The best water flosser for cleaning up your oral hygiene
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Long gone are the days of lying to the dentist about whether you floss regularly or not (and take it from us, they always know when you're lying). Because flossing has had an upgrade in recent years. Indeed, you can put that little box of minty floss aside for a moment. These days, it's all about the power of water flossing.
For those who don't know, the water flosser — or oral irrigator to use the dentist-approved technical term — has been having a TikTok moment. For once, it's a TikTok trend that's actually good for you. It will also keep the dental hygienist off your case.
Look, we know the struggle. You're not alone. Flossing can be a hassle, but it is an essential part of maintaining a healthy mouth. So, where to start with water flossers? Keep reading for some helpful information and a round-up of the best water flosser models available. These will keep your smile sparkly white and refreshingly hygienic.
Do you actually need to floss?
It's no secret that good dental hygiene involves more than just brushing. Sure, brushing is an important part of the process and helps remove plaque and prevent cavities, but you need to do more to keep your teeth healthy and prevent gum disease. Flossing gets in between your teeth and helps lift and remove plaque. In other words, it reaches the places your electric toothbrush can't. And if you don't clean these areas, you're asking for plaque buildup and gum disease.
How do water flossers work?
Water flossers shoot a stream of water into your mouth to remove food particles and plaque build-up. They get into the periodontal pockets — the gaps between teeth and gums — which prevents gum disease. Another advantage is convenience. There's no fumbling around with slippery floss. They're also great for anyone who wears braces. But can you get away with only using a water flosser? The experts at Oral-B state that it's "not recommended to replace traditional flossing with water flossing." Instead, you should incorporate both traditional and water flossing into your daily routine.
How do you use a water flosser?
Water flossers are easy to use, but we'll still break the process down so there are no doubt. We're kinda nice like that. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Add water — OK, this might seem obvious, but you'll need water to use your water flosser. Simply fill the reservoir with lukewarm water. Reservoir capacities vary model to model.
Aim — Don't start your water flosser without first placing the nozzle firmly in your mouth. We wouldn't want you to spray water all over your bathroom. Aim the device away from your target area rather than directly against your teeth and gums.
Find your perfect pressure setting — At this point you can play around with the water pressure. The pressure should be high enough to actually get the job done, but always start with the lowest pressure setting and work up. Water flossers tend to have a selection of pressure levels.
Direction — Work your way around your mouth, targeting one tooth at a time. Direct the water at your gum line and at the areas between your teeth. There's no golden rule for how long on each tooth, but two seconds is more than enough. Most flossers come with a selection of jet tips that each have their own specific cleaning function.
Remove water — We've come full circle, and at this point you just need to turn off the device, remove the nozzle, and drain the remaining water from the reservoir. Don't skip this step — leaving water in your reservoir can result in bacterial growth.
Cleaning — This whole process is about improving your oral hygiene, so it would kind of defeat the point to not clean your water flosser’s reservoir after every session.
What is the best water flosser?
We've covered the benefits of flossing, whether water flossers work, and how to use a water flosser, and now there is only one thing left to cover. There are plenty of water flossers on offer from top personal care brands, but which model is the best?
We have checked out everything out there from top brands like Oral-B, Panasonic, and Waterpik, and highlighted a selection of your best options. There should be something for everyone and every budget in this list — for experienced and newbie flossers.
These are the best water flossers in 2025.
Oral-B Aquacare 6
Best For Precision
The Good & The Bad
- 2 nozzles
- Six cleaning modes
- 2 stream options
- Oxyjet technology
- More settings available elsewhere
- Not much else at this price
Why We Like It
Oral-B is the biggest name in the oral hygiene game, and the Oral-B Aquacare 6 Pro-Expert water flosser is one of the best devices on the market.
This flosser uses oxyjet technology, which enriches the water with microfine bubbles of air that boost your oral health routine. You can also personalise your experience with six cleaning modes, two stream options, and three pressure settings: Sensitive, Medium, and Intense.
One part of its customisation is a special on-demand mode, which allows you to control the water stream and only release water when and where you want it.
Details
Waterpik Cordless Pearl Water Flosser
Best For Battery Life
The Good & The Bad
- Top branded flosser
- 4 tips included
- Compact and lightweight
- 360-degree tip rotation
- Lacks power
- Fewer pressure settings
Why We Like It
The Waterpik Cordless Pearl water flosser delivers consistent and reliable performance, which is due to a combination of high water volume, pulsations, and pressure. And you can trust the expertise: Waterpik boasts that it's the number one water flossing brand in the world.
The flosser itself is compact and lightweight, making it ideal for smaller bathroom spaces or taking on your travels. The performance is big, though: It's 50% more effective than standard flossing and tackles 99.99% of plaque.
A generous reservoir provides a constant, powerful water jet for up to 45 seconds, while the rechargeable battery gives you around two weeks of use. It comes with a rapid magnetic charger, so you can stay on top of your routine.
Details
Panasonic Series 600
Best For Healthier Gums
The Good & The Bad
- Ultrasonic technology
- Charging station
- Tough on plaque
- 4 nozzles included
- A pricier model
Why We Like It
The Panasonic 600 Series might be a bit pricier compared to other options on this list, but it's worth the money. That's because this water flosser is all about premium power and features.
It uses ultrasonic jet technology, which essentially uses a nozzle and water pump combo to create water vapour bubbles. These bubbles then burst on your teeth and gums, making a shock wave that boosts the cleaning power.
You also get five levels of water pressure, four nozzles, and the kind of dexterity you need to get into periodontal pockets. Overall, it's made for healthier gums.
Details
Hangsun Water Flosser
Best For Families
The Good & The Bad
- Excellet nozzle selection
- 3 cleaning modes
- Large water tank
- Quiet but powerful
- 360-degree rotration cleaning
- Can get a bit noisy
- Power adapter not included
Why We Like It
The Hangsun Water Flosser offers a wide range of clever features, and for just a fraction of the price of the other devices in this roundup. Best of all? The selection of eight jet tips. It has five colour-coded tips — one for different members of the family — plus three other multi-purpose tips.
It uses a combination of pressure and pulsations (up to 1,600 pulses per minute) to clean deeply between your teeth and below the gum line. It also has three cleaning modes: Normal, Soft, and Pulse.
This water flosser is rechargeable, and can be fully charged in four hours via your computer, power bank, car charger, or a regular power adapter. That makes this water flosser not only cleansing but highly convenient.
Details
Coslus Oral Irrigator
Best For Tight Budgets
The Good & The Bad
- 5 jet tips included
- 3 cleaning modes
- Generous size
- Cleans at all angles
- Overall quite basic
Why We Like It
If you want to keep you teeth sparkling while keeping the cost down, look no further than the Coslus Oral Irrigator. It's a cut-price option that comes highly recommended — as you'll see from the Amazon reviews.
It's fairly basic but it has everything you need, including a nice selection of jet heads — each of which has a different function — along with normal, soft, and massage cleaning modes. The rotatable spout offers 360-degree cleaning, which means every nook and cranny of your mouth.
Best of all, considering the price, is the 300ml water capacity. That's bigger than you'll find on more expensive models.
Details
Panasonic DentaCare Travel Oral Irrigator
Best For Travel
The Good & The Bad
- Packs into portable unit
- 35 seconds of use
- Ongoing battery costs
- No extra features
Why We Like It
The Panasonic DentaCare travel oral irrigator is a fairly basic model with just two pressure level settings and a mid-sized water reservoir that will give you up to 35 seconds of constant cleaning (it's not the biggest on this list but not the smallest either). The real bonus is this water flosser's portability.
It has a clever design that allows you to slide the main body into the water reservoir, transforming this flosser into a handy little bundle that you can throw into your bag. In portability mode it measures just 15.4 cm.
It may be small but that doesn't mean you have to skimp on performance. It's still made to get deep between your teeth and get those periodontal pockets clean. That means healthier gums and brighter teeth — even on-the-go.
Details
Waterpik Ultra Professional
Best For Features
The Good & The Bad
- Longer cleaning time
- Advanced pressure control
- Lots of cleaning options
- 7 jet tips included
- Not portable
- Requires bathroom space
- Most expensive model
Why We Like It
The Waterpik Ultra Professional Water Flosser lives up to its name. In water flosser terms, this is pro-level stuff. It has a pressure control system with 10 different settings, along with a bigger water capacity that delivers 90 seconds of continuous use. That gives you a very thorough floss indeed.
It also comes with seven jet tips, which includes a selection of tools that have varying teeth cleaning functions.
The only real downside is that it's a bit of a unit. It's mains powered and designed to stay on your countertop. That means this will be a permanent fixture in your bathroom. But with all the power and versatility this model offers, it will be a welcome addition.
Details
Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.
