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Oral Hygiene hits new heights
Written by: Michael Mardings
Who would have thought that dental care would have grown so much past the toothbrush and floss?
People seem ever so slightly obsessed about their teeth lately. Maybe it's the impact of Austin Powers unsightly gums, or perhaps it's the introduction of fluoride that has now raised awareness to entirely new levels. Maybe since I write for TheCelebrityCafe.com, it might be the perfect white teeth of celebrities that drives us to this interest.
That said, I became obsessed myself and went out to fix what was probably a perfectly good smile anyway. The first product I tried is the Sonicare Elite. It's a toothbrush that shakes furiously all the while making a loud humming noise. According to the manufacturer, the sonic care uses sonic waves and the shaking, to clear off 80% of the plaque that you have.
It has a rechargeable base and a beeping feature. Yes, I should elaborate on that. It basically beeps every 30 seconds for 2 minutes when you use it. Why? You should spend 30 seconds brushing each section of your teeth. After you get used to the whirring noise, you'll find you'll never go back to an old brush again. I have to admit that out of all of the products, this was one of my favorites. It really did seem to work and after using it the staff reported that my teeth looked a bit whiter.
But wait, there's more. Everybody talks about a Waterpik but what the heck is it? When I first picked it up I pressed the wrong button and started blasting water all around my bathroom. What does it do though? Basically it's like a power washer for your mouth. It comes with two heads which you can plug on the rechargeable, cordless unit. One head makes the water come out soft, the other comes out stronger. I don't envision this as a replacement to the toothbrush, but it comes close and makes an interesting addition. You can power wash your mouth and really blast away all sorts of things.
Waterpik also makes a Flosser with Whitening Tips. It's a variant of a flosser in that it has a piece of floss which comes across as a little stubble toothpick. It shakes the heck out of this piece of floss which, just like a toothpick you put between your teeth. It's rechargeable and even comes with these two different colored heads so two people can use the same unit. It actually reminds me of the scraping thing that the dentist uses, however it feels much better.
Speaking of flossing, the final "unit" is the Reach Access Power Flosser. It looks more like traditional flossing where it has the string hanging between this U-shaped head. You need to buy the floss specially made for the Power Flosser, however if you figure out how much floss is wasted by wrapping it around your fingers it's not such a loss. It is actually very easy to use, and you can floss in areas that your hand and mouth simply would not allow before. Well, wouldn't allow unless you were an oral contortionist. Just whip it back to your molars and go nuts. It used to be just manual with their original product, but now it's completely automatic.
If you noticed I compared four products that were similar but different. Not much of a comparison is it? And that precisely is my point. If you'd like, you can stick with your toothbrush and do the job that way. However, if you'd like to focus on flossing, then you have two to choose from. Maybe you'd like to power wash your mouth with a Waterpik, then you know where to go. Or lastly, you can blast your mouth with a stereo system at the end of a shaking toothbrush... Well you get the idea. If you use one or more of these products I'd be shocked if you don't get white teeth. The dental industry sure has changed since my .50 cent toothbrush.
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