Oral & Dental Care

Water flossers, whitening strips and electric toothbrushes.

A water flosser earns its place where string floss cannot reach — around braces, bridges and implants especially. Start on the lowest pressure setting if your gums bleed easily and work up as they settle. Sharing a handle is fine; sharing a nozzle is not, which is why the multi-tip sets are worth the small extra.

On whitening it is worth knowing what you are buying. Peroxide strips lighten the tooth itself over a course of treatments. Purple colour-correcting strips work optically, cancelling yellow tones the way purple shampoo does on blonde hair, so the effect shows immediately and is temporary. Neither lightens crowns or veneers, so if you have them, ask your dentist before starting a course.

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