# Are Water Piks worthwhile? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2009, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282 "2009-08-04T11:54:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/1 "2009-08-04T11:54:28Z")
I was just given a Water Pik. Is there any point to these things? According to the chart on the box, it is like a hundred times better than brushing and flossing. Is there any research that wasn’t done by Water Pik that says these work? Does anyone here use one? Any tips? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/2 "2009-08-04T14:09:43Z")
My dental hygienist recommended them as a supplement (but not a replacement) to brushing and flossing. Here’s a tip: start at a relatively low pressure and work your way up to a moderate pressure. If you start at the highest pressure, it will hurt and cause your gums to bleed. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/3 "2009-08-04T14:27:42Z")
They’re great if you have braces, but having used one I’m not convinced they otherwise add anything to proper brushing and flossing. BTW this belongs in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/4 "2009-08-04T15:22:26Z")
I have a dental bridge, and the water pik is much better at cleaning the underparts of that. It’s also ace for clearing a slow-moving drain. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/5 "2009-08-04T15:24:00Z")
OTOH my dentist (and the one before him, and the one before him) all strongly recommended that I not use one, because it can open the space between the gum and tooth, exposing the softer parts of the tooth and making it easier for food to get trapped in the space. They all said that, after brushing, the single best thing for my teeth is a good flossing. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/6 "2009-08-04T15:25:52Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > OTOH my dentist (and the one before him, and the one before him) all strongly recommended that I not use one, because it can open the space between the gum and tooth, exposing the softer parts of the tooth and making it easier for food to get trapped in the space. Odd. I’ve heard dentists say that Water Piks are the best thing in the world for cleaning out those pockets and bemoan their decline in popularity. Of course, they’re bacteria farms, but that’s a different issue. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/7 "2009-08-04T15:27:34Z")
We had one whe I was a kid. We used it once and then never again. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/8 "2009-08-04T15:47:38Z")
I don’t know how good they are, but I always found that the pain of using them killed the supposed benefit of them, especially when compared to good flossing and brushing with a ‘sonic’ type toothbrush. In other words, if my daily regimen of tooth care isn’t getting me there, a water-pic isn’t either. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/9 "2009-08-04T16:16:06Z")
They’re strongly recommended if you have dental implants. Otherwise, you run the risk of the implants getting infected . . . which can cause them to fail. ---
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/10 "2009-08-04T17:24:00Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > They’re strongly recommended if you have dental implants. Otherwise, you run the risk of the implants getting infected . . . which can cause them to fail. Really? I have an implant and no one recommended anything other than proper brushing and flossing. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/11 "2009-08-04T17:41:36Z")
My wife’s dentist (who is also my dentist) recommended that she get one. She did and now we both use it probably 3x/week. As others have said, start out on a low setting and work your way up- we stopped at around 5.5 out of 10. I can’t imagine what 10 feels like, probably like being repeatedly poked in the gums by a novocaine needle. I’m terrible in that I don’t floss, but I never have any cavities either. So I feel like I’m ahead of the game if I use the Waterpik. It gets little bits of food that brushing (with a Sonicare) doesn’t get. I’m not sure what’s meant by the comment about being bacteria farms, though. All it does is pump clean water through the nozzle. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/12 "2009-08-04T19:09:07Z")
Water picks are not designed for the health of your teeth, they are designed for the health of your gums. By age 40 virtually every American suffers from gum disease, it really is a problem in America. As long as the water pick is used with brushing and floss it’ll keep your gums strong. Plus if you have bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth, throw a cup full of mouthwash into the water. It works wonders. Also you can really entertain a cat for hours with those things ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/13 "2009-08-04T19:11:26Z")
My dentist is big on the Sonic care toothbrush so I got one of those , it seems to work well. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/14 "2009-08-04T21:48:50Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Also you can really entertain a cat for hours with those things i find it is even better than a water gun or spray bottle. great reach on those! good for gums, good for cat discipline, win win. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/15 "2009-08-04T22:32:45Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Also you can really entertain a cat for hours with those things A number of women have told me they find it entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![FORTRAN\_forever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@FORTRAN\_forever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FORTRAN_forever)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/16 "2009-08-05T00:30:29Z")
> [@Arien](#): > > Really? I have an implant and no one recommended anything other than proper brushing and flossing. Same for me. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/17 "2009-08-05T02:44:10Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > My wife’s dentist (who is also my dentist) recommended that she get one. She did and now we both use it probably 3x/week. As others have said, start out on a low setting and work your way up- we stopped at around 5.5 out of 10. I can’t imagine what 10 feels like, probably like being repeatedly poked in the gums by a novocaine needle. > > I’m terrible in that I don’t floss, but I never have any cavities either. So I feel like I’m ahead of the game if I use the Waterpik. It gets little bits of food that brushing (with a Sonicare) doesn’t get. > > I’m not sure what’s meant by the comment about being bacteria farms, though. All it does is pump clean water through the nozzle. Wow, how same-boatish. I made it to 40 without cavities and with mediocre dental habits (brush often, but never floss and just started going to the dentist again after a 15-year break). Big fan of the Sonicare. You’re saying the Waterpik finds a lot that it doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/18 "2009-08-05T03:27:15Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Water picks are not designed for the health of your teeth, they are designed for the health of your gums. This. I had some persistent pockets in my gums that just didn’t seem to want to go away, until I started using a water pick. Once I started doing that, the pockets went away quickly. Just in time for my first visit to the periodontist, who took a look at my gums and said, to my great relief, that my gums looked OK (for now). ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-water-piks-worthwhile/505282/19 "2009-08-05T12:49:35Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Wow, how same-boatish. I made it to 40 without cavities and with mediocre dental habits (brush often, but never floss and just started going to the dentist again after a 15-year break). Big fan of the Sonicare. > > You’re saying the Waterpik finds a lot that it doesn’t? Not sure what “a lot” means to you, but every time I use it there are a couple pieces of detritus (_dentritus_, if you will) laying in the sink that make me go “ewwww…”.