So which one is superior? I read on the reddit that most people prefer the scrubbing action of the rope between their teeth, and that water flossing is drastically inferior to rope flossing, but I couldn’t really find any proper proof for that.
Also, are the powered toothbrushes that you see in the stores being sold for hundreds of dollars any good, or are they just money-grabbing gimmicks? There are usually ones that rotate, and cheaper ones that just vibrate. What do you think of these brushes? Are they worth purchasing?
More than one dentist has told me that it’s more important that you DO brush and floss than what you’re doing the job with.
A manual brush/rope floss you do use is better than a power brush/water floss you don’t use.
I suspect there are a lot of power options gathering dust in junk drawers. And some of that stuff is expensive.
With ideal technique it wouldn’t surprise me if the powered options (some of them) are better than the manual ones, but most people don’t have “ideal technique”, whatever that is, and doing the job manually in a proper way will probably yield comparable results to powerwashing your teeth.
However, I await the verdict of actual dentists on this forum (we have at least one who regularly drops into these threads).
My dentist sold me a SoniCare at one point, the one that just vibrated back and forth. That guy retired and the woman that took over her practice sold me an Oral B that spins, like the hygenist’s polisher does.
If nothing else, both the SoniCare and Oral B have timers in them that force/help you to brush each quadrant of your mouth for 30 seconds. If you have the right technique (which your hygenist shows you) then you’ll do pretty well with a power brush.
My hygenist prefers actual floss to floss picks, and floss picks to waterpiks. But like **Broomstick **says they really want you to at least do anything at all.
My dentist did warn that with waterpiks people tend to be too aggressive. Turn it all the way up and you can really damage your gums. She said as long as I don’t come in having evidence of waterpiking too hard, she will support its use.
Due to extensive dental work over the years, bridges then implants, I have been battling gum pockets for years. It was not unusual for me to experience bleeding when I flossed and brushed though I was diligent with my daily practice. My husband uses a Water Pic and encouraged me to give it a try. My current hygienist recommended it, as well. I finally got my own water pic and now use it daily. In the beginning I still experienced a little bleeding and it was suggested I turn up the pressure to really “work the gums”. I was skeptical, but you know what? It WORKED!! I use the water pic 2-3 times/day on a high pressure level (8 or 9). My gums NEVER bleed now. I think this is due to getting EVERYTHING washed out, way more than I could ever do with regular floss. I follow up with a good brushing using a regular tooth brush. I’m excited to see my dentist next week to get my kudos 
My hygienist recommended I get a power brush; I just picked the best seller at Amazon–for less than $100. And I’ve had a few “flossing” lessons–you’re supposed to floss around the teeth, not into the gum. Regular floss seems OK.
I go to a clinic staffed by the local Dental School, so both dentists & hygienists love to explain things!
I had a dentist tell me years ago that my gums were receding. Having seen a friend go through some horrible surgery to have some sorting of grafting done to fix receding gums, I decided to try the Oral B toothbrush. The subject has never come up again so I take that as a good thing!
I am a proponent of flossing and using a Waterpik and brushing.
In the mornings I do two out of the three: I floss and brush. In the evenings I do all three.
I doubt if there is a measurable difference – everybody’s dental health and hardware is so unique, that it would be impossible to compare results on “comparable” teeth, since none can ever be defined as comparable for statistical purposes. You can be assured that the one that costs the most will be the one with the most visible squadron of advocates, furnished with plenty of bogus test results.
I had the very good luck to inherit my father’s excellent teeth. I brush twice a day, and floss after supper while watching jeopardy if it feels like I need it. I massage my gums about once a week. My hygienist recommended tartar control paste, which seems to have kept her at bay for more than a decade since my last cleaning.
My attitude as well. It’s not a matter of better or worse. More a matter of each has different strengths and weaknesses. By doing some of each you get all the benefits and leave none of the blind spots uncovered.
ISTM that all four processes 3x/day would be anal-retentive overreaction. Most of what we’re trying to do, especially with the floss and water jet, is remove chronic buildup of gunk before it gets too entrenched.
At my dentist appointment just last week the hygienist comments that she’s seeing more plaque this time than I usually have. I just um-hmm with her tools in my mouth. I know I had gotten out of the habit of using my electric toothbrush and have just been using an regular manual brush. So, I’m back to the electric. It clearly works better for me.
But I don’t use a $100+ kind. I just use an Oral-B one I bought at Target for $30 or so and I buy their brand of replaceable brushes for it.
I went from routinely having cavities to very rarely having them when I got my electric toothbrush (like one at least every other visit to maybe three in 15 years). My sister says we switched toothpaste at the same time (it was a 17th birthday present from grandma), but I don’t recall myself. Sadly, despite the timer, I don’t usually brush for the full two minutes.
I use an Oral-B one, as well. Read reviews and got best under $50 (well, what the reviewers said was best). Buy Oral-B heads, because the Walmart brand ones wore down really quickly. Might have still been cheaper even with extra purchasing, but it annoyed me, so I went back to the branded ones.
How long does a brush head last for you? I’ve been buying the Target replacements for so long, I’m not even sure now how much better the Oral-B ones might be.
However, when it come to floss, I’ve tried store brands and didn’t like them and only use Oral-B deep clean. The one in the silver container.
I honestly can’t remember. Sorry.
My hygienist told me a spin brush would be best for me because I have a lot of crowns but I can’t stand the vibrations. I tried but even though I’ve been told the vibrations won’t vibrate my crowns and my bridge loose, it still feels like it will so I stick with a manual brush.
Ever since i switched to a Sonic Care brush, my cleaning appointments are much shorter and the hygienist says I have very little plaque. The timer helps to make sure I do a thorough brushing.
I’ve been using those flossing things that look like little toothpick sized toilet bowl brushes. My teeth feel really clean after using them. I recently ran out of my little brushes and flossed with some string floss I found and I just don’t like string floss anymore.
y answer is to use any method you like. It is important that you use one of them and insist on doing it at least once a day.
They all have good arguments, research, and expert testimony. But at the end of the day, you have to choose the method that suits you.
You should focus on the aspects that are specific to you, such as the sensitivity, price or dexterity of the gums.
I have electric toothbrushes and Waterpik water floss, I use them every day, brush my teeth twice and use the floss once for every single day.
Power brushing doesn’t work for me at all. The brush head spins and the toothpaste just flies off. 
my teeth are really tight together, flossing is a nightmare as it is hard for me to put enough pressure on string floss to force it between my teeth. I use those sword looking things to floss with so I can press straight up enough to pop through to the gum line. I fairly often cut my gum still.
All of the above?
I manually floss, then use the waterpik, then brush with the electric toothbrush.
I do all that because, honestly, I’m terrified of the dentist… even my regular hygenist cleaning. Figure the more I do, the less they will.
Many years ago my dentist recommended an Oral B spin-type electric toothbrush for my son, on the basis that it helps kids brush better than a manual brush. He said his own kids used it. It came with multiple brush heads so I ended up using it, too. The only difference between the kids’ model and the regular one was softer brushes.
Anyway I was sold on the thing, and have been using Oral B spin brushes ever since. Even the basic cheap ones are very well built and after several decades I’m only on my third one. I don’t know if they make special kids’ models any more but they do sell them with either regular or soft brushes. I’ve heard people criticize the users of electric brushes as being “so lazy they can’t even be bothered moving a brush back and forth” but that’s not at all the point. The brushing action is completely different and, to me, much more effective. The small, rapidly rotating brush also gets in to all kinds of nooks and crannies that a regular brush might not.