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5 Best Water Flossers & Waterpiks Reviews 2023: Cordless & Corded

Best Water Flosser

Everyone knows the importance of brushing your teeth twice a day. It’s the first thing we do after getting up and the last thing we do before going to bed. But not so many of us can honestly say we floss as much as we should. Traditional flossing is fiddly, awkward and can hurt if we get it wrong, so it’s no wonder we are put off.

Enter the water flosser; also known as the oral irrigator! Water flossers have proven to be up to 51% more effective than string floss at reducing gingivitis and they are great for sensitive teeth. It may sound too good to be true, but a water flosser is the tool missing from your dental routine, so we are going to help you choose the best water flosser for you!

Why trust us? We spent over 60 hours researching, testing and reviewing the best water flossers on the market, with professional advice from our in-house dental expert, Susan, who has over 35 years of experience as a Dental Hygienist. My background in radiography has also given me experience in both general and trauma dentistry, working alongside dentists and orthodontists to produce high-quality dental images, showcasing the longterm effects of poor oral hygiene on your teeth.

We looked at unbiased consumer reports and many clinical studies and scientific journal articles before testing a selection of the top flossers we found. We purchased all of the models we are about to discuss ourselves to test, and standby our decision of the top water flosser on the market. We have put this work in to help you save time and money and get the perfect water flosser first time around.

Top Water Flossers Comparison Table

#1 Editor’s Choice

Waterpik Aquarius
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#2 Editor’s Choice

Sonicare Airfloss
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H2OFloss Dental Flosser
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Waterpik Cordless
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ZNIENIE Water Flosser
Read Full Review

1. Best Overall: WaterPik Aquarius WP-660

Waterpik Aquarius
Amy Tribe

Editor’s Choice #1: As the first product in its class to be backed by the American Dental Association (ADA), the Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser is our top choice for achieving a bright, healthy smile! The Aquarius Water Flosser provides a variety of settings and features to promote dental health and is ideal if you have dental implants, crowns, braces, or other hard-to-floss areas.

The WaterPik product line was the first in its class to receive the ADA Seal of Acceptance, a prestigious award based on the evaluation of a product’s safety and efficacy. It has been clinically proven to remove up to 99.9% of plaque biofilm and is up to 50% more effective at cleaning teeth and gums than string floss!

Large Reservoir

This countertop water flosser holds up to 600ml of water, but it has a small footprint, so it won’t take up much room on your bathroom counter. It is very efficient (delivering 1400 water pulses per minute), so one full use will only add 90 seconds onto your daily dental routine!

This large, fast setup, however, means that it is expensive to floss using mouthwash because it gets through a whole tank so quickly. The sturdy tank doesn’t shake around even when you choose the higher pressure, and is easy to remove to fill. You can even thoroughly clean it in the dishwasher!

7 Flossing Tips

Included in the set you get an excellent range of tips for targeting different features of your mouth:

  • 3 Classic tips
  • 1 Orthodontic tip
  • 1 Plaque Seeker tip
  • 1 Pik Pocket tip
  • 1 Toothbrush tip

Each of the classic tips is color-coded, so each family member can have their own. You have two different modes, floss and massage, and complete control of the pressure setting from 10 to 100 PSI. Both floss and massage are pulsating, but massage mode has longer in between pulses.

Pros

Cons

2. Best For Travel: Philips Sonicare Airfloss

Sonicare Airfloss
Amy Tribe

Editor’s Choice #2: If you don’t have much counter space in your bathroom or you want a water flosser you can travel with, you’ll love the Sonicare Airfloss, another ADA-Accepted flosser. It is a handheld water flosser that can remove up to 5 times more plaque than manual brushing and can give you healthier gums in just two weeks! Its footprint is similar to that of an electric toothbrush, yet it has the power of a countertop water flosser. We believe it is the best cordless water flosser.

Ideal For Flossing With Mouthwash

The Philips Sonicare Airfloss has a much smaller reservoir than the Waterpik, yet because it combines air with liquid, a full tank can give you two full uses, meaning it is economical to use mouthwash to floss your teeth.

Slim, Angled Nozzle

We found the design of the Airfloss tip easier to navigate around your mouth than other water flossers. The slim, angled nozzle and guidance tip help to easily move along your gum line and find where it naturally sits between your teeth. The design helps you to clean your whole mouth in just 30 seconds, adding hardly any time onto your dental routine.

Pros

Cons

3. Best For Whole Family: H2OFloss Dental Water Flosser

H2Ofloss Water Flosser

The H2OFloss Dental Water Flosser is a slightly larger countertop flosser. It has 800ml reservoir capacity and includes 12 multifunctional tips; the largest number out of all the models we tested. It is certainly worth the extra bathroom counter space it takes up! It boasts 1200 pulses per minute, yet it’s extremely quiet.

One-Handed Controls

Apart from the on/off switch on the unit, the controls are all on the handle. It has 6 pressure settings and a pause function, and although it isn’t as many as other models, the pressure range is 5-110 PSI, so there is great variation between the settings.

12 Tips

If you want to share your device with the family, with this model you don’t just each get your own classic tip, there is more than one of every tip style:

  • 4 jet tips
  • 2 tongue cleaning tips
  • 2 orthodontic tips
  • 2 periodontal tips
  • 2 nasal tips

This comprehensive set is ideal for braces, implants, periodontal pockets and crowns, and there is dedicated space in the unit to store all of them hygienically, which we loved.

Pros

Cons

4. Best Cordless Water Flosser: Waterpik Cordless WP-560

Waterpik Cordless

The Waterpik WP-560 is another excellent cordless water flosser. It has a larger tank than the Airfloss, but it is small enough to pack in a suitcase and includes a plug to prevent leaks in transit. Just like the other Waterpiks, this cordless version has the ADA Seal of Acceptance, so rest assured that, despite choosing a smaller model, you are not compromising on quality.

Inductive Charging

Instead of a charging base, we love the magnetic charger that attaches to the handset. A full charge takes four hours and it lasts about a week, but if that’s not long enough, it has global voltage so you can charge it abroad.

3 Pressure Settings

Although it has fewer than the countertop version, this cordless water flosser has good range in between its three different pressure settings, and the variety of the four tips it includes gives you a comprehensive travel water flosser.

Pros

Cons

5. Best Budget Water Flosser: ZNIENIE Water Flosser

ZNIENIE Water Flosser

The ZNIENIE water flosser has 7 multifunctional tips and 10 pressure settings. It has a small footprint, yet a large 600 ml water tank, which delivers a thorough clean in under 90 seconds. We particularly liked the suction feet.

Easy Controls

It is very easy to control. The pressure settings are slightly stronger than other models. It offers 20-150PSI, which is powerful considering its small size, but it may not be as suitable for people with sensitive teeth or gums.

7 Multifunctional Tips

You get a slightly different set of tips in this set:

  • 3 classic jets
  • 1 tongue cleaner
  • 1 dental plaque tip
  • 1 orthodontic tip
  • 1 periodontal tip

You can rotate them 360° for easy access to all areas of your mouth, and the combination ensures it is suitable for all types of dental work, from braces and implants, to periodontal pockets and crowns. We loved how you can store all of the tips in the compartment in the lid.

Pros

Cons

Buyer’s Guide

Improving Your Oral Hygiene Without Pain

Water Flossing

A smile is often the first thing we notice about someone, yet a recent study found that over 25% of people dislike smiling because of their teeth. Flossing regularly with a water flosser is the first step to achieving not just a healthy smile, but a beautiful smile, as it can help keep your teeth clean and white.

Flossing with water is particularly good if you have braces, which render string flossing almost impossible. Water flossing can blast away food debris from the areas between your teeth and behind braces that dental floss cannot reach, without discomfort.

Water flossing is ideal for those with dexterity issues. Good water flossers let you rotate the tip to reach all areas of your mouth, and control the water pressure and direction, even with dexterity problems. While there may be a bit of a learning curve, water flossing is far less fiddly than traditional flossing.

If you have sensitive teeth, you can use lukewarm water to make your flossing more comfortable. Find out more about how to use a water flosser here.

Different Variations Of Water Flossers

There are three main types of water flosser:

Countertop Water Flossers

The largest and most comprehensive. Often they have multiple flossing modes and the largest number of pressure settings and tips included. They have a removable tank for you to refill with mouthwash or water and usually need to be connected to a power source.

Cordless Water Flossers

Smaller, often with a replaceable power source like AA batteries or a rechargeable battery and charging base. They have a smaller water capacity than a countertop model, and may have fewer water pressure settings, but they have plenty of power and are highly effective. Some may come with a travel case, too.

Faucet-Fed Flossers

Connect to your tap or shower. They have no power supply and are controlled entirely by the water flow coming through the faucet. On mixer taps, you can also control the water temperature.

Features To Consider

Choosing A Water Flosser

Pressure Settings: Even if you don’t have sensitive teeth, when your wisdom teeth are on the move, or if you bite down on something too hard, your gums may feel a bit more delicate. Similarly, stubborn food particles may take more oomph to shift, so a good range in water power is worth having.

Tips: The shape of the tips impacts how you use them. Some are specifically designed for braces, others for sensitive areas. A variety of tips will mean you are always prepared, whatever your mouth needs; to shift the seeds from between your teeth or to clear a periodontal pocket.

Modes: A continual flow will help to shift the plaque buildup on your gum line, while a pulsing setting will gently massage gums and may be more comfortable if they are a little delicate.

ADA-Acceptance: The ADA’s Seal of Acceptance recognises products efficacy and safety, ensuring the best for your teeth.

Is Water Flossing As Effective As Regular Flossing?

Yes, water flossing is as effective as regular flossing.

Regular flossing helps to remove the plaque and food that gets stuck in between our teeth to prevent cavities, tooth decay, and even tooth loss. Flossing has also been clinically found to fight gingivitis and other forms of gum disease, and can prolong the lifetime of your natural, healthy smile for years to come.

Water flossers remove significantly more plaque than interdental brushes. They are more effective at reducing gingival bleeding than interdental brushes and at reducing bleeding on probing than string floss, as shown in multiple studies. It is also significantly more effective at removing plaque buildup from the surfaces of teeth than string floss.

Water flossers reach areas that regular floss cannot, and get the job done fast, saving you time. They give you the benefits of regularly flossing and more, such as controlling the inflammatory cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

In our tests, Waterpik’s Aquarius WP-660 was the best water flosser. It includes 7 tips, 2 flossing modes and a range of 2 pressures. It is very easy to use.

You should use your Waterpik or other type of water flosser at least once a day. The American Dental Association recommends you brush your teeth twice a day and floss your teeth once a day.

It is better to floss first, then brush. Flossing removes tartar and debris, such as food particles that get stuck in your teeth, meaning that when you brush afterwards, your toothbrush will be more effective.

Yes, you can use mouthwash in your Waterpik. However, a single use will use up to 600 ml of liquid, so using Listerine every time, for example, would become very expensive. It is more economical to use mouthwash in other designs of oral irrigator, such as the Airfloss Ultra, which has a much smaller reservoir and uses much less liquid per use.

Conclusion

We hope you have enjoyed reading our best water flosser and waterpik review. Our choices for best water flossers were the Waterpik Aquarius and the Sonicare Airfloss. We enjoyed testing these water flossers and hope that we have helped you find which one is right for you. Don’t forget to check out our other reviews of dental products if you have enjoyed this roundup!