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Water flossers can help you achieve and maintain teeth and gums. dental jet
Your toothbrush can’t always get between teeth and into periodontal pockets to remove debris, and that’s where flossing comes in. Wet flossers, also known as "water flossers" or "oral irrigators," utilize a pressurized water stream to target hard-to-reach areas and remove food and plaque. Heather Kunen, DDS, MS, New York City-based orthodontist and co-founder of Beam Street, says that water flossing can be a helpful step in your home dental routine (but it shouldn't replace conventional flossing).
At the Verywell Testing Lab in New York City, we tested 26 wet flossers, ranging in price. We evaluated each wet flosser and assigned an overall score based on effectiveness, ease of use, settings, and overall value. An orthodontist from our Medical Expert Board reviewed the contents of this article to ensure its accuracy, conventional versus wet flossing, and safe practices.
Has a large water tank
Comes with seven flossing tips and 10 pressure settings
The cord connecting the base and flosser wand is short
Must be plugged into a wall outlet
With 10 pressure settings and seven interchangeable flossing tips, the Waterpik Aquarius provides a customizable cleaning experience, though it’ll take a bit of practice—and both hands—to master its operation. Adjusting the pressure settings, controlled by a dial at the machine's base, is a bit awkward initially, but you get used to it. In addition to gooey cheese, it’s effective at removing plaque and improving circulation in the gums.
The tank holds 22 ounces of water, which the brand promises is enough for 90 seconds of flossing activity, but we were pleased to find that the reservoir was still half full after completing two full cycles.
The cord that connects the flosser wand to the base is short, so you’ll want to position it close to your sink basin to avoid drips and splashback.
Charge Type: Electric charge | Reservoir Capacity: 22 oz | Number of Pressure Settings: 10
Higher pressure modes may be too intense
If you’ve never tried a water flosser and aren’t sure it’s worth the investment, we recommend the H2ofloss Portable Oral Irrigator. It offers five different nozzles (including a toothbrush head), a tongue cleaner attachment, and five settings. The best part? It’s compact and completely cordless, making it the perfect travel flosser. The design is very clean and practical, with no excessive pieces or extensions.
The H2ofloss has a 360-degree rotating head to help you target those hard-to-reach corners of your mouth, and it has a 300-milliliter reservoir that holds just enough water for a full cycle.
Users with sensitive teeth or gums may find the higher pressure settings too intense. We noted that the higher settings were harder to control, and water got everywhere when we tried to use them.
Charge Type: Battery powered | Reservoir Capacity: 300 mL | Number of Pressure Settings: 5
Comes with a travel case and four jet tips
Water reservoir only lasts about 45 seconds
Has just three basic pressure settings
If you’re a die-hard cord cutter, opt for the Aquasonic Aqua Flosser. It earned high marks for its lightweight design and is dentist-recommended for kids and teens. It only has three settings, but we particularly enjoyed the pulse mode, which felt pleasant and did a great job removing food from between our teeth. Plus, it’s easy to toggle between the settings with one hand.
Still, it delivered a thorough cleaning. The box includes a travel case and four jet tips, and the waterproof body protects the rechargeable lithium-ion battery so you can floss in the shower.
The reservoir only holds 150 milliliters of water, which provided 45 seconds of flossing during our tests, so it may not be ideal if you like to take your time.
Charge Type: Battery powered | Reservoir Capacity: 150 mL | Number of Pressure Settings: 3
If you have braces, flossing with standard string floss or dental tape can be tricky and time-consuming. Equipped with two flossing modes and 10 intensity settings, the Phillips Sonicare Power Flosser 5000 has a quad stream tip covering a larger surface area for a deep clean. The instructions clearly illustrated how to use the device if you have braces.
The setup process was easy, so we could start cleaning her teeth within minutes of unboxing. The reservoir was one of our favorite features—the lid fits snugly, and the tank holds 18.6 ounces of water for a couple of cleaning sessions. It’s compact, easy to use, and very effective.
The countertop model is one of our more expensive picks.
Charge Type: Electric charge | Reservoir Capacity: 18.6 oz | Number of Pressure Settings: 10
The automatic “soft start” can be confusing
If your least favorite part of preparing for a trip is figuring out how to pack all your toiletries, try the cordless, compact MySmile Oral Irrigator X, which delivers a thorough flossing and a just-brushed feeling. It’s cordless and holds a charge for up to 20 days, with a 350-milliliter reservoir that provides 50-150 PSI of water pressure, depending on the setting. It felt as if we were brushing our teeth and flossing simultaneously, we noted.
The flosser was easy to use, and the instruction manual includes easy-to-follow pictures. It has five different settings: strong, normal, soft, pulse, and child mode. Eight interchangeable tips are also available, enough to suit the preferences of the whole family. A digital display shows the modes, temperature, and battery level, which means a higher price tag.
The automatic soft start can be a little confusing in the beginning, but we didn't run into issues once we figured it out.
Charge Type: Battery powered | Reservoir Capacity: 350 mL | Number of Pressure Settings: 5
Comes with travel case and charger
Only has three pressure settings
If you like the Waterpik brand but want to go cordless, look no further than the WP-560. We loved its ease of use and effectiveness at cleaning gummy fruit debris from their teeth in under a minute. The ample 7-ounce reservoir is easy to fill and lasts a full minute.
There are only two buttons—one to turn it on and off and the other to move between pressure settings—so it’s a good basic flosser. It has useful accessories, including two classic jet tips, a travel bag, a plug, and a convenient magnetic charger.
We were a little disappointed that there are only three basic modes.
Charge Type: Battery powered | Reservoir Capacity: 7 oz | Number of Pressure Settings: 3
Water reservoir needs to be refilled often
The third Waterpik option on our list is the Cordless Express Water Flosser, our favorite budget-friendly option from the brand. It’s a basic model with just 2 pressure settings but was impressively effective at removing even tiny bits of debris from our teeth.
The battery-operated model left our mouth feeling clean, but we felt as though there was still some residue remaining after use. Still, the two included tips were easy to swap out, and it’s a great choice if your bathroom is short on countertop space.
This device is battery-operated. The water pulls from a 5-ounce reservoir, which lasts just shy of a minute and must be refilled often, sometimes mid-floss.
Charge Type: Battery powered | Reservoir Capacity: 5 oz | Number of Pressure Settings: 2
Functions as a flosser and toothbrush
Comes with a protective hard travel case
It’s corded and quite large
The Waterpik Sonic-Fusion 2.0 does double-duty as a flosser and an electric toothbrush to clean your whole mouth. With 10 pressure settings, two flossing brush heads, and a 16-ounce water reservoir, it cleans teeth while removing plaque and gunk from even the tiniest crevices. We love how the buttons are stacked so that you can easily change the pressure. There is no guessing which button will change the pressure and speed.
The Sonic-Fusion also has a two-minute brushing timer and a 30-second pacer to alert you when switching to a different section of your mouth is time. It’s the most expensive model on our list, but it's a good investment if you want an all-in-one dental-cleaning device.
It's corded and larger than other options.
Charge Type: Electric charge | Reservoir Capacity: 16 oz | Number of Pressure Settings: 10
The Verywell Health team tested 26 wet flossers at the Verywell Testing Lab in New York City. After unboxing and setting up the flossers, testers used their assigned model to floss for at least one minute. We evaluated each wet flosser based on the following attributes:
We are conducting ongoing tests for wet flossers to see how they hold up to daily use. We’ll update our recommendations with our feedback, especially regarding battery life (which we couldn’t test in The Lab).
We also spoke with these dentists for their expert opinions on factors to consider when choosing the right wet flosser:
Traditional string floss or dental tape may be some dentists' preferred choice, but water flossers are an adjunct to brushing and traditional manual flossing. Lisa Creaven, DDS, Galway-based dentist and co-founder of Spotlight Oral Care, tells us that it pushes the food and debris with a gentle yet powerful force that gets the gunk off the teeth and away from the area. Conventional and water flossing are suitable for cleaning thoroughly, but traditional flossing should be a part of your dental hygiene routine.
Regarding safety, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you don't want to leave water sitting in the reservoir. A water flosser that isn't well maintained can introduce more bacteria into your mouth, so Dr. Creaven recommends emptying it after each use and cleaning it often. You'll also want to pay special attention to excessive pressure.
The order of the steps in your oral care routine matters. Start with a water flosser and follow it up with a toothbrush. Dr. Creaven says water flossers should be used once a day before brushing so you don't wash away active ingredients in toothpaste that your teeth benefit from.
Kayla Hui is a seasoned public health practitioner and health journalist who received her master’s degree in public health in 2020. She has interviewed dozens of experts, reviewed numerous research studies, and tested a plethora of products to deliver well-researched product reviews and roundups. Her goal is to help readers make more informed decisions about their health and well-being.
By Kayla Hui, MPH Hui is a health writer with a master's degree in public health. In 2020, she won a Pulitzer Center Fellowship to report on the mental health of Chinese immigrant truck drivers.
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