Hydro Floss water flosser review

Design, usability, clean & general use

I am not sure precisely when the Hydro Floss was designed, but it does look and feel a little dated. I would be inclined to say it was in the early 1990s.  

It doesn’t have quite the same clean and modern appearance compared to many alternatives.  This includes the website and retail box.

The official images and promotional videos have not been updated in many years. 

By no means is this a deal breaker, how it functions is much more important. But, it is something to be aware of.  

If you want the most stylish, colorful options you will need to look elsewhere.

The Hydro Floss is available in just 1 variant and the main colors of the unit are white, blue and grey.

This countertop water flosser measures 8.27 inches wide x 3.93 inches deep and 4.92 inches tall.

It is a little wider than most other countertop units, but it is not as tall.

Despite it looking a little dated, the form factor and layout of the flosser is well thought out.

Looking at the unit head-on, the base of the unit is white in color and houses all the parts, including the pump etc.

On the front are 2 control dials.  The left hand dial turns the unit on or off, whilst the right hand dial controls the pressure settings. Both are grey in color and a little resistive to the touch.

Sat on top of this base unit is the removable water tank or reservoir.  It has a massive 800ml (27 fl oz) capacity.  There is a pale blue hue to the plastic.

On top of this sits the removable grey lid.  It stops anything from dropping into the water and protects against things like dust.  In the center is a small handle that helps to place and remove it.

To the right side of the unit is a mount into which the handle sits when not in use.

The handle lifts out of the mount. It is connected to the base unit with a hose which is approximately 1 meter/3.2ft in length.

When docked, the hose coils up into the side of the unit, fitting into moldings of the base unit and water tank.  The hands-on images show best what I mean here.

The handle of the water flosser itself is about the thickness of a marker pen.  It is not quite as thick as the handle of a Waterpik water flosser.

Down the handle run many grooves which help the fingers grip it.  I like the thinner profile of the handle.

A grey button at the top of the handle contrasts with the white handle.  This button controls the water flow.  It pauses it.

At the top of the handle is the everyday tip.

You push the tip into the handle and pull it out.  There is no button you need to press to release it or lock it in.  You get 4 included in the box. All 4 have a different color to the bottom of the nozzle. 

The different colors allow you to differentiate between different users’ nozzles.  For example in a family of 4, you might each have a different colored nozzle.

Each nozzle rotates a full 360 degrees. They and can be easily turned by pushing the colored part of the nozzle.

Included in the box also is a wall mount to hold the nozzles.  You do not get an adhesive pad to stick it to the wall. But, it is a convenient place to store nozzles when not in use.

The left side of the unit is free of any controls.

On the back, you have the power cable.  White in color, it is approx 160cm/5.2ft long.  It is hardwired into the back of the unit.  

A nice touch is the back of the unit actually offers the ability to wrap the power cable within the plastic body.  Meaning you don’t have to have excess cable dangling across a countertop.  

Waterpik units have no such feature.

The power adapter hardwired into it is a 2 pin US power supply.  The water flosser supports 120v.  It does not have global voltage support.  So, if you wanted to take this with you overseas, you may need a voltage and plug adapter.

If it was not already clear, this needs to be connected to a power socket to function.  It is not battery powered or cordless.

On the base of the unit are 4 rubber feet, which help prevent it from slipping on a countertop.  There is too regulatory information.  It is worth noting that although Hydro Floss is a US based company, this is actually made in China.

Water flossing is designed to be an easy to use alternative to dental floss.  It is a little less technique sensitive.

Oral irrigation has been clinically proven. It is an effective alternative to dental floss for reducing bleeding, gingival inflammation, and plaque removal.

Most dental professionals will generally recommend an interdental brush over a water flosser. That said, most will agree that this is a good alternative. Just like Jasmine Ramakishna does in an article for the Dimensions of Dental Hygiene.  It should be used at least once a day, in conjunction with twice daily brushing.

I have been very pleased with how well it cleaned my gumline and between the teeth.

I used the standard everyday tip as I have no gum disease or periodontal issues.

However, there are a couple of specialist tips available. These are desinged to aid those with more severe periodontal conditions.

Something unique to Hydro Floss is the option of attaching cannulas to the handle. 

These are designed to help with the most severe periodontal conditions.  With the use of an adapter they can get deep below the gumline and into pockets that have formed.

The recommendation is to fill the water tank with lukewarm water. You can add a splash of oral rinse for extra freshness if you wish.  Or where appropriate you may add some prescribed medication from your dentist.  

There is a technique to use an oral irrigator and it can be messy.  

Of course, you can’t keep all the water it pushes through in the mouth.  You have to allow it to dribble out.   When using it, you have to be lent over a sink to expel this water.  It can take a few goes to get used to it and perfect your technique.  

I am impressed with how large the water reservoir is on the Hydro Floss.  It is 800ml or 27 fluid oz.  This allows for some very impressive usage times.

Some water flossers have small tanks. This means it is necessary to refill them at least once to get a thorough clean.

Set to the lowest pressure setting (1), a full tank takes 7 minutes and 40 seconds to drain.  

When set to the highest pressure setting (9), it is emptied in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

As large as the tank is, there is a slight inconvenience.

The plastic tank is removable to make it easy to fill.  However, the 800ml capacity is achieved pretty much only when the tank is full to the brim.  So it is quite easy to spill a bit as you move it from the sink and set it in place.

All it would have needed is a couple of extra millimeters to the height of the tank to remove this frustration.

You could use another jug or something to pour the water into the reservoir, thus doing away with the need to move it. 

On the front of the tank, the capacity is clearly labeled so you can see how much water you have.

When powered on, the unit is quite noisy at up to 86 decibels.  It is a touch quieter if you have the pressure set to the lowest. But, this is only by a couple of decibels.

The greatest pressure on offer from the Hydro Floss is 60PSI.  You get this when set to the 9th and highest pressure setting.  To change the pressure you turn the control dial on the front of the base unit.

Waterpik units tend to have 10 pressure settings ranging from 10 to 100PSI.

Hydro Floss suggests that 60PSI is the maximum ‘safe’ pressure.  I am sure that this is up for debate.  However, it is more than powerful enough for me.

Waterpik or even Burst’s water flosser is more powerful. More often than not, I would use a setting a little less than maximum.  Thus closer to the recommended 60PSI.

The Hyrdo Floss delivers the water in pulses.  You get 1200 pulses per minute.

It actually comes out as a constant water stream, rather than gaps in the flow.  However, you can tell that it is a burst flow as you use it.  This is different from many others, which are a more consistent water flow.

I was very pleased with the cleaning results.  

The lowest power settings were not intense enough for me.  But, I don’t have gum disease so my sensitivity to the pressure would be less.  Those with advanced periodontal disease will likely welcome the much softer options.

The slim handle makes it easy to control.  Whilst you are connected to the base unit via the hose, you do not feel restricted in use.

You aim the water at 90 degrees to the gumline and proceed around the mouth, tooth by tooth.

The rotating nozzle is really easy to use and helps direct the water to the appropriate spot in the mouth.

A bit of a gripe is the fact that the water begins to shoot out of the nozzle from the moment you power the unit on.

You can pause the water flow by pressing the button on the handle.  I personally would prefer it if you had to press the button to get the water to flow.  You may feel differently.

The button itself is a bit resistive, you need to apply a bit of pressure to actually activate it.  It is not a slider on/off mechanism as some other brands offer.

Completely unique to Hydro Floss, as far as I am aware is the hydromagnetic element to this flosser.

I am not going to explain all the science, however, in the simplest form...

Inside your mouth, you have positive ions on your teeth and negative ions on bacteria.  The opposites generally attract. So the negatively charged bacteria stick to the positively charged teeth.

This bacteria (better known as plaque) is the very reason we clean the teeth.  If we didn’t remove it, it would harden into calculus/tartar and we would get gum disease.

Hydro Floss is designed specifically to interrupt this attraction.   This means fewer bacteria should stick to the teeth.

Inside the handle is a magnet.  When water passes through the magnetic field it allows for millions of free electrons to be released. These form a barrier between the teeth and the bacteria.

The pulsating water flow then painlessly disrupts the biofilm’s protective layer. It washes away the plaque, bacteria, and toxic byproducts away.

It has been proven to be clinically effective. A study by Johnson, et al - published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology concluded: 

Irrigation with magnetized water resulted in 64% less calculus compared to the control group. The reduction was statistically significant.

Now, I can’t say that in use that I noticed any difference.  I can’t say that 1 or 2 hours later I felt like there was less plaque on my teeth compared to having used another water flosser.

Unless I had read the marketing materials I would have no idea that this technology even existed.

The science would suggest it works. But, as far as I am aware no other widely sold water flosser uses the technology.

I suspect this could be more useful to those dealing with the most severe periodontal conditions.  But, those same patients are likely getting specialist treatment from a registered professional.  This would just aid their journey at home.

Overall I have to say, whilst it doesn’t have quite the same styling as the Waterpik units, I am as pleased with the results.

It does come with a 1 year warranty. This is arguably a little stingy given the price and what competitors offer.

A positive is the availability of spare parts.  I don’t think I have ever seen a company advertising so freely the replacement parts that can be purchased.  This has to be a good thing right?

However, the more skeptical part of my brain does wonder why.  Is this more prone to breaking?   The vast majority of manufacturers will not advertise spares.