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Some of us find joy in gum maintenance, but for those who don’t, a water flosser can make taking care of your mouth less of a chore. Studies show that flossing prevents gum disease and improves overall oral health. We know it’s important, but it’s not everyone’s favorite activity. One way to make flossing more efficient, convenient, effective, and pleasant? The water flosser.
Instead of using a string to get in between your teeth, water flossers are oral irrigators that use high-pressure water streams to remove plaque, bacteria, and food from your gums. Think of it as a pressure washer for your mouth. In order to help you pick the best option for you, we selected five of the best water flossers on the market so you can improve your oral hygiene and make your dentist proud.
- Best overall: Waterpik WP-660 Water Flosser
- Best for kids: Waterpik Water Flosser for Kids
- Best for travel: Oral-B Cordless Portable Oral Irrigator
- Best budget: H2ofloss Dental Water Flosser
How we chose the best water flossers
Pressure is paramount when choosing the best water flosser. We want to ensure that your water flosser has enough intensity to blast that plaque, without causing discomfort. We also looked at key features such as reservoir size and portability, so you have options depending on your needs.
We considered a wide swath of information, including outside reviews to determine the models for inclusion. We analyzed products for their tip types, so that we could offer you suggestions for different types of use. Finally, we looked at the value for the price. We don’t want to recommend a bunch of products that are absurdly pricey if they’re not going to make you smile.
The best water flossers: Reviews & Recommendations
Best overall: Waterpik WP-660 Water Flosser
Best Overall
Waterpik WP-660 Flosser
Why it made the cut: This is the most professional-grade quality on the market, with clinical studies to back it up.
Specs
- 10 pressure settings
- 7 tips
- 1.5-minute reservoir
Pros
- Has ADA seal of approval
- Suitable for braces and dental work
- Comes with multiple brush tips
Cons
- Not cordless
- Yes
The Waterpik is basically a one-stop shop for all things gum health. It features 7 color-coded flossing tips for a variety of needs. Advanced pressure control offers 10 customizable settings to suit your mouth. A dishwasher-safe, 22 oz reservoir for 90 seconds of flossing time.
There are also some features that improve the overall experience outside of the specific cleaning chops. A power switch on the wand makes it easy to handle. A one-minute timer makes sure you’re getting in enough scrubbing time. It offers two modes: Floss and Hydro Pulse Massage, for gum stimulation.
This flosser is suitable for braces, implants, and other dental work. Plus, the tips rotate 360 degrees so you get a total clean. It’s also clinically proven to remove 99.9% of plaque by more than 70 scientific research studies. It has everything you need.
Best for kids: Waterpik Water Flosser for Kids
Best for Kids
Cleaner for kids
Why it made the cut: It comes with a brush attachment for braces and 20 fun stickers to decorate their new hygiene toy.
Specs
- 3 pressure settings
- 2 tips
- 1 minute reservoir
Pros
- Comes with brush head attachment for braces
- Small design for small mouths
- Great pressure
- Travel-friendly
- Fairly priced
Cons
- Might be too small for older kids/teenagers
- No power button on wand
Convincing kids to floss can be tricky. This model is small enough to easily fit into a young mouth, but powerful enough to effectively remove plaque, build up, and food particles, this water flosser for kids is a great product your child will actually want to use.
The Waterpik Water Flosser for kids comes with a 15-ounce water capacity, three pressure settings, an orthodontic tip for children with braces, and a classic jet tip for general use. It also has 20 fun removable stickers labels for kids to decorate their flosser to help encourage them to actually use it.
Because it’s so tiny (5.4 x 4.4 x 6.8 inches), it’s also super easy to travel with. This is a huge bonus to keep your kids flossing on vacations, at camp, and at grandma’s house.
Best for travel: Oral-B Cordless Portable Oral Irrigator
Best for Travel
No outlet necessary
Why it made the cut: Lightweight, portable, and cordless, this water flosser is great for ensuring your gums get adequate care on the road.
Specs:
- 3 flossing modes
- 2 tips
- 4-ounce reservoir
Pros
- Cordless
- Lightweight
- Good for sensitive gums
- Water reservoir is easy to access
- Long battery life
Cons
- Pricey
- Small reservoir, needs to be refilled more often
- No carry case included
This cordless water flosser from Oral-B features unique nozzle technology for maximum cleaning power. The cordless handle houses a long-lasting, rechargeable battery for portable use and comes with a stationary charger, which makes it a convenient option when you’re traveling.
Besides convenience, we chose this flosser for its multiple stream settings (multi-jet, focused, and rotational) and customizable flossing modes (intense, medium, or sensitive). The 90-degree nozzles make it easier to access hard-to-reach areas, providing a more comprehensive clean.
While the reservoir is pretty small (4 ounces), it makes it a lighter-weight option for taking with you on the go.
Best budget: H2ofloss Dental Water Flosser
Best Budget
Value jet
Why it made the cut: This upgraded version now offers less noise than previous models, and customizable settings at a great price point.
Specs
- 6 pressure settings
- 12 tips
- 2.5 minute reservoir
Pros
- Quieter than previous models
- Budget-friendly
- Comes with enough tips for the whole family
- Overheat protection feature
- Customizable, good for braces and dental work
Cons
- May leak
- No On/Off switch on handle
HF-9 is the newest, most upgraded model from H2ofloss; it’s a much quieter system with a smoother operation than its predecessor. It also features 6 pressure settings, ranging from 5-110 PSI to better suit your needs.
With 1200 pulses/minute, this frequency is forceful enough to do the job without causing pain or discomfort. The water flosser also comes with overheat protection function, it will automatically stop working when overheated to promote a safer experience.
With 12 multifunctional tips (4 jet tips, 2 tongue cleaning tips, 2 orthodontic tips, 2 periodontal tips, and 2 nasal tips), this flosser is easy to customize and can be used with braces, implants, crowns, or periodontal pockets. All of this at a really great price point.
Things to consider before buying the best water flossers
If you’re new to water flossing, it can be overwhelming to decide on which product is best for you. Here’s what to look for:
Type
Before you begin shopping for a water flosser, you may want to know the types of flossers on the market so you can choose the best product for your intended use.
Countertop: These are usually the bulkiest options because they tend to come with the most features. Since they’ll primarily be staying put on your countertop, they are not best for travel or easy portability, but are great for a range of pressures and options.
Cordless: These are generally best for travel and on the go use, or if you don’t have a lot of counter space to spare. They might not have as much power and pressure as the traditional countertop, but they are great for convenience.
Flossing toothbrush: Just as the name suggests, this is a water flosser-toothbrush combo. It has water flossing capabilities on the brush head so you can get an all-in-one experience.
Water pressure
This affects how powerful your water stream will be. Depending on your gum sensitivity, too much pressure might be uncomfortable and could even cause bleeding. You want to make sure you purchase a water flosser with enough pressure to be effective, without causing pain. This can be tricky since there’s no hard metric companies offer to judge that’s easy to compare, but the different types of tips can give you a hint about what to expect.
Reservoir capacity
While some water flossers feature reservoirs with enough space to last 60 seconds of flossing time, others may be smaller or bigger depending on the model. How long the water lasts also varies depending on attachments and pressure.
Portability
If you intend to travel with your water flosser, you’ll want a product that’s compact and easy enough to move around. Look for cordless models, and/or products that come with cases.
Tip type
There are several brush heads depending on your needs: Regular, Orthodontic (for braces), Plaque Fighting (great for more severe cases of plaque) and Toothbrush tips are the most common.
FAQs
It depends. While research from the National Library of Medicine does show that water flossing may be more effective in fighting gum disease, and is better for reaching periodontal pockets and plaque, the argument is really about which method you’ll actually do.
If you don’t enjoy water flossing, you won’t reach for the water flosser and consequently, won’t floss at all. So, the best method is the method that you’ll be most consistent with.
Some people find water flossing to be a bit messy, especially at the beginning when they’re first getting used to the product. It’s also a more expensive purchase than string floss, and can be bulky and take up a lot of space in your bathroom.
Yes. According to the American Dental Association, the Waterpik water flosser, specifically, has shown to be safe and efficient in removing plaque. It’s also been shown to help prevent and reduce gingivitis.
You can share a water flosser if you use your own brush tip. Think of it like sharing a toothbrush (yuck!). So, we recommend sharing the base or wand but switching out the heads for each member of your household.
It ranges! Budget options can range between $40-$50, while more premium models can be well over $100.
Final thoughts on the best water flossers
- Best overall: Waterpik WP-660 Water Flosser
- Best for kids: Waterpik Water Flosser for Kids
- Best for travel: Oral-B Cordless Portable Oral Irrigator
- Best budget: H2ofloss Dental Water Flosser
Water flossing is an effective alternative to traditional flossing to reduce plaque and help prevent gingivitis. The Waterpik, specifically, is our best overall recommendation since it received the American Dental Association seal of approval.
