Why it’s great: From its 360-degree head to its four jet tips and three pressure settings, you can really have it your way with the Boka irrigator. Note that this one is a pinch larger than the others on this roster—easy to bump over on the counter, if you’re clumsy—but few devices can compete with its range of motion and scope of functions, so the trade-off is worth it. Its gentle pulsing mode is a perfect fit for sensitive gums and easy bleeders, too. If you want to up your oral hygiene game, this tool makes it easy to do so.
Best Water Flosser for Braces and Fixed Retainers: Panasonic Oral Irrigator EW1213
Tank capacity: 127 ml | Tips provided: One orthodontic brush, one standard | Battery: 15 minutes
Why it’s great: While many water flossers come with a range of heads (including orthodontics-navigating ones), I find Panasonic’s brush head to be the best in show. Among the leading options, it’s got the longest bristles and the fullest brush head and has been able to tuck itself between and around my fixed retainer without hesitation. (I find that the lower of its two pressure settings is a nice way to flush out any lightly trapped debris, too, which may not all require extra flossing and torquing.)
If you have your own retainer, braces, dental implants, or simply just some run-of-the-mill tight crowding, I think you’ll find this brush the most practical and satisfying of the bunch. By design, it lacks the nuance and endurance of some other devices here, but remember, these water flossers are merely a way to build upon an existing brushing and flossing regimen, and few people need that booster more than braced-up teeth.
Best Countertop Water Flosser: Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser
Tank capacity: 650 ml | Tips provided: 7 total (3 standard, 1 orthodontic, 1 toothbrush, 1 targeted plaque blaster, 1 rubber tip) | Battery: Corded
Why it’s great: Waterpik is the behemoth of this category, in that sometimes we call all water flossers “waterpiks” by accident. The brand also has a dozen or more different devices to choose from, but the countertop options with big water tanks will always be the best buy. This 22-ounce tank is a head-of-household favorite—the one my folks have kept sinkside all these years. It comes with seven tips (three of which are standard and also easily replaceable), has 10 custom pressure settings, and a timed/guided session (pausing every 30 seconds out of the 90-second session to help you readjust and anticipate the remaining volume/time). It even comes in four different colors, so you can accessorize as you fight gum disease and gingivitis.
Best Compact Water Flosser: Bitvae P1 Portable Water Flosser
Tank capacity: 150 ml | Tips provided: 2 regular nozzles, 2 orthodontic brush nozzles | Battery: 30 minutes
Why it’s great: A perfect pick for the space-conscious traveler or cohabitor who doesn’t want their device taking up a ton of real estate on the bathroom sink ledge. Bitvae’s small-but-mighty flosser is under six inches when closed and under 8 inches (minus the tip) when expanded—plus, you can store that tip inside the belly of the device while on the go. Call it strange, but this was my means of toting mouthwash to the office in a previous chapter of my life; it went in the work bag (filled with water and a swish of mouthwash), then I’d use it post-lunch to rinse away coffee breath and bits of lunchtime garlic bread.
Best Electric Flosser (Waterless): Flaus Electric Flosser
Refills: Comes with 45 recyclable floss heads (single use) | Battery: 3.5 hours
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