We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Shopping Beauty The 6 Best Water Flossers You Can Buy Online Give your teeth a cleaning boost without the hassle of dental floss. By Amanda Prahl Amanda Prahl Amanda Prahl is a freelance writer who has been writing about home, culture, and lifestyle topics since 2016. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 24, 2024 Fact checked by Emily Estep Fact checked by Emily Estep Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics that range from film and beauty to science and the automobile industry. Her plant biology degree has a focus on sustainable agriculture, and she’s an expert on growing your own food, environmental sciences, and all topics relating to houseplants. Our Fact-Checking Process In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Final Verdict How to Shop FAQs Take Our Word for It Photo: Real Simple / Brian Kopinski If flossing feels like a chore or just isn’t getting the job done, it might be time to consider an alternative to your usual toothbrush and flossing routine. The best water flossers make your oral hygiene routine smoother and more effective thanks to features designed to get in those hard-to-reach places, clean thoroughly, and help your teeth feel like you just walked out of the dentist’s office every day. “I personally recommend [a water floss] any time a patient has a pocket that's greater than 3 mm,” says Jessica Lewis, RDH, a dental hygienist at Arizona Advanced Dental. “Disrupting the bacterial colonies down in these pockets play a vital role in keeping the mouth healthy.” These devices have continued to gain in popularity as more people look for innovative ways to better care for their teeth in between trips to the dentist. To help you find the best water flosser for you, we researched several of the most popular water flossers from top brands, evaluating their performance in key areas including pressure settings, water capacity, and types of attachments. We also spoke with Dr. Michael J. Wei, DDS, FIADFE, for further advice on choosing the best water flosser for you. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Waterpik ION Professional Water Flosser at Amazon $100 Jump to Review Best Budget: SmileDirectClub Compact Water Flosser at Amazon $40 Jump to Review Best Cordless: SALE Oral-B Water Flosser Advanced at Amazon $90 $76 Jump to Review Best Portable: Philips Sonicare Power Flosser 3000 Cordless at Amazon $80 Jump to Review Best for Braces: SALE Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser at Amazon $100 $80 Jump to Review Best Water Flosser-Toothbrush Combo: Waterpik Sonic-Fusion 2.0 Professional at Amazon $200 Jump to Review Best Overall Waterpik ION Professional Water Flosser PHOTO: Amazon $90 at Amazon View on Waterpik.com What Stands Out The flosser has 10 pressure settings and seven interchangeable tips, making it easy to customize your flossing routine. What Could Be Improved It’s not truly cordless, as the cord between the flosser and tank can get in the way during use. The exceptional level of personalization, paired with high-quality components and reliability, have earned the Waterpik ION Professional Cordless Water Flosser our top spot. The device offers 10 different pressure settings and seven different device tips, including tips designed for dealing with dentures, braces, plaque-prone areas, and more. With dozens of potential combinations, users can easily address their specific dental needs with minimal hassle. The flosser comes with a 20-ounce water reservoir, and it’s powered by a lithium-ion battery that gets up to 4 weeks of charge at a time. Plus, it comes with a 3-year limited warranty, which is longer than most competitors. While the charging base itself is “cordless” and uses a USB connection instead of a wall plug, the flosser itself is not cord-free. Instead, it’s connected to the large reservoir with a cord, which runs the risk of getting in the way when you’re flossing. Charge Type: Wall charging plug | Water Capacity: 16 oz | Pressure Settings: 10 | Attachments: 2 | Warranty: Limited 3 year Best Budget SmileDirectClub Compact Water Flosser PHOTO: SmileDirectClub $40 at Amazon $37 at Walmart What Stands Out It’s compact, portable, and the charge can last up to a month without needing to recharge. What Could Be Improved It has only three pressure modes and one type of tip. A quality water flosser doesn’t have to break the bank, and the SmileDirectClub Compact Water Flosser is no exception. This sleek, no-frills model is easy to use and even easier to store, as it features a cordless design that collapses down to only 5 inches. It also holds a charge up to a month before needing to get plugged back in, and it’s water-resistant. Because it is a “value” pick, this flosser is a little more simplified than some competitors. It only offers three different modes: soft mode, normal mode, and a pulse mode for braces or deeper cleaning. Although it does come with a second tip attachment, it’s not a specialized one — it’s just a spare. For a basic water flosser, it does the job and provides good value for the price, but it doesn’t provide a lot of options to customize. Charge Type: Charging cable and port | Water Capacity: Not listed | Pressure Settings: 3 | Attachments: 1 | Warranty: N/A Best Cordless Oral-B Water Flosser Advanced PHOTO: Amazon $76 at Amazon View on Oralb.com View on Instacart.com What Stands Out It offers multiple setting combinations, a comfortable handle grip, and is easy to carry. What Could Be Improved The power and stream buttons are placed close enough together, which can lead to accidental button presses. The Oral-B Water Flosser Advanced is a truly cordless flosser — the flossing device itself is fully self-contained and does not have a cord connecting it to an external water tank. Of course, the charging dock does need to be plugged in to recharge your device, but the actual operating is cordless, which is very convenient. For added ease of use, its handle is particularly comfortable, thanks to a wide, textured grip. With six different combinations of pressure settings and nozzles (three pressures, two nozzle types), it offers plenty of ways to adjust to get the exact flossing experience you need. The only real design flaw is that the two main buttons — for power and for an “on-demand” water stream — are right next to each other and easy to accidentally bump one instead of the other. Besides that, it’s a handy and compact option that provides more options than you might expect. Charge Type: Plug-in charging station | Water Capacity: 5 oz | Pressure Settings: 3 | Attachments: 2 | Warranty: 2 year Best Portable Philips Sonicare Power Flosser 3000 Cordless PHOTO: Amazon $80 at Amazon View on Philips.com What Stands Out It offers a powerful stream with multiple flossing modes, intensities, and nozzles, and it’s waterproof. What Could Be Improved It can be a little heavy when the water reservoir is filled. The Philips Sonicare Power Flosser 3000 Cordless provides high-quality dental cleaning, along with the ability to take it anywhere. With a fully waterproof design, this flosser not only can be taken away from your sink without a cord tethering it, but it can even be taken with you into the shower if you prefer. Unlike other flossers, which typically only allow users to change nozzles and pressure settings, this model features two “modes” (Clean and Deep Clean) along with its three pressure settings and two nozzles for even more personalization options. Along with these extra settings, this flosser features a 250 ml (8.4oz), water tank, allowing for a longer floss without needing a refill. While that extended time can come in handy, it does result in a slightly heavier unit than other portable flossers. The water tank is washable and dishwasher safe, which is particularly helping in keeping everything hygienic and avoiding residue or mold. Charge Type: USB-A to Small Plug charging cable | Water Capacity: 8.4 oz | Pressure Settings: 3 | Attachments: 2 | Warranty: 2 year Best for Braces Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser PHOTO: Amazon $80 at Amazon $60 at Target $60 at Walmart What Stands Out It has five different types of tips, including one specially made for cleaning around braces. What Could Be Improved The tank takes up a lot of counter space, and it has to be plugged into the wall to operate. Water flossers can be a big help for cleaning around braces, and the Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser takes it a step further. Not only does it offer a whopping 10 pressure settings and two modes (Floss and Massage), but it comes with five different water nozzle tips, including one specifically designed for working around the tight angles and tricky edges of braces. A 360-degree rotating tip handle and a helpful 1-minute timer make it even easier to work around those tough corners. While most of the features on this flosser model are geared at increasing convenience, a couple of elements do detract from this. The 22-ounce reservoir has enough water for around 90 seconds of flossing — significantly more than many alternatives — but it does take up a noticeable amount of counter space. Moreover, the tank must be plugged into the wall, and the flosser is attached to it via a cord. Charge Type: N/A | Water Capacity: 22 oz | Pressure Settings: 7 | Attachments: 5 | Warranty: Limited 3 year Best Water Flosser-Toothbrush Combo Waterpik Sonic-Fusion 2.0 Professional PHOTO: Amazon $176 at Amazon View on Waterpik.com What Stands Out It’s easy to switch between brushing and flossing, and it’s pretty compact. What Could Be Improved The toothbrush-combo design means there are no alternative nozzle tips. Brushing and flossing are both important to maintaining oral health, and the Waterpik Sonic-Fusion 2.0 Professional makes it a breeze to do both. The combination device provides the benefits of an electric toothbrush, a water flosser, or even both at once, with an intuitive interface to make it easy to switch between modes. Like many other Waterpik flossers, it features 10 variable pressure settings, and it comes with a decent-sized water reservoir and a helpful timer. Although this is a countertop model, it’s still surprisingly sleek and doesn’t take up too much space. Just note that the brush/flosser is connected to the tank with a cord, so you’ll have to be careful not to get it tangled when using it. Having the dual brushing-flossing function is very convenient, but it does come with a tradeoff: there are no alternative nozzle tips to different types of flossing or specialized needs. Charge Type: N/A | Water Capacity: 22 oz | Pressure Settings: 7 | Attachments: 5 | Warranty: Limited 3 year Final Verdict Our top pick overall is the Waterpik ION Professional Cordless Water Flosser, thanks to its numerous settings, specialized nozzle tips, and large water reservoir. It provides a customizable cleaning experience and a lengthy warranty for a device you can truly count on. How to Shop for Water Flossers Like a Pro Power Source Water flossers are either rechargeable, battery-powered devices, or require being plugged directly into a wall outlet. The battery-powered ones aren’t necessarily better than wall units, but they’re definitely more versatile and usually are smaller. If you’re worried that you might forget to charge your flosser, you might want to consider a plug-in version, but if you’re short on counter space or prefer portability, a battery-powered option is the way to go. Cordless features often go hand-in-hand with the power source, since only battery-powered, rechargeable flossers can be cordless. “I personally always recommend a cordless water flosser, because my number one complaint from patients has been that water flossers are messy. A cordless water flosser allows the patient to take it in the shower,” says Lewis. Water Capacity A larger water tank means you can go longer without refilling. On the other hand, larger water tanks can mean a more unwieldy handheld device or more counter space taken up by a standalone tank. It’s best to always take into account how much space you have in your bathroom if water capacity is a priority for you, as this will determine what size flosser can get. Pressure Settings Different pressure levels can be helpful for different levels of cleaning. For instance, a stronger water stream may be better for a deeper clean. “Some people are sensitive to a higher pressure water flow, so finding a water flosser with adjustable pressure settings is ideal,” says Lewis. That being said, it’s recommended that you choose a flosser that offers multiple settings to customize for your cleaning needs and comfort. Attachments Many top water flossers will come with multiple types of attachments, with a few of the most common being standard nozzles for general cleaning, orthodontic tips for braces, and periodontal tips for targeting below the gumline. Additionally, Lewis recommends looking into end tufted attachments, which can be ideal for patients with implants or bridges. Warranty A water flosser can be an investment, so it’s important to check and see what kind of warranty your device has before buying. Most high-quality flossers come with 2-year or 3-year warranties, but they may have slightly different limitations as to what is and isn’t covered. Always read the fine print to fully understand what your warranty covers to avoid any surprises. Questions You Might Ask Do dentists recommend water flossing? Lewis is an advocate for water flossers, as they are fairly simple to incorporate into a daily routine, and can get much deeper than normal floss. “Studies have shown that floss reaches the base of a 2-3 mm pocket, however water flossers can reach up to 7 mm,” says Lewis. “Anytime a patient presents with pocketing, I feel it's beneficial to add a water flosser into their daily home care routines.” Dr. Wei also notes that water flossers can be more effective at plaque removal, gentler on the gums, easier to use, and better at reducing or preventing inflammation. Moreover, most water flossers offer a variety of attachments and water pressure settings to achieve a comfortable clean that’s suited to your preferences. How often should I use a water flosser? Dr. Wei recommends using your water flosser once a day as part of your overall dental health routine. “When using a water flosser, aim to spend about 1-2 minutes cleaning between your teeth and along the gumline. Make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific water flosser model,” Dr. Wei advises. Should you use a water flosser instead of string floss? Using a water flosser or string floss is a personal choice, based on your own preferences and your dental needs. “Some people may find water flossers easier to use, especially if they have dexterity issues or braces,” says Dr. Wei. “Water flossers can also be more effective in reaching certain areas between teeth and around dental work like bridges.” He also noted that water flossing, especially on lower-pressure settings, can be gentler on sensitive gums than traditional string flossing. Lewis, meanwhile, suggests incorporating both types of flossing, rather than replacing one with the other all the time. Our experts both agree, however, that talking to your dentist about your options is going to be the best course of action. Take Our Word for It This article was written by Amanda Prahl, a contributing writer for Real Simple with over five years of writing lifestyle content. To compile this guide, she researched several water flossers from top brands, evaluating features such as water capacity, pressure settings, attachments, warranty, and charge type. She also spoke with Dr. Michael J. Wei, DDS, FIADFE, and Jessica Lewis, RDH, a dental hygienist at Arizona Advanced Dental, for expert insights. The 8 Best Teeth Whitening Strips