After one too many frustrating visits to the dentist, I decided 21st-century standards of oral hygiene might be beyond my reach as an unassisted mortal. Would technology help? Early trials suggest that it can. The most important part of the equation is a floss substitute like this jet cleaner ($60) by WaterPik. I had worried that a little blast of water couldn’t match the physical contact of floss, but I was wrong: Even on the next-to-lowest pressure setting (the WP-100 model can go from 5 to an astonishing 90 pounds per square inch) it was reaching where it needed to with ease. Using the thing takes some getting used to — be prepared to splash all over your countertop and mirror the first few times — but mastering a couple of common sense precautions, like turning off the water before removing the jet from your mouth, doesn’t take long, and the device is available as a self-contained cordless model ($50) that makes things even simpler. Flossing may be far more intimidating than brushing, but I went for the full Robo-smile by trying a “sonic toothbrush” ($80) as well — and, despite my doubts, must  report that it leaves my teeth somewhat closer to that “just back from a cleaning” smoothness than my trusty manual brush. Of course, since WaterPik started marketing pulsating jet products in the ’60s (under the name Aqua Tec), plenty of companies have put their spin on things: Today, you can get Oral B toothbrushes with wireless monitors ($150) or spiral streams of microbubbles ($120); you can even get a spinning-head Spiderman brush for seven bucks. All well and good, but do yourself a favor: If you’re at all vulnerable to obsessive-compulsive disorder, don’t even look at advertisements for Sonicare’s $50 UV Sanitizer.