Dentists Say This Water Flosser Frees Food You Didn't Know Was Stuck In Your Teeth
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When it comes to dental hygiene, you've probably reached expert level at brushing with toothpaste , but according to studies , only about one-third of adults in the U.S. say they floss daily, as recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). That's understandable: It's hard to find the time for an extra step like flossing or whitening , plus the fiddling with string is kind of a pain. But regularly flossing can reduce the risk of gum disease and tooth decay, so it's worth making time for it. Thankfully, there's a gadget that makes it a lot easier: the water flosser.
A water flosser, also known as an oral irrigator, uses a highly pressurized, pulsating stream of water to remove food, plaque, and debris from your teeth and gums. "Using a water flosser before you brush at night is a great way to knock out any food debris from the day and give your toothbrush a more effective role in cleaning your teeth," says Bobbi Stanley, DDS , a general and cosmetic dentist.
Best Water Flosser
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Best Overall: Waterpik Cordless Advanced Water Flosser
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Best Value: INSMART Cordless Water Dental Flosser
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Best Countertop Pick: Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser
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Best Cordless: Oral-B Water Flosser Advanced
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Best Subscription Service: Quip Rechargeable Cordless Water Flosser
There are many products to choose from and the best water flosser for you depends on your individual needs, but generally the ones that dentists approve bear the ADA Seal of Acceptance . And, although they come in various sizes, some large enough for entire families to share, the most convenient tend to be more compact and cordless.
What To Consider
Type
Those that want to buy a water flosser for their whole family, as opposed to getting an individual flosser for each family member, may consider countertop oral irrigators to be their best options, says Dr. Stanley. However, if you don't like the idea of sharing a dental tool (even with interchangeable heads), don't have the space for a large appliance, or travel frequently, a compact cordless water flosser may be more appealing.
Pressure settings
Multiple pressure settings, measured in PSI, allow for greater customization, since the space between teeth and gum sensitivity varies from user to user. Some devices have more pressure settings than others, but most start around 10 PSI. A higher number usually denotes more pressure.
ADA Seal of Acceptance
The ADA Seal of Acceptance has been used to highlight dentist-approved products for 90 years. The presence of this seal shows that products—everything from toothbrushes to water flossers—have undergone rigorous testing and research to ensure that they do what they claim safely and effectively, says Ruchi K. Sahota, DDS , a family dentist in Freemont, California. Products that carry the ADA Seal of Acceptance generally display the badge on product packaging and listings, but you can also use the association's product search database .
How We Chose
To help you find the best water flosser for you, I consulted with two dentists to find out what the most important features for a water flosser are, plus asked them to share the products they recommend to their own patients. We also had Women's Health editors and contributors offer up their favorites with testing notes, putting some of the most highly-rated options through the paces. We evaluated each for attributes like design, size, range of settings, and whether it carries the ADA Seal of Acceptance. We're confident these dentist-recommended water flossers suit all needs, whether you're in the market for one for your whole family, are looking for something that'll work with the hardware in your mouth, or an on-the-go option when you travel.
Below, find the seven best water flossers, tested by editors and dentists.
*Additional reporting done by Addison Aloian, NASM-CPT and Emilia Benton.
Cordless Advanced 2.0 Water Flosser
After considering countless water flosser options, we made Waterpik's Cordless Advanced Water Flosser our best overall pick for its space-saving size, ease of use for families, and expert design that makes flossing feel like less of a chore.
Despite the compact size (great for keeping your countertops clear and travel), this water flosser, which comes from arguably the most well-respected name in the category, is perfect for a family of four. It comes with four tips, plus is equipped with three pressure settings ranging from 45 to 75 PSI. It also has a seven-ounce reservoir that's removable, so you can give it a quick clean in the top rack of the dishwasher.
We like its 45-second built-in timer, which takes the guesswork out of the task, and the 360-degree rotating tip, which really gets into every nook and cranny to leave your teeth and gums spotless. As an added bonus, its waterproof design makes it easy to use in the shower for when you want to multitask (perhaps the best place to carry out what can be a messy water flossing task).
Another feature we like is that its magnetic charger is safe to use with proper adapters in outlets globally, and that it comes with a travel bag, making the compact pick even more travel-friendly than most. All those perks made testing the thing out less of a chore and something we actually came to look forward too. And that's a big plus for something like flossing, which most of us are always looking for an excuse not to do.
Read More: Best Teeth-Whitening Strips
Julia Gartland
Aquarius Water Flosser
If you're prone to sensitivity when you floss, the Waterpik Aquarius is the best tool for comfort. It has 10 (!) pressure settings, ranging from 10 to 100 PSI, you can play around with until you find the perfect fit for you. The countertop water flosser also comes with seven interchangeable tips that make it suitable for multiple family members to use and a generous 22-ounce water tank that won't need constant refilling.
We commend its built-in timer, which pauses at 30 second intervals to help pace flossing time, and appreciate the wide range of pressure settings, since it affords both kids and adults a more comfortable experience (some of us tried it out on our offspring).
The Aquarius Water Flosser also makes a great pick for removing leftover food around dental hardware, like crowns or braces. Our testers particularly like that it comes in four colors—white, gray, black, and navy—to make such a bulky bathroom accessory a little less bothersome to look at all day every day. Our only complaint? It's a tad on the noisy side.
Further testing revealed that while the many settings is something of a plus, sometimes you just want a few easy options that get the job done. Having options is a good thing, but it's easy to fuss over just the right one and get into time-wasting territory.
Julia Gartland
Cordless Water Dental Flosser
This water flosser may come at a fraction of the price of others in this guide, but it's still equipped with an impressive array of settings. Like our top overall pick, it has three pressure settings—soft, pulse, and normal. It also comes with four heads for multiple family members and operates on four different cleaning modes. We found them all to be fairly quiet, especially compared to some other water flossers they've tried and particularly countertop models.
We love that the device is fully waterproof for shower flossing sessions. The fact that it comes with a travel bag and a rechargeable lithium battery that lasts up to 21 days are also pretty nice bonuses, especially for frequent travelers.
We put that element to the test and packed it along on a few work trips, liking both the portability of the thing and its deceptively powerful design. You can use this one in the library if you want, as it's that quiet (and certainly won't wake up your SO if you floss late).
Those of us with a lot of plaque and even tightly-aligned teeth liked how this one worked. We also liked the convenience and quick charge. Some areas that could improve include the tongue scraper, which doesn't seem too useful, and the water tank, which could use some kind of drainage element for excess H2O. Overall, though, a great value.
Advanced Water Flosser
Water flossers are not the sexiest appliances in the heap, that we all know. But it doesn't hurt that Boka's take is easy on the eyes. After all, it's 2025 and we should have good-looking things that we don't have to hideaway when somebody comes over. It's no art installation, but the Boka flosser offers a contemporary aesthetic and some real customization thanks to a plethora of attachments.
There's serious functionality, too. The various picks allow you to really get in there for a deep clean and the three different pressure levels allow for a relatively mess-free experience. Our testers with either braces or sensitive gums appreciated this model, noting the special attachment for those with a little extra metal in their teeth and the gentle treatment overall. We also liked the long battery life and felt as though we were cleaning nooks and crannies that other models couldn't quite access.
We also found the tongue scraper to be quite effective, not to mention an excellent reminder to clean your tongue while you're working on your oral hygiene game.
Julia Gartland
Water Flosser Advanced
Oral-B has a reputation of providing reliable and affordable dental products, and its water flosser is no exception. This portable, cordless water flosser deep-cleans and detoxifies below the gum line with water enriched with micro-bubbles of air to reduce plaque bacteria. It also offers different stream options, including multi-jet for all-around cleaning, focused for targeted cleaning, and rotational for a gum massage.
Our testers said that, in addition to the effective cleaning they get from this flosser, they like its slim design. They also noted the stand is nice and stable on the countertop. Also of note is the battery life,—one tester said they get approximately two weeks of use per charge.
We also came away liking the very intuitive screen, which eliminates any kind of confusion as to pressure level and what kind of clean you're after. We also liked the different stream options, believing them to be actually quite different whereas some of that, at least with other models, seems to be more pseudoscience than fact.
Rechargeable Cordless Water Flosser
Like toothbrushes, the tip on your water flosser should be changed every so often—ideally every three to six months. We love that Quip takes the mental load off by setting you up for a replacement subscription right from the get-go. (You can, alternatively, just purchase the unit and skip the subscription.)
We like the device itself just as much as this convenience. It comes in three easy-to-look-at metallic shades and is highly functional, thanks to a 360-degree rotating magnetic floss tip, two pressure modes, two water flow settings, and its large reservoir (as far as portable options go!). The icing on the cake? The flosser holds a charge for up to eight weeks.
Upon testing, a few other pros really stood out. We loved the easy-to-fill tank and the angle of the flosser, which seems ideal for the task. We also liked how it handles, offering a remarkable cleaning experience without being cumbersome or heavy. Complaints? Few and far between but the two pressure settings seem a little lacking compared to some other flossers out there.
Julia Gartland
Sonicare Power Flosser 2000
Comfort is perhaps not something you associate with flossing with water but that's the case with this option. The rechargeable battery is quite strong and the three different settings are both distinctive and useful. It's easy to see why a lot of reviewers online switched to this one after trying others that just didn't feel or function quite right.
While it takes a little getting used to, especially when trying to reach faraway teeth in the back of your mouth, once you get the hang of things it's smooth sailing. The handle is maybe the best we tried, fitting easily into your hand and offering just the right amount of grip.
About the only gripe we had during testing was with the water tank. It's a bit on the small side, meaning more filling. But that's also a bit of a plus, especially if you're looking to travel with something a little smaller and more portable.
Julia Gartland
Meet The Experts
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Bobbi Stanley, DDS , is a general and cosmetic dentist and owner of Stanley Dentistry in Cary, North Carolina.
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Ruchi K. Sahota, DDS , is a family dentist in Freemont, California.
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