Customer Reviews

Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

An early and simple modification on the Hydrofloss by the user might double the life of the unit. I've gone through three in the past five years. The last two were because of the same problem. When the hose on my second Hyrdofloss sprung a leak and began squirting a stinging stream of water in my eyes and ears, I blamed it on kittens who love to chew things. Every repair effort I attempted failed. I've repaired all sorts of larger pressure hoses. This one stumped me. This hose is not replaceable. When the hose on Hydrofloss number three started squirting water from exactly the same place as number two - and after only 12 months of use - I could not blame it on my cats because they had been banned from my bathroom. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the problem. The pulsating water pump causes the hose to vibrate vigorously. My hoses had been slightly rubbing against the top edge of the water reservoir while in use and eventually wore through the hose. I've tried several different oral irrigators and Hydrofloss works best for me. It does everything it is advertised to do and does it quite well. Unfortunately, to insure continued sales, it appears that an intentional shelf life has been built into these devices. Their limited warranty is 12 months for a reason. I'll buy Hydrofloss number four and split a 6-inch piece of silicone tubing lengthwise and place it around the hose starting at where it exits the pump housing. This might work. Then again, it might not. I certainly have enough spare parts in my Hydrofloss junk yard to work with, but before I do anything, I owe my cats an apology.

I purchased the HydroFloss from my dentist after having repeated trouble with a WaterPik Ultra which I had previously purchased on Amazon. My dentist sold me the HydroFloss for $80, but I would gladly pay the $99 with free shipping. This product is so superior to the WaterPik...and so much more dependable. The water tank is larger, the cords are longer, and it never hesitates or shuts down due to low water levels. The pressure adjustment choices are excellent and there is no drippage from the handle or the tank. The tips that come with the unit are fine for most uses, even getting into the gums. If you want to massage the gum line, then I would suggest also purchasing the "Pocket Pal Jet Tips" which have rubber tips. Don't bother with the "Sulcus" tips because they are not rubber coated and are very sharp. The only negative about this unit is the noise. It is louder and more high-pitched than the WaterPik, but that's a small inconvenience compared to its excellent performance. I don't have any opinion regarding the claim that magnets cause an ion change in the water...it's not detectable. I will wait and see what the verdict is on the health of my teeth and gums at my next checkup, but I'm betting it will be positive!

I love this product. It makes my teeth, and especially my gumlines, feel very smooth and free of debris. This is an excellent addition to using a good toothbrush, such as a Sonicare. The fine, high speed water jet cleans between teeth in difficult to reach areas. I think it works better than flossing, as it seems to reach more surface areas than I can contact with any flossing technique. I most like the way it cleans just below the gumline, where food and plaque can lodge out of reach of other cleaning methods.

I was concerned, after reading some reviews here, that I wouldn't be able to use the product without hearing protection! There may have been a change in design, or perhaps some users had defective units, because as far as I can tell, the volume level is nominal. It makes a swooshing water sound along with a high pitch mechanical sound, but it is less noisy overall than my Sonicare toothbrush. It is not disturbing to me at all.

I recommend this product for a feeling of good oral health care! It is a far superior tool than any traditional hand operated objects. I will very likely always own and use something like this.

I strongly recommend buying the Hydrofloss "Pocket Pal" Jet Tips, for an additional $9.95. These have soft, flexible tips that work better than the plain, blunt, hard plastic tips which come standard with the unit. I suppose the "Pocket Pal" name refers to gum pockets, and I do not have any deep gum pockets (your dentist will tell you if you have these). Nevertheless, I find these tips more comfortable and more effective over all. I never bother with the regular and use the massage tips exclusively. If you are going to invest $99 on an oral irrigator, it makes sense to put in a few dollars more to have the nicer attachments. I have another Amazon reviewer to thank for alerting me to this option, and wish to pass on the good advice!

Great Product! I have the waterpik and hydro floss so I can tell you first hand how they compair. The only advantage the water pik has is a more quiet motor, but thats because it only has half the power. The Hydro floss is more powerful at level 6 than the Water pik is at the highest setting (running the motor at a lower than max level will mean longer service life).

I purchased this on a recommendation from my dentist and the other amazon reviewer. After two weeks owning it, here is my impression.

- It's yet another "high-tech" expensive dental product that is poorly designed and may or may not actually help your teeth
- It is loud. I live in apartments and don't want to use it before I go to bed for fear of annoying the neighbors.
- The water tank is sufficient. The documentation says something about refilling once a week I think. I use a whole tank every use.
- The water tank fits poorly and wobbles around on the base.
- The water jet powers on immediately after the unit is turned on. You have to press the button on the jet to get the water to turn *off*. Seems like it should be the other way around. Makes a mess easily.

I am keeping the device as it appears to be cleaning my teeth, but I can't recommend this as a well designed product, and I have no idea if it is better than the competition. Clearly there is room for improvement in these "cutting edge" dental products.

I think that the Hydrofloss works very well at cleaning your teeth. However, like so many products these days, it is meant to sell not meant to last. There is a little rubber washer in the handpiece that holds the replaceable tips in place. On mine, after 15 months that tiny rubber washer wore out, so now there is no water pressure and the device is virtually useless since all the water leaks out at the washer rather than at the tip. Of course the warranty (which is marginal in the first place) lasts for only a year.

So if you are willing to pay around $90 - $100 annually for this, then go ahead and by it. Just don't think that it will last long.

Personally, I don't think it's that noisy, but I don't live in an apartment with paper thin walls.

I've been using this product for 3 years. Upon using it daily, faithfully for about 4 mths, I actually reversed my gum problems. You know the little numbers they take when they measure the pockets? I went from 30 #5s to about 4 #5s in that 4-mth span. It is larger than other similar products, and it doesn't leak. That's all the good news. The bad news is that I haven't had a single one last an entire year. If you save your receipt, you can return it for either a new or a fixed on in return (they decide), but you have to be prepared for this hassle and be prepared that once returned, you don't get to keep returning it. This equates to one return and one purchase a year. This is horrid! And that's why I gave it a 3... because it rates a 5 on what it does for your teeth, but it rates a 1 on durability.

After a recent visit to the dentist (go twice a year folks, so you don't end up like me), I had to go through some pretty intensive cleanings for periodontal disease (gum disease). One of the things for home care that I was required to do was get one of these hydrofloss thingies. I balked at the price, but got it anyway.

Let me tell you, this thing flat out works. My next appt after getting it and using it, great improvements on the health of my gums. I was really surprised at the kinda of gunk that you still have after brushing and flossing. The machine is easy to use, and not that messy after you get the hang of it. Unfortunately it can be loud, which is more annoying than anything. I haven't gotten any complaints from my neighbors though. All in all, if your dentist tells you to get this, go get it. If your just a health nut, well...its kinda expensive, but might be worth it.

I've owned three Hydrofloss irrigators since 2002 and have found them all to be outstanding devices which, used 1-2 times per week, have kept my gums healthy and have stopped the recession of two troubled gum areas in my mouth. (The enclosed product CD they send with the units will explain exactly how it works and why this happens.)

I've had three because, per my instructions from my dentist, I've always used them with a solution of 80% warm tap water and 20% hydrogen peroxide. Unfortunately, the peroxide prematurly wears out the motor so that after 200 or so uses, it wears out. I returned two of the units to the manufacturer for refurbishing, but found that the repaired units did not pump water with enough force to adequately clean my gums. I subsequently did not pay for the repairs ($25 + shipping per unit) after several complaining e-mails with the company's owner.

I can attest to the fact that faithful use of these units will also completely elminate bad breath, provided that your additional oral care (flossing, brushing, and use of Listerine) is adequate.

Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator A friend and I each got one of these. Both broke in less than 2 years. I have replaced it with a Waterpik Ultra. I haven't used this long enough to stand the test of time but I am impressed with the apparent better quality of the Waterpik. Seems to be much better (more sturdy, quieter, nicer appearance, more power, smaller footprint) for half the price. No problems with leaks or anything else so far. I read reviews here that were just the opposite. Go figure.