Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My family has been using the Waterpik WP-900 Complete Care system for quite some time so this review will be two-fold. I will be reviewing this for anyone who wonders how this compares to that model system, and I will also try to approach this from the perspective of someone who has not idea what to expect from this unit. I will try to label sections so you can skip to read what you want to know about, as it will be a lengthy review. WHAT IS THIS SYSTEM LIKE? The system has a rechargeable toothbrush that has changeable heads. You can put the extra heads in the unit that has storage for FIVE heads and waterpik nozzles as well. You can each have a toothbrush head. This comes with FOUR- two small heads and two larger ones. It also comes with a carry case for the toothbrush if you have to travel, and a plastic case for the heads and nozzles to carry as well. Both have slots for air so they can breathe. The unit has a reservoir in it which contains water to power the waterpik. There is a curled plastic tube connected to the waterpik. There is an off switch that goes back and forth to power the unit. It also comes with a variety of tips for the waterpik. The dials on the unit are encircled with metal that is rough for grip so you can turn them with wet fingers. There is an off and on dial and also a dial to change the amount of pressure for the waterpik. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Waterpik does a great job of putting an excellent manual in this package. Everything is explained very well and is easy to follow. There are illustrations as well as writing in this manual so it should be easy for most people to understand. HOW DOES THIS UNIT PERFORM? This is a wonderful system. The toothbrush cleans like no other toothbrush we have ever had (including many other similar models of other brands). It leaves the teeth truly clean and the waterpik is fantastic as well. We have had wonderful results when using the waterpik and brush together daily, but even if we skip a day or two (using a regular toothbrush) we still have great results. Everyone in the family likes a different pressure so the dial is wonderful to have. The idea is that you start out with low pressure to build up your tolerance and some people keep it there, others in the family go way up in pressure. The key is to turn your head to the side and let the water run out of the corner of your mouth into the sink and it works with the least mess. OTHER TIPS I have used the pocket tip which you have to use on gentle pressure and it works well- that is for periodontal pockets. My daughter uses that orthodontic brush for her retainer which she has to wear during the day at times, and she used it for her braces and loved it. The plaque seeker tip is good for bridges and crowns, etc, and works well, but the bristles will splay pretty quickly - that is normal for this tip. TOOTHBRUSH REPLACEABLE BATTERY? No, the battery in the toothbrush base is not replaceable, so when it has stopped taking a charge, you have to discard it. HOW DOES THIS UNIT COMPARE TO THE WP-900? DIAL The dial of the 900 is a dial that has a raised edge up the middle for easy turning. This dial is round with a metal band encircling it which has a very rough texture so it will grip. It seems sturdier in this unit. The incremental pressure settings are very similar. WATERPIK BASE This is where I will have to rave. The old unit had a press button in it. That meant that to use it, you would press in the button and it would stop the flow of water so that you could either put the tip in your mouth or remove it without spraying water everywhere. It was great- until it stopped working. After a while, the spring inside malfunctioned and the button would get stuck inside the base and it would not work. We had to shut off the unit and keep pushing in the button until we could set it free. We ended up having to cover the unit to put in our mouth if it was running, or have it in the mouth and then turn it on, which was difficult to do as it didn't always work out well. This unit has an off and on SWITCH that slides back and forth. So far, no stuck buttons, but time will tell if this will work long term or not. COLOR The 900 unit was blue instead of clear and had blue trim on it. This is dull boring clear and gray- something that is great when it is new, but as water is used in it, it shows up more in clear and on gray and I prefer the blue. Even when you clean it constantly, it still begins to look rather grungy over time when it is clear and the blue helped dispel that appearance. FOOTPRINT This footprint of the 950 is a touch smaller than the 900 was, but they are pretty close. It seems like there is not quite a 1/4 inch difference in the length of the bottom than on my other unit, but maybe I am wrong. I have measured a few times and put them next to each other and the 950 seems just a tiny bit smaller. WILL THE TOOTHBRUSH BASE RECHARGE IN THIS UNIT? Yes. They are the same- just different colors. TOOTHBRUSH HEADS DIFFERENT? Yes, these come with blue bands and my other unit came with green bands on it. WILL THIS TAKE THE SAME TIPS AS THE 900? Yes. They are interchangeable. THE BOTTOM LINE So far we really like the WP950. It is a great system. I love that they changed the button to a slide switch so it won't stick anymore. The dials seem to be a bit more hefty than in the 900 unit as well. Time will tell however. The pump is the same and the set up is the same. Just a few changes made me love it even more than the previous one which we loved too despite the problems. I will update with any changes or further observations as they occur. As of now, I give this five stars for excellent performance and changes made which greatly improve over the last model.