As the daughter of a dentist, I’ve always been conscious about my dental hygiene. Brushing my teeth two to three times daily, flossing every night and regular dental check-ups have been part of my routine since childhood.
So, it’s probably not shocking that I asked for what some might consider a rather mundane Christmas gift – a water flosser. A few mates had recently mentioned their use of water flossers, with one even saying their dentist noticed its effects during a check-up.
This piqued my interest in getting a water flosser, a handy tool that could help me maintain healthy gums and teeth. It’s worth noting, though, that Oral-B advises against replacing traditional flossing with a water flosser; they recommend doing both, along with brushing your teeth at least twice daily.
However, for those with sensitive gums, braces or dexterity issues, a water flosser could be a better alternative to string floss. Even though I don’t have these problems, it seemed like a good choice for me, as someone keen on maintaining high oral health standards.
For Christmas, I was gifted the Hangsun Water Flossers for Teeth – and honestly, it turned out to be quite the practical present which I reckon I’ll be using for ages. Customers have hailed it as “powerful” and “easy to use”, reports Wales Online.
Bargain hunters can snag the Hangsun Water Flosser for £22.99, down from its usual £29.99, pocketing a neat £7 saving. When I unwrapped mine at Christmas, I discovered this slick black gadget came with a variety of eight jet tips, covering everything from orthodontic needs for those with braces, tongue cleaning, periodontal tips for gum care, to standard jets for everyday dental hygiene.
While I haven’t tested all the tips just yet, the ones I’ve tried have been impressively powerful and effective. Plus, it boasts a 300ml water tank, runs on battery power, and features USB charging, making it a cinch for both travel and home use.
There’s also a blue variant available for £22.94, reduced from £26.99; Amazon promises it champions gum health with “thorough” cleaning. Even though I didn’t specify which one I wanted for Christmas, I’m delighted with my Hangsun Water Flosser – “thorough” is spot on to describe it.
From the moment I first used it, its design made it clear how to operate – it features an ‘on/off’ button that requires a quick press to start and stop, a lid for the water tank at the back, and the device also offers different flossing modes – ‘soft’, ‘normal’ and ‘pulse’. As expected, the product was initially set to the ‘normal’ mode, which I found too harsh on my teeth so I switched it to the ‘soft’ mode to ease into using the device.
In my view, the ‘soft’ mode is just as effective and I’ve kept it on this setting ever since. I use it every night, in addition to a dental floss stick and brushing my teeth.
On the third use of the water flosser, I noticed one tooth felt slightly sensitive, so after flossing, I applied toothpaste for sensitive teeth as a precaution, which seemed to do the trick. Each time I’ve used this water flosser, my teeth feel noticeably cleaner, which is apparent when I follow up with a dental stick and find that threading the nylon between my teeth is much easier than before.
The experience is akin to having a deep clean, scale and polish from a dental hygienist.
Although I’m really chuffed with this purchase, one point I would say is this device is very powerful, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand, it is guaranteed that this device will do as it says on the package, however, on the other hand, it may initially take some time to get used to its power.
During the first few times I used this flosser, I found it hard to control the direction of its force. However, as I gradually found out, the trick is to place the jet in your mouth and close your mouth before you switch it on.
The direction of the jet spray is obvious and you can navigate the flossing through that. But make sure you switch it off before you open your mouth again and spit out the water.
Perhaps something else you should consider before purchasing is that the item is fairly bulky, with its attached 300ml water tank and 32cm in height (including the jet tips). Ultimately however, this is a great device to buy and use if you are new to water flossing.
The device on Amazon has notched up an impressive 4.3 out of five stars and has accrued a staggering number of over 22,000 reviews. Ecstatic customers have showered it with praise—one chuffed buyer heralded the product as a “brilliant” flosser claiming: “I’ve always struggled with using tape floss or interdental brushes, so this is a game changer for me.
“I’ve used it daily since getting it. It’s easy to use, impressively powerful, and the charge lasted for a good 21 days. I found cold water a little too uncomfortable for me, so I just add a little warm water to take the edge off.”
Yet, it wasn’t all rave reviews, one customer said: “I bought this water-flosser to replace a different make that had worked well but stopped working after a couple of months. The Hangsun was delivered really promptly.
“What wasn’t clear from the description on Amazon – or from the initial email response from Customer Service, when I contacted them – was that there is no choice of pressure settings for the jet of water that it delivers.”
If you’re in the market for a similar product from a different retailer, the Philips Sonicare HX3826 Cordless Power Flosser 3000 Oral Irrigator is available for £80 at John Lewis, or the Rio Cordless Water Flosser and Oral Water Jet Irrigator for £40 at LookFantastic.
