple times per day (someone told me it was the equivalent of flossing -yeah right) so I went back to flossing and things are getting better. But if you add in the Water Pik it can help with a lot of the gunk that floss can't really get to easily. I think they complement each other. My daughter flosses in bed while talking with her sister or while playing a board game. Emily Thanks. Yes, her doctor did not want the water pic to replace flossing, but said it can complement it. I'll let her get the hang and routine of flossing first before adding that in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Yes for the water pik. My dd also uses the Plackers Orthopik flossers to make flossing much easier. Found them at Walmart and on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 It's really good to have for spraying at a sibling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I wish I had known about it sooner! It's awesome. Makes life much easier. I can't comment on the braces part, but seriously everyone should have one of these things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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