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1784 of 1825 found the following review helpful:
 Wish I COULD Give It More Stars, BUT... Sep 23, 2011
By charlesn
If Apple made a dental device this is probably how it would look. Cool and elegant. Plus, this is a product that you really WANT to like, even before you've used it. After all, who wouldn't want a quick, easy and effective way to floss?
Unfortunately, my experience with the Airfloss suggests that it may not work as advertised, in addition to my unit failing completely within a month. If you're the type who prefers product reviews that cut to the chase, I'll do so here: hold onto your money until the American Dental Association tests the Airfloss and announces their results.
For those who'd like a little more info, read on...
First, NO ONE, including Philips, really knows how well (or not) the Airfloss works as a substitute for string flossing. The Philips research wasn't rigorously done, so while results seemed promising, they're not conclusive in any way. Not to mention that they'd like you to buy one. As I said, I hope the ADA does their own testing. Minus rigorous scientific tests, we have anecdotal evidence at best.
Second, I can say definitively that the Airfloss does not work well on closely crowded teeth. If there is little or no space between teeth, there is no place for the blast of "microdroplets" to go. The spray either splashes back against the bathroom mirror or the Airfloss sort of "backfires" on itself when the pressure of the blast gets trapped with no where to go. I think that this is what may have caused my unit to fail so soon, but I can't say for sure. On my upper teeth, which have no crowding, the Air Floss worked without a problem.
Third, while I could easily see that the Airfloss blasted away food particles between my teeth, its ability to remove the destructive biofilm that clings to teeth below the gumline is completely unknown--and removal of biofilm is key to effective flossing.
Fourth, and as noted by some other reviews here, if I used string floss after using the Airfloss--which I did as a test--I always found some food particles that the Airfloss left behind. This suggests you'd have to continue string flossing in addition to using the Airfloss, so what's the point?
So, bottom line: there's no testing to support that this product does what it claims. It definitely does not work well, if at all, on crowded teeth where flossing is most critical. It consistently did not remove all trapped food particles. Plus, my Airfloss failed within a month, which might be the unfortunate luck of the draw, or it may point to a design flaw. Knowing what I know now, I would not purchase this product again, though I still love the idea of it.
Thanks for reading my review and, if it was helpful, I'd really appreciate a click on the "yes" button.
340 of 366 found the following review helpful:
Not a replacement for flossing Aug 11, 2011
By James Pine
The product literature claims that this product "Removes 99% more plaque biofilm between teeth than brushing with manual toothbrush alone" and "Gently and effectively helps improve interproximal gum health in just two weeks". While those may well be true, they don't mention how much better or worse it is when compared to flossing, so I decided to try it myself. After getting used to the Airfloss for a week such that I was no longer causing water to spray all over the mirror and counter top; I brushed my teeth, used the Airfloss and then flossed afterwards. The result was the floss still removed a significant amount of food particles. I'm guessing the majority of it came from between the teeth as opposed to between the teeth and gums.
Admittedly, I've been told by my dentist that I have "tight contact" between my molars so your experience may be different. However, I tried this experiment on several different occasions after having had a variety of meals throughout the day (meats, vegetables, popcorn, etc.) and on every occasion the Airfloss just didn't seem to do a complete job.
With all types of floss and flossers out there that make it easy to reach the back teeth, get around braces and other dental hardware e.g. Gum Soft Picks I don't see any reason to spend so much money on something that doesn't work as well.
453 of 496 found the following review helpful:
 It Might Make You Drool Jul 30, 2011
By Daniel G. Lebryk
The Airfloss could turn you into a drool monster, or Dracula. Or, it could just do a great job of cleaning between your teeth. I'm banking on the latter.
I like this product. The gadget aspect of it is nice. The handle is about the diameter of two Sonicare toothbrushes, it's pretty big, but feels really good in my hand. My teeth felt like I had been to the dentist for a cleaning. The airfloss does power through built up food nicely. I didn't floss for a few days, and all the spices, little bits of food, and Wonder White bread stuck between my teeth came right out. I can reach to the back of my mouth really easily, those molars tend to never get a flossing, they will now.
December 1, 2011 Dentist Visit Update: This is one of the best dental appointments I have ever had. My experience with the Airfloss is outstanding. I started using this device the day of my last check up six months ago. I have used it religiously for the past 6 months, and today is the day I got the results of using this. There is absolutely no question about it, my mouth and teeth are much healthier than they have ever been. Normally my gums show some bleeding during the cleaning, and they are usually somewhat red. Today, they were healthy and pink, with very little bleeding. The hygienist normally spends a long time scraping my teeth, today she spent maybe half the time. Both my dentist and hygienist said the device works and are happy with how much better my gums and teeth look - they will begin recommending it to their patients. This is my personal experience with the Airfloss. I have a lot of trouble flossing or even remembering to floss (actually I pretty much hate flossing), I have no problem brushing my teeth twice a day. Adding this 15 second step to my routine, and I can get a great check up - I'm totally sold.
August 26, 2011 Update: My teeth have never felt cleaner now that I use this at least daily, sometimes twice per day. As I said below, I travel with this I love it that much. A note for those of you that have closely spaced teeth. My wife has trouble finding floss that will fit between her teeth - this device does not work for her. I've never had trouble getting floss between my teeth, so I must be an ideal candidate. If you have very closely spaced teeth (you probably know if you do), you might want to pass on the Airfloss.
I'm not a huge fan of the reservoir cover; it doesn't close with a snap that would reassure me it is closed. Not every single speck of food was removed in one pass. I can see that using this every day, between my teeth will be cleaner. Sometimes it's hard to get the little head lined up exactly right, either getting a shot of water in my mouth, on the mirror, or misfiring (the little tip was plugged by my teeth and nothing came out).
My gums did bleed a little the first use, but they also do that when I don't floss for a few days. The bleeding stopped after the third day. I wasn't dripping blood from my mouth like Dracula; it was that redness right around the gum line.
There is no ADA (American Dental Association) certificate on this device. That certificate would be nice. This is a very new product. It just happened that the day after I received this, I had a dentist appointment. My dentist is pretty aware of the latest teeth cleaning devices (he actually had a Sonicare toothbrush a good long while before they were available in the store), he had never heard of this. This isn't a dentist's approval of the Airfloss, but he did say it looked like a really good idea. And anything that would encourage people to floss more is a good thing.
January 4, 2012 Update: A little clarification on the ADA - I visited their site and looked over what products have ADA seal of approval. Would it surprise you to know that not a single electric toothbrush, or water pic has their seal of approval? In fact nothing with an electric cord has their seal of approval. I have no experience with this organization, how they approve products, or their rules for what to accept for testing, but it appears to me this device, along with all the other electric dental products, will not get their seal of approval. Not because they are bad products, but because the ADA just doesn't do that, plain and simple.
A lot of different people could use the Airfloss: People with big hands that find flossing the rear teeth difficult. People with a disability where a caregiver needs to floss for them, or have difficulty holding floss with two hands for themselves. Or people that want to be encouraged to floss more often.
I have had a Philips Sonicare toothbrush for around three years. That toothbrush takes a lot of getting used to, getting over the crazy tickling on my teeth, avoid spraying toothpaste all over the room, and getting over the annoying noise.
Like the Sonicare toothbrush, the Airfloss takes some practice. My first few times around I managed to drool all over my shirt and completely wash down the bathroom mirror. Of course some of you will be more mechanically inclined and figure out how to avoid the drool bath and mirror cleaning. The secret is to hold your lower lip up, and make sure the little head is seated between your teeth and not on an angle. It's also important to hold the unit with the tip up.
The device is incredibly simple. It is basically a liquid reservoir and a pump that fires a shot of water and air out the little tip. Pressing on the big green button at the top of the white handle, starts off a winding up noise, a deep click, and a puff. At the base there is a rubber sealed on / off switch. The charger looks like a small hockey puck. Like the Sonicare toothbrush, charging is by induction, meaning there are no electrical contacts.
The liquid reservoir holds about a tablespoon and is supposed to be good for two uses. I actually have to refill mine for a lap around my mouth, maybe I have way more teeth than the average bear. The instructions allow for water or mouthwash in the reservoir. I like the idea of mouthwash; it feels really great in my mouth. Mouthwash can form a hard residue, and that could plug up the machine.
It's hard to say if sharing this device is a good or bad idea. The tip is solid plastic and shiny, there are no bristles at all on it. A little rinse off with mouthwash should clean the tip off for somebody else to use. Well you know, for your significant other, not a community thing for strangers. The tip is really hard to remove, I wouldn't want to constantly snap it off and snap on another tip.
Philips recommends changing the tip every six months. Hard for me to see exactly what could go wrong with the tip. But they are really inexpensive (around nine dollars for a pair Philips Sonicare HX8002/60 Airfloss Replacement NOuncezles, 2 Count).
One charge is supposed to last about two weeks. The unit is fully charged overnight.
The instruction manual is very nice. They even include instructions on how to dispose of the unit when it has expired and you no longer need it. About four times they repeat that this procedure will destroy the unit. The pictures are to wrap the unit in a cloth, smash it with a hammer, and remove the battery. The smashed bits can be tossed in the trash, and the battery should be recycled. This is a new one for me; I've never seen a company that recommends smashing their device with a hammer to remove the battery. Pretty cool Philips.
This is a million times better than a water pik. The Airfloss is a puff between the teeth, a water pik is like a squirt gun all over the place. And there's that nasty hose with the water pik.
I'm so guilty of not flossing, and know I should floss more often. During one six month period, I flossed every night and used mouthwash, that dentist appointment was quick and easy - almost no scraping necessary. The rest of the time, my dentist reminds me to floss more. This gadget just might get me to floss every night now.
75 of 79 found the following review helpful:
 A great and very effective way for those who should floss more. Sep 28, 2011
By H. Safi
First of all, I must disclose that I work in the Healthcare/ Dental industry. I encounter a lot people everyday who need to floss more or wish flossing was easier, including myself. It should be noted that this is not a form of advice in any way or matter, the opinions here are just my personal thoughts on the device.
Gums, bleeding and Flossing
gums bleed if bacteria grows in the form of plaque on your teeth. Bacteria uses calcium from you saliva to form plaque. Plaque/Calculus form on all surfaces of the teeth and is easily removed by brushing. The problem is with plaque that mainly forms under the gum and in between the teeth. Your body tries to kill the bacteria by pumping more blood to the gums to fight it (inflammation) and thus gums bleed.
Compared to other oral irrigation devices:
I have used the Waterpik for a couple of years and was a little skeptical when I first received the Sonicare. As apposed to the Waterpik, the Sonicare air flosser uses interrupted air/water mist to clear between the teeth. Waterpik uses a continuous jet stream. I was skeptical because the reservoir in the waterpik is 210ml and the air flosser holds about a table spoon full. More about that later.
How it works:
The sonicare air flosser is a new device from Sonicare that belongs to a family of Oral Irrigation Devices. The concept is that if you push water hard enough through the spaces between teeth the water stream will carry with it any food or debris that are stuck there and thus less food for the bacteria to grow on. There is a major difference between that and brushing/flossing. When you floss or brush, you interrupt the formation of plaque. So no the air flosser will not remove plaque.
Here is where the air flosser will work, the more food you have between your teeth, the more resources the bacteria will have to form plaque and calculus. by using the air flosser you slow down this process.
How to use:
I use a mouth wash to fill it up instead of water in the hope that some of that will be retained between my teeth and kill bacteria that is growing there.
you take the tip and fit it interproximally between 2 teeth from the outside (labial: lip side) and activate, move to the next 2 teeth and repeat until you do the whole mouth. I activate the water jet twice for every space from the lip side and once from the tongue side (lingual). sonicare does not recomend this because they are affraid that you might over do it and damage your gums. I dont advocate it either so do at your own risk. Now this is a problem for me because i find I have to fill up the reservoir 2 or 3 times to do the whole mouth.
Many people complain that it makes a mess, but with time it will become easy, just keep your mouth closed.
Who is it and is it not for:
If you use floss and do it regularly then this is not for you. what you are doing is way better habit. If you have tight contacts, you know because when you eat meat nothing sticks between your teeth, this is not for you.
Now if you have wide contacts, and you know because you cant eat a taco without reaching for anything to clean between your teeth, then this is for you. If you tried flossing and you really cant get yourself to do it no matter what, then this is for you and way better than nothing.
If your gums bleed every time you brush or floss then pushing some of that mouthwash in there might actually help by reducing the number of bacteria and the food available for it to grow.
When you go to your dentist and get a deep cleaning, the dentist uses a sonic instrument to disrupt the plaque and break it down. This is ultimately what you need if your gums bleed. once the plaque is gone and you floss/brush/air floss, the formation of plaque is inhibited and your gums live happy, bacteria free.
39 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 Very good, but not quite as good as expected. Aug 19, 2011
By T. Cosgrove
I love my sonicare toothbrush and was very excited to see this product. I have very good teeth in general, but always get flack from my dentist about not flossing. I brush with my sonicare twice a day but I am a very sporadic flosser at best (1-3 times/month max.). I know I should floss, but just find it to be such a hassle.
I've been using the Airfloss for a week now --- typically twice a day. Here are my thoughts thus far:
1. The directions indicate to give it one shot between each tooth. This was not effective for me. I follwed it with floss and the floss removed a LOT of particles left behind by the airflosser. However, if I spray it 3 times between each tooth, it actually does a pretty good job of getting out most of the food particles. Its still not 100%, but it is very good and much better for me than not flossing at all. The downside is that you definitely will have to refill the reservoir at least once when using. I have pretty tight gaps between my teeth which likely has some effect on the performance.
2. In general it is very user friendly, however it will take a little getting used to to get the head lined up between the teeth. If its lined up right, you can feel the burst come between the teeth and hit your tounge. If its not quite right you can get a little splash or if its completely blocked it doesn't spray at all. I'm getting the swing of it. If you don't get the spray right, it doesn't clean well.
3. It's not quite as neat as I would have liked. I get a bit of dribble, but no where near the mess of a waterpik.
4. Works well with both mouth rinse and water. Whether shooting the stuff between your teeth has more benefit than just rinsing your mouth when done, I don't know.
Overall, I like it. I will continue using it. After 1 week I see a difference in my teeth. They look and feel much cleaner. I see huge potential benefits for people who do not floss or are sporadic flossers like me. If you are a habitual flosser now, you are probably already getting a better cleaning than this gadget will give you.
I'm giving it 3 stars because I think it performed well, but not as well as advertised.
I add another review after I've been using it a while longer. My next Dentist cleaning is still about 4 months off, so that will be a good test to see how my cleaning goes after using it for a while. I'll be sure to report back.
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