Mark Burhenne, “The company stands behind its products better than other brands with unrecognizable names.” Dr. “This brand is to water flossers what Kleenex is to tissues.” According to founder Dr. “They are the holy grail of Waterpiks and flossers, and I recommend their product to all my patients,” says Brooklyn-based dentist Dr. Of the 29 dentists and dental hygienists we talked to, 23 say that they prefer the Waterpik brand because of its longevity in the market. Below, the 11 best water flossers to try right now, according to Rawdin, Mello, Rozenberg and a bunch of other dentists and dental hygienists we spoke with. But after some almost daily practice I’ve become markedly less messy. I ended up basically power-washing the bathroom mirror with a mix of Colgate mouthwash, water, and my own spit. Nor did I realize how frothy the mix of mouthwash and water would get when pressurized. Indeed, the first time I used my cordless Waterpik, I wasn’t expecting the sheer force of the spray. “It sprays water at a high speed, and it can spray it everywhere.” In fact, “some people will use it in the shower because there’s so much water.” “Like anything else, a Waterpik is something you need to get used to,” says Dr. Nighttime Waterpik use will also give you the time and space to figure out your new, slightly messy routine. It wreaks havoc because now there’s no saliva - a natural buffer that clears out bacteria when you swallow,” says Dr. “When we go to sleep, we have reduced salivary flow and bacteria will feed off of anything that’s left in your mouth. Then you’ll want to direct the tip of the water flosser down toward the gums and go in a scalloped motion along the gum line of each tooth on both the inside and outside - and accept that it’s going to be a little messy during the learning curve.” You’ll also want to reserve your water flossing for nighttime. Samantha Rawdin puts it this way: “With a Waterpik, you want to close your lips slightly around the tip of it and lean over the sink so water doesn’t go everywhere. When it comes to the proper water-flosser technique, Dr. Water flossers are less technique-sensitive.” And much harder to screw up. “Many just put the floss between their teeth instead of making the recommended C-shape with the floss to ensure it properly contacts all surfaces of the teeth. Jill Lasky of Lasky Pediatric Dental in Studio City, California. “Because so many people have a difficult time flossing properly, using a water flosser with the ADA Seal of Acceptance has been proven to be as effective, if not more effective, than traditional flossing at removing plaque between teeth,” explains Dr. However, most of them acknowledge that the best tool with which to do that cleaning is really the one you know you’ll use correctly and most often - whether that’s dental floss, one of those little interdental brushes, a water flosser, or all of the above.
So I reached out to more dentists to see if our past research holds up.Įveryone we talked to agrees that, ideally, you should use traditional floss followed by a water flosser to remove food particles from between your teeth and prevent cavities. I’m still using it, but I started to wonder if it’s still the best tool for the job, or if there are newer, better versions of my Waterpik out there. After getting their recommendations, I decided that a cordless Waterpik was the best fit for my lifestyle and my limited bathroom counter space. Instead of giving up, confused, I decided to close the tab and call a bunch of dental professionals, including my own dentist. A quick search took me to a long and overwhelming Amazon list. Emboldened by JVN, I typed “water pick” into Google. Photos: RetailersĪ few years ago, after watching an episode of Queer Eyein which grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness gives a lazy man named Remington a Waterpik, I wondered whether (like Remington) buying one would motivate me to develop better interdental cleaning habits.