Humm your way to a better smile. (Braun Oral-B Hummingbird)

Member Name: Lunar13

Product:	Braun Oral-B Hummingbird
Date:	10/06/09 (259 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use and very reliable.

Disadvantages: Slightly difficult to change the battery.

I cant tell you how many times I have been to the dentist, to have him ask me if I am flossing my teeth daily. I would look at him and nod to say that of course I am flossing. He would just smile back as if somehow knowing that I was lying through my almost white but completely un-flossed teeth!

This isn't to say I never tried, it just always seemed I could never master the art. I could manage in between my two front teeth but that was about my limit before I would throw away the string and give it up as a bad job. I know the importance of flossing between you teeth as part of your oral care routine but could just never manage it, and if I am really honest was to lazy to persevere with.

The British Dental Association advises that flossing teeth can help to remove plaque and bacteria from in between your teeth and from underneath your gum line and that regular flossing can help to battle against tooth decay and gum disease. I actually looked on their website about 2 years ago for advice on flossing as I was having trouble with bleeding gums. They have a guideline for people to follow describing the best way to floss your teeth which the following link will take you to.

http://www.bdasmile.org/adults/adults.cfm?content id=1267&contentparentid=1036

Even with these helpful instructions I was still finding it difficult to hold the string and floss, luckily for me the website recommended the use of 'flossers' for people still having difficulty.

On my next trip to boots I went to the dental care section and found the Oral-B humming bird along side the dental floss. Without having done much research into what I was going to look for I chose this flosser as I liked the look of it, and it was small so wouldn't take up too much bathroom space. The only difference between my one and the one in the dooyoo picture is that mine is green instead of blue. The length without the refill added to the top is about 6cm and it has a flat base so can be stood up on the bathroom shelf.

The flosser comes with one AAA battery, I have used this item most days for 2 years and have changed the battery twice (please bare in mind that I normally buy poundland batteries so they are not the best quality), with this in mind I think the battery life is pretty good. My one problem with this product it how you change the battery. You have to twist the base of the flosser which pushes up the top of the devise, you then pull out the top and replace the battery. The difficult bit is putting the flosser back together, you have to push down on the top while twisting the base. It isn't an impossible task by any meant but is just a little fiddly and I am an impatient person.

To use the flosser you push one of the disposable flossing attachments onto the top of the device. To turn the flosser on you have to push the button on the back and hold it down while you floss your teeth. The first time I used the Humming bird I was surprised at how easy it was to get between all my teeth. Some at the bottom were more tricky as my teeth there are very close together. After I few days practice I was finding it really easy to use and I could really feel the difference in the cleanliness of my teeth.

The humming bird also comes with a tooth pick attachment, I have only used this once when I had an annoying piece of chicken stuck between my teeth. It was very effective at removing the offending chicken but probably nothing a normal tooth pick couldn't manage.

I did find that when I first started flossing me teeth that I had some bleeding from the gums for the first 4 days. According to the British Dental Association this is completely normal and nothing to worry about. As with anything though if the bleeding carried on for more than a few days when flossing I would advise people to stop using it and get advice from the dentist or hygienist. The dental hygienist is really good for showing you better techniques for flossing and brushing teeth.

At the moment the cheapest place I can see the Oral-B Humming Bird for sale on the internet is at www.amazon.co.uk They are selling the starter kit for £4.27 this includes the humming bird with one battery, 3 flossing attachments and 5 tooth pick attachments. The flossing attachment refills are available for £2.10 for a pack of 15. I have to admit though I search for the refills when they are on special offer and haven't had to buy any for well over a year, I still have lots in stock even though I change it every day.

The true test of the effectiveness really had to be the next dentist visit. After he had looked at my teeth he said to me "I'm glad you finally started flossing". I really have no idea how he could tell but was pleased that there was a noticeable improvement for my efforts. So for around the last two years my teeth have been flossed most nights before bed. I would recommended the humming bird to anyone that finds the traditional string to fiddly. The device is very durable as I have never had a problem with it. It just looses a star as it is a pain to change the battery and I am sure this could have been made easier. I have never suffered form bleeding gums since initially using the flosser so I do believe it has improved the overall health of my gums.

Summary: Makes flossing you teeth easy and stress free.

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