The only bird I wake up to in the morning! (Braun Oral-B Hummingbird)

Member Name: Peter_Ahern78

Product:	Braun Oral-B Hummingbird
Date:	25/02/06 (981 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So convenient and easy to use

Disadvantages: Expensive replacement heads

Let me tell you about a revolution in the world of flossing (is there a world of flossing? Well if there is there has been a revolution in it!)

Now, I've known for years that I'm supposed to floss. Lots of people (none more so than my own mum!) tell me that if I dont floss regularly then I run the risk of suffering tooth decay or gum disease or even mouth cancer or heart disease! So you would think that with such warning in mind, I would be persuaded to floss the recommended amount (daily, I think).

But no. I wasn't persuaded. You see, the idea of me squeezing flossing into my already packed 'get out of the house before the idiots get onto the motorway' morning routine was about as feasible as taking a couple of weeks off work for a holiday to Jupiter! What on Earth possesses people to stand with their fist in their mouth in the morning trying to manouvere string between teeth and through gaps that simply aren't there in the morning. Even if the gap is there you end up cutting your gum to pieces. My underlying theory always was that if I can't get this string in the gap between my teeth then I won't be able to get tartar in there either so I'm ok!

Anyway, for all you dentists out there reading this (and you mum!) you'll be pleased to know that I have had a change of heart. It all happened when I was looking for a new toothpaste. I saw this ...thing on the shelf that didn't look like a toothbrush but also didn't look like aything else either. I was intrigued and took a closer look. It was the Oral B Hummingbird. It was what the world has been waiting for so as make flossing a realistic possibility.

It costs around 7 - 8 pounds and was advertised as a flosser. It was obviously electronic for some reason of which I couldn't work out at first. And it contained in the pack some strange pointy and catapult type things as well.

I continued to investigate as I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed that I had made this amazing discovery of something alien to our world - right there on the shelf in Tesco!

It works like this. The 1 and half inch base has a button on it in the middle and a neck at the top. The neck is for attaching the pointy (tooth pick) heads onto and the catapult (Y shape flossers) onto. The button is to make the heads vibrate or pulse gently increasing the motion of the head, powered by a regular AAA battery. So when the head is on and you place the floss between your teeth, press the button and not only does it ease the floss into the gaps that I thought never existed (gently so you avoid gum cutting), but it has a gentle abrasive effect on the in between bits of your teeth removing plaque, tartar and any bits of food that have been rotting there since Christmas Dinner! Amazing.

When I bought the hummingbird it came with a couple of tooth picks and a couple of flossers. To be honest I can't see what the tooth picks are for because they really are too big to get between your teeth. I only use the flossers but realised that the two that came with the pack would not last long. I returned to Tesco to buy a pack of replacement flosser heads. Theyr'e not cheap and price up at about £5 for 15 (similar price for toothpicks. I don't suppose you have to replace the head everytime you floss but even then if you floss every day you'll do well to make them last a month.

However, this marvelous invention has enabled me to start flossing every other day which is a massive achievement (and I still get to the motorway before the idiots!) so £5 per month is more than worthwhile. The secret behind the hummingbirds success is how easy it is to use. It is quick, convenient and it can all be done with one hand! It takes about 2 minutes to floss your whole mouth (mind you I suppose that depends on how many teeth you have) and it's very easy to keep clean.

I fully rcommend this product and challenge you to find a more convenient way of doing such an inconvenient thing!

Summary: Quick, convenient but pricey.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Cleaning/Maintenance:
Quality: