About this deal
Like traditional flossing, the goal of water flossing is to remove food and bacteria in places your toothbrush can’t reach — between your teeth, at the gum line, in areas concealed by orthodontic appliances or dentures and so on. This ultimately reduces plaque in your mouth as well as the risk of cavities, gum disease and tooth decay. I’ve been using a water flosser for years to try to maintain clean teeth and healthy gums. As a health reporter, I’ve cycled through several brands and models over time—both corded and cordless—and have a good sense of how these products perform, as well as how far they’ve come in recent years. I combined my personal knowledge with interviews I conducted on which features are helpful in a water flosser with Leena Palomo , D.D.S., board-certified periodontist at NYU Dentistry; Julie Cho , D.M.D., board-certified dentist in New York City; Mia L. Geisinger , D.D.S., board-certified periodontist and professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry; and Mark Wolff , D.D.S., Ph.D., dean, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. We tested When using a water flosser, you’ll want to fill the water flosser’s tank with lukewarm water — a recommendation given by most brands, especially for those with sensitive teeth or gums, and something we found more comfortable in our personal experience. To reduce a water mess in your bathroom, make sure you are leaning over the sink and put the nozzle in your mouth first, prior to turning on the water flosser. Or, if you have a portable water flosser, many are waterproof, allowing you to floss in the shower.
Cons: Even with a larger tank on this handheld water flosser, it may need to be refilled to completely clean your mouth. The soft mode is still pretty powerful and may be uncomfortable for sensitive users. Lukewarm water can help solve this issue. On the base, there’s an easy-to-use dial that offers 10 different pressure settings. You can set your pressure prior to flossing, while also turning it up or down during the process. In addition to the standard flossing mode, there’s also a “massage” mode where you’ll find a pulsing stream of water. With the regular flossing setting, there’s also a 30-second pulsar reminding you to move from one half of your mouth to the other ensuring you spend enough time flossing each section.
What are the benefits of water flossers?
You won't find any special or standout features here; this is a basic flosser that simply gets the job done. Many water flosser brands claim that water flossing “removes up to 99.9% of plaque from treated areas.” Waterpik points to a large number of studies supporting the claim water flossing is more effective than traditional methods, including one that suggests water flossing is significantly better than string flossing for plaque removal and an improvement over interdental brushes with regard to overall gingival health. Philips has publicized research suggesting the same, including a study demonstrating similar results with regard to plaque removal. A team at BioSci Research Canada has found evidence that when combined with a manual toothbrush, a water flosser is significantly more effective than string floss in removing plaque from tooth surfaces (this study was performed with a Waterpik water flosser). Based on our personal experience, we suggest you pay careful attention to the size of the unit. Countertop water flossers are significantly larger than portable ones and typically need to be plugged in (although there are a few countertop cordless options). Taking your countertop space into consideration will help you determine whether a countertop or portable flosser is right for you.
This Waterpik Ion Water Flosser is the only cordless countertop water flosser we tested. It has a large reservoir like corded units, but the compact footprint and rechargeable battery let you place it anywhere — a design that we truly appreciated, and one we’d recommend regardless of how much counter space you have in your bathroom. We were able to place the unit anywhere without having to worry about access to a plug, especially since the battery lasts up to four weeks at a charge. The design is very well thought out with an on/off switch on the handle as well as a power button on the base. The nozzle also rotates a complete 360 degrees and is fairly easy to move even while in the midst of flossing. A unique feature to this water flosser is that the base can store up to two nozzles, which gives you easy access to commonly used nozzles without having to fish through your bathroom drawers. It also offers an extended three-year warranty, which is longer than most of the water flossers we tested. ADA seal : The American Dental Association’s seal is a coveted designation in the dental world, but only a few water flossers actually have it. “The seal is awarded based upon clinical research that demonstrated reductions in plaque accumulation,” Dr. Wolff says. “The seal means they have been tested and work.” While the seal is important, experts say it’s not everything. “There are so many dental devices without the ADA seal that are just as effective,” Dr. Cho says. No, waterpiks and water flossers cannot damage the teeth or the gums, per Dr. Bishop, since water alone can't damage the structure of your tooth. They can cause mild irritation at first, but that's often normal. Many of the flossers we tested come with extra specialized nozzles that are beneficial for certain users. It’s important to speak to your dentist about your particular needs, and none of these nozzles are meant to be used on their own. Rather, they should be used in specific areas while a general-use tip is used to clean the rest of the mouth. And in no case is any tip meant to replace toothbrushing.
What are the best grooming tools?
As you'd expect, shoving a high-powered stream of pressurised water in your mouth and have disastrous consequences if you're not thoroughly prepared for the initial experience, so allow us to help you get used to the process. In all situations, we'd recommend filling the tank with fresh water from the tap. Some models have soluble fresheners that can be added to the water, or even UV cleansing lights but you should always begin with clean, fresh water.
We also assessed the overall look and feel of the water flosser, particularly how easy was it to hold the handle with the nozzle at a 90-degree angle against the gumline (which is the recommended stance). We also determined whether or not the nozzle holder rotates, allowing the flosser to move around the mouth in a simpler manner. The Smile Direct Club Wordless Water Flosser is almost identical to the Aquasonic Aqua Flosser, with the same flosser nozzles and modes offered. This cordless flosser also utilizes the same exact charging mechanism with a USB type-C cord and wall charger.The flosser also features a digital display showing the setting, water temperature, water quality and battery life — a feature that we only encountered on this water flosser. While we thought the battery life indicator was useful to know when we’d need to charge again, we personally didn’t find much value in the water information. However, if you have sensitive teeth or are in an area where water quality might not be safe, then having the information at hand could be beneficial. Additionally, with the smart memory capability, the setting selected — either soft, child, strong, normal or pulse — will stay the same the next time you use the flosser. Four of these modes act as your pressure setting, where the pulse mode ultimately pulses water into your mouth, instead of a constant jet stream. Overall Value: Water flossers that left our mouths with that "just left the dentist" feeling of cleanliness rated high on our list, along with products that featured larger reservoir tanks, multiple pressure settings, and simple designs free of confusing assembly steps or instructions. Products that didn't make our list of recommendations missed the mark on one or more attributes: They were too awkward or clumsy to use, didn't offer enough variable pressure, or simply weren't worth their higher price point compared to similar flossers.
Pros: Add some fun to your dental hygiene routine with this colorful water flosser. It has three pressure modes for a comfortable clean and comes with five nozzles. Choose between normal, soft, and pulsing for a comfortable experience. Each nozzle head can rotate to clean hard-to-reach places in your mouth, and the set even includes a tongue cleaner. This water flosser comes with a bag to keep everything in while traveling. The water tank is 250 milliliters, which should hold enough water to clean your entire mouth before having to refill it. It also has a two-minute timer to help you avoid overuse. A full charge on this water flosser can last for 30 days. The Philips Sonicare Power Flosser 3000 is very similar to the 7000 version, but with a few key differences, the main one being that there’s no electric toothbrush component. With its lower price point, there are some features that are missing, but we felt after testing that this was the better value of the two.Your tolerance for water pressure may be a factor in your decision, as some of the higher-powered products have fewer pressure settings and modes than others—you don’t want something that’s going to cause you pain. A larger reservoir will generally be better if you’re keeping the flosser in one bathroom all the time; it’ll save you having to refill the device midway through flossing. Waterpik Cordless Pearl: We found the Pearl is better for travel than everyday use. Our tester noted that it was messy to use along the front teeth, and the attachment needed re-inserting a few times. Michele Bishop, DDS, founder and owner of Ingram Hills Dental in San Antonio, Texas, and the co-host of the YouTube Channel Tipsy Tooth Talk Waterpik ION Professional: The Ion is sleek, compact, and easy to use, but we weren't as impressed with its quality. The nozzle attachment fell off mid-use, and our tester struggled to reassemble it correctly.