Best Oral Irrigator Reviews 2018

Oral irrigators are simple oral hygiene tools that don’t cost an arm and a leg, but help us maintain healthy teeth and prevent long-term disease or health issues. Good oral irrigators can be found for as low as $25 and as high as $138. This price range is dependent upon many factors that include the material, the size, the capacity of the water reservoir, number of tips, water flow and pressure and the brand.

Countertop oral irrigators are usually more powerful than other models, and also have more features so, naturally, they are costlier than the other models.

Oral irrigators made of plastic are usually less expensive than those made with stainless steel and glass. The portable brands may be in the same price range as the shower or faucet models, or slightly costlier depending on the features that they have.

As we researched this product category, we came across some cheap oral irrigators, but we found that most of them weren’t durable or not made of top-quality products. Some others didn’t have good water flow or pressure, and wouldn’t do a good job of flossing.

Whatever product you choose, please make sure that your primary consideration is not just cost; remember that you get what you pay for, and that’s not just a cliché. We assure you that all the products featured in this review are tested and proven to perform as advertised and will give you good value for your money

Oral irrigators are also known as water flossers and are useful tools for dental care. You cannot get the best out of your oral irrigator if it doesn’t have some features, and we will do our best to highlight and discuss some of those features.

Here’s a list of some of the features you should look out for as you go shopping for an oral irrigator…

• Design
• Style
• Water Pressure
• Types of Tips
• Noise Level
• Ease of Use
• Material
• Flow and Pressure Control
• Timer
• Size and Capacity of Water Reservoir

Come with us as we explore these features and explain in greater detail how each of them will make your purchase worthwhile.

There are about four main types of oral irrigators, and each has its unique advantages over the others, and they are countertop, battery-operated, shower and faucet, and tap irrigators. Countertop oral irrigators are usually bulkier than others and are designed to be placed on top of a counter close to power source. They usually have cords, because you have to plug them in to use them.

The battery-operated oral irrigators are cordless and powered by rechargeable batteries or "AA" batteries. They are usually small and highly portable. These models are ideal for people who travel a lot or have storage or power issues, however, they are not as powerful as their countertop counterparts.

Shower oral irrigators are those affixed to your shower unit, and they are neither powered by electricity nor batteries, and do not need the water reservoir to be constantly refilled. The faucet or tap irrigators are fixed to a tap for you to use it. Like the shower irrigator, it eliminates the need for refilling the water reservoir, but one disadvantage is that most brands do not have an auto shift from irrigator to tap, so you have to make the switch manually whenever you want to floss or use only the tap.

Of all these types, only the countertop requires space, whether in your bathroom or kitchen; the other models are space efficient. So if you have some space constraints in your home, you should consider getting any model except a countertop, although that’s actually the model that’s best for use by the whole family.

If you are buying an oral irrigator for the whole family, you should look out for the ones with multiple tips, and even go further to get the ones that have tips that are color coded. This ensures that each family member easily identifies his or her tip. Some models also have different types of tips that help you access hard-to-reach areas of the mouth; although some people find that they don’t need different types of tips, some others still appreciate the availability of these tips.

The water pressure of oral irrigators differs one from another, and some have more control over the pressure than the others. Countertop irrigators are usually more powerful than other models, and also have more pressure control. But if you have to travel a lot or have issues with space or availability of a power source to use the flosser with, you can still find cordless and battery-operated models that will serve you quite well.

Also, look out for flow control that will allow you to pause or slow the flow of water while you adjust the tip during use; not every model comes with this feature.

The noise level of oral irrigators differs from one product to the other. If you are sensitive to such a thing, this might be an issue, and you need to ascertain how loud it can get before deciding to make a purchase. Although manufacturers claim that they have greatly improved the noise level, countertop models are usually louder than other models (guess that’s because they are also more powerful than others).

Some models come with extra features that add more value to them; some of these features include water resistance, rotating tips, gum massagers and timers. The water-resistance feature is mainly found in shower flossers or faucet flossers (goes without saying because they’ll be in constant contact with water). The rotating tip allows it to reach to the back of the teeth and mouth, and the gum massager pumps the water in such a way that it stimulates the gums and helps to keep them healthy. The timer gives off a beep that allows the user to know when the stipulated one-minute flossing time has been reached.