If you’re looking to keep your teeth in great condition, the best water flossers can help you do just that. Projecting jets of water into your mouth, water flossers can help remove food build-up and plaque as well as targeting hard-to-reach places like between teeth where food particles often remain.
Water flossers are a step up from traditional flossing. While flossing has its benefits, using a water flosser is time-efficient and offers a more comfortable way to clean between your teeth. Now it is a particularly good time to invest in one — the Black Friday sale is just six weeks away, bringing plenty of excellent deals on these grooming tools.
The best water flossers offer an array of different nozzles so you can be sure you’ll find something to suit your dental needs. Some even come with tongue scrapers that can help to keep your oral hygiene top-notch while also helping to reduce bad breath. You can pair a water flosser with one of the best electric toothbrushes for an even better clean.
Knowing which is the right water flosser for you can be challenging, particularly if you’ve never used one before. To save you time, our expert reviewers have tried and tested some of the best water flossers on the market, from countertop devices that offer a generous water reservoir to cordless water flossers that you can use in the shower and take on trips. Here are our all-time favorites.
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The Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser features no fewer than 10 pressure settings to help remove up to 99.9% of plaque from the teeth. Perfect for people with braces, crowns, implants, periodontal pockets or bridges, and those who value good oral hygiene, it plugs into a shaver socket to offer continuous charge. The flosser itself is connected to the water reservoir by a lead which springs tidily back into place when you’re done flossing.
Waterpik is just one of two water flosser brands approved by the American Dental Association. This means it has been tested and found to be safe and effective at removing plaque and reducing gingivitis.
The Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser offers six separate attachments for flossing, including a Classic Jet Tip and a Toothbrush Tip to allow you to brush as you floss. All these can be stored safely and hygienically in the flip-top lid at the top of the water reservoir.
The manufacturers say the Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser is 15% more powerful than previous models, while the generous water reservoir offers 90 seconds of continuous flossing. It was by far the easiest water flosser we’ve tested to fill and wipe clean after use, and the 90 seconds of tank capacity makes it easy to floss the whole mouth without needing to refill it.
However, the Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser won’t suit every bathroom. It needs to be plugged in to operate, and not all bathrooms have a shaving socket or a shelf close enough to the basin for comfortable flossing. Those who prefer to floss in the shower will need to look for a cordless version instead.
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The unusual design of the cordless Oclean W10 Water Flosser sets it apart from many of its rivals. It includes a thick strap along the length of the unit to allow for a better grip during use. A tactile button is easy to locate while flossing if you want to change the pressure settings too.
The lithium-ion battery lasts up to a month if used once daily and recharges in around four hours using a USB connection, making this a perfect option for traveling.
This water flosser comes with four attachment nozzles, including a standard nozzle, one for periodontal pockets, one for braces and a tongue-scraping nozzle. It also includes five pressure settings ranging from gentle to intensive.
During our at-home testing, we found the water tank ran out fairly quickly during flossing, especially using the intensive mode. However, the tank was easy to refill via the plug located at the top of the flosser. It also includes a quad-pacer to remind you to switch positions and a two-minute timer to ensure you do a thorough job.
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The high-performing Spotlight Oral Care Water Flosser offers a range of flossing tips designed for different dental needs, making it a particularly good choice for those with braces. This oral irrigator uses a combination of water pressure and pulsations to remove bacteria and plaque from below the gum line and deep between the teeth. It features three pressure settings (normal, soft and pulse) that are adjusted using the single button at the front of the handle.
It comes with a handy USB charger and takes around six hours to reach a full charge, for which you’ll get approximately 30 minutes of flossing. It also includes a tongue scraper, a periodontal pocket sprinkler, classic jet tip and orthodontic spray tip. The classic jet tip is excellent for general cleaning, while the orthodontic spray is designed for users with braces. Finally, the periodontal pocket sprinkler is suitable for inflamed gums or impacted teeth.
Unusually the small water reservoir is contained within the body of the handle instead of as a clip-on or screw-on reservoir, which was a little unnerving during our at-home testing. In addition, we found it tricky to fill, and you will need to refill several times if you want to enjoy a thorough floss. Our tester only got a few seconds of use on a high setting before having to refill.
It also took some time to get used to the fact that the reservoir compresses during flossing. However, the compact size of this water flosser makes it ideal for traveling.
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The Waterpik Cordless Select features a waterproof design, USB magnetic charging and two pressure settings to give you a more affordable and mobile version of the classic countertop Waterpik flosser.
The cordless design is perfect if you’re already a Waterpik fan but want something to take into the shower. It features fewer pressure settings and nozzle attachments than the countertop Waterpik, but we think that’s more than enough for most flossers. Nozzles include a tip for braces and a plaque-seeker tip, while it also offers two classic tips — ideal if you’re sharing your water flosser with a partner. We thought the jet tip was the most useful for getting into hard to reach places on the highest setting.
Two pressure settings (a low of 45 PSI and a high of 75 PSI) offer a gentle clean, or vigorous floss. However, the small water reservoir means you’re more than likely to have to refill at least once during your flossing session. That’s not unusual for cordless flossers, though.
A ridged wheel at the top of the unit makes it super easy to rotate any nozzle 360 degrees, even with wet hands. We also liked the grippy handle with bumps, so you’re less at risk of dropping it if you do have wet hands.
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The Bitvae C2 water flosser offers a convenient and affordable way to floss your teeth on the go. This cordless oral irrigator is compact, thoughtfully designed, and can last up to 40 days on a single charge. It also comes with five classic jet nozzles, a tongue scraper nozzle, and a handy USB charging cable.
The C2 model is more ergonomic than traditional water flossers due to its detachable, wide-mouth water tank a large 10oz-capacity (300ml) water reservoir. It is also easy to clean, comfortable to hold, and does not need constant refilling. Moreover, the Bitvae C2 water flosser looks great on the bathroom shelf — it is available in nine colors and does not take up much space.
We were impressed by its performance, too. The Bitvae C2 water flosser gave us a clean and polished feel, and its powerful water jet was slim enough to effectively target hard-to-reach areas around the gum line.
On the other hand, the Bitvae C2 water flosser comes with no orthodontic tips. We also did not enjoy using its tongue scraper. Lastly, this flosser may be relatively noisy.
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The Waterpik Complete Care 9.0 combines a water flosser and an electric toothbrush into one cost-effective device. This sleek-looking piece of kit is not small, but it is compact enough to suit those short on shelf space. It also comes with a storage case, a travel case, five different water flosser tips, and two brush heads. More importantly, this toothbrush-flosser combo delivers a market-leading performance.
The Waterpik Complete Care 9.0 offers 3 cleaning modes — General Clean, a more intense Whitening Mode, and a Massage Mode to stimulate the gum area — as well as a tongue-cleaning feature, water pressure control, and a handy 3-minute timer. All three cleaning modes scored high in our at-home tests, but we were most impressed with the Massage Mode. The gentle pulses were easy on our gums, yet powerful enough to give us that ‘deep clean’ feeling.
We liked its battery life, too. This toothbrush-flosser combo can last a week on a single charge, making it a perfect travel accessory. It does not generate much noise, either.
However, there are a couple of drawbacks to the Waterpik Complete Care 9.0. The unit needs to be plugged into a socket close to the wash basin, otherwise it will not work. Also, it does not provide additional features typically seen in devices at this price point, such as connected apps or pressure sensors.
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Many water flossers offer different pressure settings. You can opt for a gentle or soft setting if you have sensitive teeth and gums. You can select a regular or higher setting for a stronger water pulse. Adjust the pressure based on your comfort level and needs.
You can get nozzles designed for cleaning around braces, bridges, or implants.
Remember, it might take a little practice to get the hang of using a water flosser effectively. You might get a lot of splashback when you first start using one.
Check your water flosser manual or ask your dentist for guidance if you have any specific questions or concerns. Happy flossing!
