Can water flossers replace dental floss?

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Standing in front of the mirror and maneuvering thin floss between your teeth isn’t pleasant. But flossing is an essential part of any oral hygiene routine — it removes plaque, a sticky bacterial film that coats your teeth and can lead to cavities, as well as eventual tooth decay. Luckily, dental floss is not your only option. Water flossers are an alternative that some may find easier and more enjoyable to use. But are they effective? I talked to dentists to learn more about the pros and cons of water flossers, how to shop for them and what models are worth buying.

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The best water flossers of 2026

All the water flossers below meet experts’ shopping guidance and have at least a 4.0-star average rating from hundreds of reviews at major retailers like Amazon, Target and Best Buy. For each model, I included the following important information: power source, water reservoir size, pressure settings, included tips and whether its tip rotates 360 degrees. Every water flosser on the list below has an on/off switch built into its handle so you can easily pause the stream.

Best corded

Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser

The Waterpik Aquarius is one of the most popular models on the market and it also earned the ADA’s Seal of Acceptance. You can remove the water flosser’s 22-ounce reservoir from its base, making filling and cleaning in the dishwasher convenient. The device uses pressure and pulsations to lift plaque off teeth, and you can choose a pressure setting using the built-in dial. You’re also able to select between two modes: floss and massage. One flossing session lasts 90 seconds — the water flosser briefly pauses at 30 seconds and one minute to help you keep track of time. It comes with four types of tips: standard precision, orthodontic, pik pocket (best for periodontal pockets) and plaque seeker (best for dental work like implants, bridges and retainers).

Best cordless

Philips Sonicare Cordless Power Flosser 3000

Philip Sonicare’s cordless water flosser has two tips: standard and quad stream. The quad stream option is X-shaped, so the water stream is wide when it comes out of the nozzle and covers more tooth surface area, according to the brand. The wand has an 8-ounce reservoir built into its handle, which holds enough water for one minute of flossing. The ADA-accepted water flosser runs for up to 14 days on a fully charged battery and comes with a USB charging cable. You can choose from two flossing modes: clean mode, which maintains constant pressure and briefly pauses water flow every 15 seconds, and deep clean with pulse, which increases and decreases water flow during use.

Editor’s pick

Waterpik Cordless Advanced 2.0 Water Flosser

Former NBC Select editorial projects manager Rebecca Rodriguez has been using Waterpik’s water flossers for years and most recently opted for this cordless ADA-accepted model due to the limited counter space in her apartment’s bathroom. “It’s so satisfying to see just how much the water flosser cleans out the nooks and crannies of my mouth,” she says. “It also has an impressive battery life — I charge it about once every three or four weeks. Plus, the three pressure settings let me alternate between low pressure for areas of my mouth that might be sensitive and high pressure for when there’s something really stuck in there.”

This water flosser comes with a magnetic charging system, which re-powers the device in about four hours, according to the brand. The handle also has a battery life indicator so you know when to plug it in. Its removable, dishwasher-safe reservoir snaps into the back of the handle and holds enough water for about 45 seconds of flossing. The water flosser has four tips: standard precision, orthodontic and plaque seeker (best for dental work like implants, bridges and retainers). You also get a microfiber travel bag, a travel water plug and a tip storage case.

Best budget buy

AquaSonic Aqua Flosser

AquaSonic’s water flosser is a lower-priced model designed with all the features experts recommend looking for. It has a removable reservoir that connects to the handle, and it comes with four types of tips: standard, periodontal, orthodontic and a tongue scraper. You also get a storage bag to house everything while traveling. The water flosser charges overnight and its battery lasts for weeks, according to the brand.

Most cordless pressure settings

Panasonic EW1511W Professional Cordless Water Flosser

The other cordless water flossers on this list have two or three pressure settings, but this one has five, giving you the most control over the stream’s strength. As the device pushes water through its nozzle, it creates microbubbles that help break up food and debris on the surface of your teeth, according to the brand. The water flosser comes with a charging base that re-powers it in an hour — you get about 10 minutes of battery life per charge, according to the brand, and there’s a battery life indicator on the handle. Its reservoir, built into the back of the handle, holds enough water for about 60 seconds of flossing. The water flosser only comes with standard tips.

Best toothbrush water flosser

Waterpik Sonic-Fusion 2.0 Professional Flossing Toothbrush

This ADA-accepted device looks like a standard electric toothbrush , but it’s also a water flosser — a small opening in the middle of its brush head shoots out pressurized water. You can use the device to brush, floss or do both simultaneously by selecting a mode on its handle. When you exclusively use it as a toothbrush, the handle is cordless. But when you use it as a water flosser, you plug a cord into the bottom of the handle, connecting it to the dishwasher-safe, removable reservoir, which holds enough water for 60 seconds of flossing. The device’s base must be plugged into an outlet because it charges the handle.

Waterpik’s flossing toothbrush has two brush speeds, a two-minute brushing timer and a dial on its base that lets you choose from 10 floss pressures. It comes with full-size and travel-size flossing brush heads, brush head covers, a toothbrush travel case and a brush head storage post that magnetically connects to the base.

Best for beginners

38. Quip Water Flosser

With only two buttons on its handle, two pressure settings and one type of tip, Quip’s ADA-accepted water flosser has a simple, straightforward design ideal for beginners. Once you plug the device into its charger, it repowers in four hours — a full battery lasts up to eight weeks, according to the brand. The reservoir, which holds enough water for 60 seconds of flossing, is built into the handle, and it has a wide lid that opens at the top, making it easy to fill. To help you remember when to replace the water flosser’s tip, Quip offers a subscription service that sends you a new one every three months for $7.

What are water flossers?

Water flossers are powered handheld devices that look like little wands or electric toothbrushes. They shoot pressurized water at the spaces between your teeth to flush out plaque and help keep gum tissue healthy, says Dr. Amr Moursi , an NYU College of Dentistry professor. They function differently than dental floss, which mechanically scrapes plaque away from the surface of teeth, says Dr. Samantha Rawdin , a prosthodontist at Gallery 57 Dental in New York City.

How I picked the best water flossers

Experts recommend considering the following factors while shopping for water flossers (which you may also see called powered interdental cleaners and oral irrigators). Remember that the more bells and whistles a water flosser has, the more it typically costs.

Frequently asked questions

“There’s a learning curve when it comes to water flossers, so don’t get discouraged when your bathroom gets soaked the first few times you use one,” says Rawdin. “It’s not foolproof. You need to learn how to direct the flow of water into the intended areas, so it can take some practice to become proficient with it.”

To use a water flosser, aim its tip toward your gums and follow your gum line in a scalloped motion on the inside and outside of each tooth. Make sure you spend extra time on the areas between the teeth, which tend to trap debris, leading to plaque buildup, says Rawdin. As you get used to using a water flosser, lean over the sink with your mouth slightly open, letting the water drip out. Then, once you get the technique down, you can close your lips around the flosser so water doesn’t drip out.

For a water flosser to be effective, you have to hold it in the right position, at the right angle and for the right amount of time, says Moursi. Be patient as you get the hang of it, and read the device’s instructions carefully, watch how-to videos online or ask your dentist for pointers if you’re struggling.

It’s important to clean your water flosser’s tips using a small spoolie brush (like those you’d use to clean a removable straw) and mild dish soap at least once a week, says Rawdin. Brands typically instruct you to toss out your old tips and replace them with new ones every three to six months, so read the directions that come with your water flosser — as a point of reference, Rawdin says you should replace plastic tips every six months and replace tips with brushes every three months. “This is for two reasons: one is because mineral buildup from hard water can potentially impair the effectiveness of the tip over time, and two is because bacteria and mold can grow inside the tips that would ultimately end up in your mouth,” she says.

Dental floss is the gold standard as far as plaque-removing tools go — it’s been around the longest and numerous studies demonstrate its effectiveness, says Hewlett. Research on water flossers is limited, but so far, data shows that they’re similarly effective compared to dental floss, he says.

That said, water flossers are not a complete replacement for dental floss, says Rawdin, although she’d rather her patients use a water flosser than no floss at all. She recommends incorporating a water flosser into your oral hygiene routine as an additional step rather than a substitute. “Plaque can fit in the contact areas of the teeth where they physically touch each other,” she says. “But a water flosser may not be able to get into that tiny area. String floss, however, can pass between the teeth where they touch to allow for better cleaning.”

Anyone can use a water flosser, but they’re particularly helpful for those with dental work like braces, bridges, crowns, fixed wire retainers and dental implants, says Rawdin. This type of dental work can make it difficult — and sometimes impossible — to slip string floss between and around teeth, so using a water flosser is helpful.

Water flossers are also a great option for those with manual dexterity issues like arthritis, says Moursi Floss and floss picks are very small and can be hard for some people to grip, while water flossers have a much larger handle, so they don’t require as much fine motor control.

Regardless of the tool you use, experts recommend that adults floss once a day. However, more often doesn’t hurt, especially if you notice that certain areas of your mouth easily trap food, says Rawdin. Kids are a different story since their teeth are less susceptible to plaque. Flossing is less crucial until about age 10, when children’s teeth start growing in more tightly, says Moursi.

There’s no wrong time of day to floss, but generally, it’s best to floss before bed, experts say. Cleaning your teeth at night allows you to remove any grime that builds up during the day. Also, when you’re sleeping, your salivary flow — the body’s natural anti-plaque agent — is at its lowest point, says Moursi: “Our defense is at its lowest, so when plaque is sitting there overnight, that’s when it can have its greatest impact,” he says.

Overall, it doesn’t matter whether you floss before or after brushing your teeth — just that you do so. But ideally, floss before brushing to dislodge anything stuck in your teeth, and then use your toothbrush to scrub it away, says Rawdin.

If plaque is not removed through flossing and regular brushing, it can turn into tartar and may lead to a host of issues including gingivitis (early gum disease), according to the ADA. Because of that, it’s important to use some type of plaque-removal tool daily. “Something is better than nothing,” says Moursi. “Floss only works if you’re going to use it.”

If you experience bleeding while flossing, have plaque deposits that won’t go away or experience tooth and/or mouth pain, make sure you visit your dentist, says Rawndin. “Most of the time, a professional cleaning can take care of these issues, but occasionally, other problems are going on that need to be addressed,” she says.

Meet our oral care experts

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