The Ion Professional has a few areas where it really shines. The device is smaller than any other water flosser we tested with a 20-ounce tank, and it won’t hog a significant amount of counter space. You can flip between 10 pressure settings—more than double the number most water flossers offer—ranging from 10 to 100 pounds per square inch (PSI), and a timer with a 30-second pacer pauses to signal when it’s time to move on to a different quadrant. Multiple specialized nozzles are an important consideration, especially for patients with braces," says Dr. Jabbour. "Different nozzles also allow multiple family members to share the same water flosser, which keeps costs down." Alerts and Timers Some individuals may notice some bleeding similar to flossing when first using a water flosser, especially if the tissue is inflamed or diseased," says Dr. Bishop. "As the biofilm and plaque causing the inflammation decrease, the bleeding should as well." Who We Are

This isn't the fanciest water flosser available, so if you want something with more advanced settings, you should keep reading.Michele Bishop, DDS, founder and owner of Ingram Hills Dental in San Antonio, Texas, and the co-host of the YouTube Channel Tipsy Tooth Talk We also assessed the overall look and feel of the water flosser, particularly how easy was it to hold the handle with the nozzle at a 90-degree angle against the gumline (which is the recommended stance). We also determined whether or not the nozzle holder rotates, allowing the flosser to move around the mouth in a simpler manner. It depends on your oral care needs. If you don't have issues with your teeth and gums, wear oral appliances, or struggle to use traditional string floss, a water flosser might be a luxury addition to your oral care routine. (Not to say it couldn't be worth it, just that you might not get as much use out of it.) But if preventing and removing more than the average amount of plaque is critical to your health, we think a water flosser is a solid investment. Many water flosser brands claim that water flossing “removes up to 99.9% of plaque from treated areas.” Waterpik points to a large number of studies supporting the claim water flossing is more effective than traditional methods, including one that suggests water flossing is significantly better than string flossing for plaque removal and an improvement over interdental brushes with regard to overall gingival health. Philips has publicized research suggesting the same, including a study demonstrating similar results with regard to plaque removal. A team at BioSci Research Canada has found evidence that when combined with a manual toothbrush, a water flosser is significantly more effective than string floss in removing plaque from tooth surfaces (this study was performed with a Waterpik water flosser).

No, waterpiks and water flossers cannot damage the teeth or the gums, per Dr. Bishop, since water alone can't damage the structure of your tooth. They can cause mild irritation at first, but that's often normal. This Waterpik cordless model does a supremely thorough job of cleaning between the gums and ridding them of unwanted bacteria. While it’s a fairly chunky beast to wrap your mitts around, refilling and charging the thing is easy enough – with a top-up from the tap delivering about 45 seconds of flossing time. Also included is a rechargeable battery, along with a handy array of four tips for interdental cleaning, including an orthodontic tip for braces should you be embracing the Invisalign life right now. Other tips include a standard jet tip for everyday use, along with a plaque-seeker tip for targeting pesky areas. There's even a tongue-cleaner tip if you're really after a thorough, full-mouth clean.

Are water flossers worth it?

We also found the flosser incredibly easy to use and maneuver. And to actually get the water flowing, you have to press the on/off button twice, a feature we greatly appreciated. This reduced the number of times that we accidentally turned the flosser on and caused a water mess around the bathroom — which happened quite often with many other portable flossers. The 360-degree rotating nozzle was also one of the easiest to use and made flossing around our entire mouth much easier without having to turn the handle in a different direction. For those with braces or other orthodontic appliances, this should come in incredibly handy. Ease of use : Many people don’t floss daily. While a water flosser isn’t designed to completely replace traditional floss, it can help clean between your teeth and around your gumline, says Dr. Geisinger. Because so few people floss regularly, “use of other methods to clean between teeth is critical,” she says. These devices are helpful for people who have shown they just aren’t going to floss regularly, as well as those who don’t have the dexterity to floss the traditional way. But a flosser needs to be easy to operate or it won’t get used, points out Dr. Palomo.