For some, oral care is like making dinner: Most people aren’t thrilled by the idea of it but you have to do it every day. You can order takeout when you’re out of meal ideas, but you can’t phone in brushing your teeth. That’s why having the best oral care products is key, especially if you want to prevent cavities, plaque buildup and bad breath.
“When you’re sleeping, your mouth dries out and your saliva cannot rinse away the leftover substances from whatever you ate or drank that day,” says Dr. Kandis Smith, General Dentist and Owner of SmileVana. “This is a perfect environment for the bacteria in the mouth to feed on these leftover food substances and produce an acid that dissolves the enamel of your teeth, which is essentially the process of how a cavity is formed.” This makes brushing, flossing, and other dental upkeep non-negotiable.
Over the years, NBC Select staff has tested hundreds of oral care products — some of which have won Wellness Awards. Below, we’re sharing our top 50 picks: from basic toothpastes to fancy water flossers and more.
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Best toothpastes (general)
As basic as it may seem, toothpaste is important, and the right one will set the foundation for your oral care routine. Here are the picks that impressed our team after testing dozens.
If you’re looking for a basic fluoride toothpaste that gets the job done, this is your pick (and ours too). It protects against cavities, according to the brand, and cleans teeth well and freshens breath, say reviewers. Its soft foam circulates easily, helping your whole mouth feel clean and refreshed. Just be mindful that it contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which can be irritating or drying for some.
This NBC Select Wellness Award winner impressed our team. The paste turns into a thick, foamy lather as you brush, leaving your teeth feeling clean and fresh, according to our reviewers. Colgate also says that the foam dissolves plaque and lifts it off teeth, especially along the gum line.
3. Parodontax Gingivitis Toothpaste
4. Crest Pro-Health Clean Mint Toothpaste
Best whitening toothpastes
Our team takes whitening seriously, with many staffers exclusively using the whitening toothpastes below both morning and night. These toothpastes freshen breath, clean mouths and keep chompers looking pearly white.
This Colgate toothpaste won a 2026 NBC Select Wellness Award for its long-lasting flavor and whitening abilities. According to Colgate, it removes surface stains, relieves sensitivity, strengthens enamel, and prevents tartar, plaque, cavities and gingivitis. According to our staffers, it cleans teeth and freshens the mouth without being overpowering.
“There’s a reason this brand is a classic. It’s just a great toothpaste. It leaves my teeth feeling clean and the minty taste lingers more throughout the day than the other options,” says NBC Select senior editor Nikki Brown. “I’ve tried so many weird and ‘fancy’ toothpastes, but I always come back to the classics because they get the job done.”
“This toothpaste actually whitens without making your teeth chatter or tingle when a slight wind blows,” says NBC Select editorial operations associate Jem Alabi. “The formula is gentle so I feel comfortable using it everyday without worrying about damaging my enamel. It doesn’t have the strong menthol burn that most toothpastes have.”
Alabi also says that just a dollop of the gel is enough for a good brushing session and that it foams up well. “My teeth have definitely whitened over the last few months. I drink tea almost every day and have seen years of stains go away with this brand,” she continues. She notices that her breath is a lot fresher, especially when she wakes up in the morning, and says that even though a tube of this toothpaste is pricey, “I think it’s worth it because it has lasted me such a long time.”
7. Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth
8. Colgate Optic White Renewal Teeth Whitening Toothpaste
9. Made by Dentists Ultra Whitening Toothpaste
10. Nu Skin AP 24 Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste
Best toothpastes for sensitive teeth
Not all toothpastes are the same, and if you have sensitive teeth, you know this all too well. “If you have sensitive teeth, you’ll want to look for a toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate, which is an active ingredient in many toothpaste products that help with sensitivity,” says Smith. These picks contain that ingredient (or others she suggests looking out for), are gentle on sensitive teeth, keep breath fresh and fight typical erosion issues.
This NBC Select Wellness Award winner stood out for its ability to whiten sensitive teeth without causing pain or discomfort. It has a minty flavor that’s not abrasive or overwhelming, and it easily comes out of the tube. While it doesn’t contain potassium nitrate, it does have stannous fluoride, an ingredient Smith says has antimicrobial properties that slow the growth of the bacteria that cause gingivitis and periodontal disease.
“I have somewhat sensitive teeth, so I’m always careful about what products I try out,” says NBC Select commerce editor Cory Fernandez. “This toothpaste didn’t give me any irritation and it didn’t burn at all.” Fernandez noticed that his teeth were visibly whiter — to the point of receiving compliments — after just a few weeks of use.
“When I was pregnant, I had a condition that caused me to throw up multiple times a day for the entire nine months — not only was it a bummer, it wrecked my teeth and made them super sensitive,” says NBC Select commerce editor Bethany Heitman. “My dentist suggested I switch to a sensitive toothpaste and after trying a few, this became my favorite. The minty taste isn’t overpowering and I find that it really does help my teeth from being overly sensitive to temperature.”
13. CloSYS Fluoride Toothpaste
14. Colgate Sensitive Complete Protection Toothpaste
15. Crest Pro-Health Gum and Sensitivity Toothpaste
Best electric toothbrushes
Electric toothbrushes are popular because they do all the work for you, delivering several rapid strokes in the required two minutes of brushing. NBC Select picked the below for their standout features, including ease of use and battery life.
“I like this toothbrush, and it has all the important features dentists recommend looking for — multiple brush speed settings, timer [and a] pressure sensor,” says NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin, who tested the toothbrush for several weeks. “The battery life is also very impressive; I just charge it once a month. Plus, the brush head is very easy to put on and take off the handle.” While she finds the brush head small and prefers oscillation over vibration, she says that it’s a toothbrush she can use daily.
“Snow sent me this toothbrush to try out years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. I love how soft the bristles are because my gums do not respond well to rough brushes,” says NBC Select senior editor Shalwah Evans. “The timer is perfect for me since I tend to overbrush, and the vibration feels nice. Between this and my toothpaste, I must be doing something right because people are constantly telling me how white my teeth look.”
18. iO Series 10 Electric Toothbrush
Best manual toothbrushes
Sometimes you just want a manual toothbrush, or don’t have access to your electric one. During those times, reach for one of these top picks — they’re easy to grip and never need to be charged.
“When I’m traveling I like to use a manual brush to avoid needing to charge my toothbrush, and this is my pick — I was introduced to it by my dental hygienist. I like that the extended bristles at the tip get in between my tight teeth. Not all manual toothbrushes get my teeth clean but this one always does, which is really important when I’m on vacation and eating and drinking lots of stuff all hours of the day,” says Evans.
“I’ve never actually enjoyed using a manual toothbrush until this one. It doesn’t make my teeth feel as clean as an electric one does, but it makes my mouth feel the most clean out of any of the manual options I’ve tested,” says Malin. “The bristles are soft but effective at scrubbing grime off my teeth and creating foam, and they cover a lot of surface area. The brush head itself is a great moderate size, too — not too small that I feel like it takes forever to brush, and not too large that it’s uncomfortable in my mouth.”
After using it for a little more than a year she still really likes it.
23. Bao Tea All-in-one Toothbrush & Tongue Cleaner
25. Davids Premium Bamboo Toothbrush
Best mouthwashes
Smith says mouthwash is an optional step in the daily brushing routine, but if you prefer to use one, these are the notable picks that left our mouths feeling and smelling fresh.
Brown loves this mouthwash. “It doesn’t leave me with that stinging feeling or overpower my senses. Yet, it’s not so mild that it feels like it’s not doing anything,” she says. According to Listerine, the mouthwash deposits crystals onto the surface of the teeth to create a protective barrier, so it’s especially great for someone with sensitive teeth. Not to mention, it kills germs that cause bad breath.
“I don’t know but I’m a tried-and-true Colgate fan, I guess,” says NBC Select editorial director Lauren Swanson. “I think there’s a reason why this is a classic. It feels like it’s working and leaves my mouth feeling fresh.”
Malin really likes this mouthwash too, especially its strong mint flavor. “I find it a little overpowering, but I mostly got used to it quickly and now I find it totally fine,” she says. “My mouth definitely feels clean and fresh after I use it. I wish it had fluoride in it, because then it would be the complete package, but its main purposes are to freshen breath and kill bacteria in your mouth. It’s also alcohol-free, which I look for when I’m shopping.”
28. Davids Hydroxi Fresh Breath Mouthwash
29. CariFree Maintenance Rinse
30. TheraBreath Fresh Breath Oral Rinse
Best floss
Smith says that if there’s one piece of oral care advice she’d give to patients, it’s to floss daily. “It’s mandatory to prevent cavities, gingivitis, periodontal disease, bad breath and tooth loss,” she says. The different types of floss below made our list because they make the mandatory task less fussy and frustrating.
Although this is the “lighter, gentler version” of the Brushmo’s signature floss, it’s still effective, according to Brown. She says she found it to be stronger than other string flosses she’s tried. “When I weave it through the tighter spaces between my molars, it doesn’t immediately fall apart and leave bits and scraps in my mouth,” she says. And even though it’s “slightly gross,” she finds it equally satisfying to see all the gunk it pulls out, which is possible because of its black color.
“Like many people, I hate flossing. But I have dental implants that food is constantly getting stuck under, so I have to do it more than the average person. I’m grateful for these little flossers that make the annoying task much easier. They’re small so I always keep a handful in my bag or pocket and in my desk drawer. The little pick on the end is also really handy when I’m dealing with a stubborn fruit string or piece of meat. They’re not as flexible as a string of floss, but the fact that I can use one hand to floss and take a few of these everywhere is a huge plus. I will never go back to string as long as these exist,” says Evans.
33. Cocolab Woven Dental Floss
Best water flossers
Smith says that the trick with water flossers is to make sure you’re using a high enough pressure setting and keeping the tip of the wand between the teeth long enough to remove bacteria and debris. The below picks can be used alongside traditional floss or in lieu of, especially for people with braces or implants.
Former NBC Select editorial projects manager Rebecca Rodriguez has been using Waterpik’s water flossers for years and likes that this cordless model takes up very little counter space in her small 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 from Quip only has two buttons on the handle, two pressure settings and one type of tip, making it simple, straightforward and easy to use for beginners — which we like. A full battery lasts up to eight weeks, according to the brand, and the reservoir holds enough water for a whole minute of flossing. Quip also offers a subscription service that sends you a new tip every three months for $7.
39. Philips Sonicare Cordless Power Flosser 3000
40. Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser
Best whitening strips
According to Smith, professional teeth whitening “can typically yield faster results with consistent use” and she uses Kor Whitening in her practice. However, there are some effective over-the-counter products you can use between professional sessions or instead of them. Our team has tested and loved the picks below — some of which Smith also recommends.
“I’ve seen patients [get] great results with Crest Whitestrips. It’s an over-the-counter product that’s not as strong as a professional tooth whitening system [but] it’s a great cost-effective starter product if one is new to tooth whitening,” Smith says.
This box comes with 22 treatments, which is enough for most people to see results. We like that the strips stay in place, making it easy for you to do other things while they sit on your teeth for 30 minutes or more. While, according to Smith, you have to use them consistently and wait longer for the best results, they don’t taste bad or leave your mouth with a gritty or filmy feeling.
These Lumineux whitening strips are a favorite of Rodriguez because they’re not made with peroxides that typically irritate her sensitive gums. “They’re also so easy to apply, especially because the bottom strip is curved to better accommodate your bottom teeth,” she says. The gel formula in each strip contains dead sea salt, lemon peel oil, coconut oil and sage oil to remove yellow plaque and break up stains on the teeth, according to Luminex.
Evans also likes them (as well as the Lumineux Whitening Pen) and noticed a big difference in the look of her teeth after using them. “When someone asks you if you’ve whitened your teeth because your smile is so bright it makes you feel good — and you know the products you’re using are working,” she says. “I gift these strips and the pen to my friends and they’re always excited because they know from my results that they work. And I drink a lot of black tea, black coffee and red wine.”
44. Rembrandt 1-Week Teeth Whitening Kit
45. Colgate Optic White Overnight Teeth Whitening Pen
46. Opalescence Go Teeth Whitening Trays
47. Opalescence Teeth Whitening Gel Syringes
Best oral care accessories
Sometimes the heroes are the little extras that help your other dental hygiene products stay efficient. These are the oral care accessories our team can’t live without.
Brown says that after she received this Bril cleaner and holder from the brand, it addressed an anxiety she barely knew she had. “The plastic cover for my electric toothbrush head gets grimy so fast, and I would often worry about germs settling into the brush head. This sanitizer gives me peace of mind, and it fits both my electric and manual brushes even though they’re different sizes. It’s simple, compact and easy to use — the kind of upgrade I truly appreciate,” she says.
49. DenTek Professional Oral Care Kit
What we considered
Over the years, NBC Select staff has tested and retested oral care products across categories for weeks (in some cases months) at a time, amassing tests of hundreds of toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash and more — you name it, we tested it.
We’ve also retested items from our “best of” lists, plus new additions, for our annual Wellness Awards. Those were all contenders for this list, as well as the oral care products used by NBC Select staffers at home daily, and those with features recommended by Smith. Here’s what we considered as we tried them:
Results: Efficacy is the biggest driver for oral care goods — people simply want options that work — so this had to be the pinnacle of our tests. Our oral care categories include products that keep your mouth clean to prevent issues like cavities, plaque buildup, bad breath, periodontal disease and the like. We noted whether or not a product worked as far as we could measure: cleaned or whitened, removed food from teeth, or freshened bad breath, for example.
Ingredients: Certain ingredients are considered highly effective but aren’t always the best for you. “I would look for any ingredients that I might have an allergy to, such as sodium lauryl sulfate or cinnamon,” says Smith. “Ingredients like these can sometimes cause benign changes to the tissues in the mouth in people who may not even realize that they have allergies to [them].” While we didn’t discount products containing ingredients that could potentially irritate (for example, someone with high sensitivity or digestive issues), we did note when they were present.
ADA Seal of Acceptance: To receive an American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance, brands submit scientific evidence to the agency showing that their product meets specific safety and efficacy criteria relating to its use case (floss that proves it reduces plaque and gingivitis or early gum disease, for example). Products without the ADA’s Seal of Acceptance aren’t ineffective — it just means the brand has not voluntarily submitted its products for review. Our list includes ADA-approved and non-ADA-approved options.
Ease/difficulty of use: Smith says that the best oral care products are the ones that are easy to use (and of course effective) and therefore make it easy to create a habit around. “Something is better than nothing. I’d rather a patient use floss picks if they will actually use them daily than string floss that sits on their bathroom counter unused,” she says. So we considered whether a product was so simple to use that we found ourselves easily going back to it when faced with several options.
How we chose the best oral care products
After rigorous review of testing insights, we narrowed down the winners based on the following:
Results: We noted whether or not a product actually cleaned our teeth (and mouths) versus just making them look pretty. We considered whether or not we saw actual gunk come out of our teeth after using a product, and we also focused on how clean our mouths felt after use. We looked at texture, aftertaste, comfort, and asked questions along the way. Did formulas burn? Did tools leave irritation or bleeding? Did our mouths feel exactly the same before and after using a product (and was that a good or bad thing)?
Ease of use: It’s easier to use a product daily if it feels nice, so this was an important consideration. If a product was so enjoyable and easy to use, and therefore we could reuse over and over, that was considered a win. Products that we named the best are easy to use and show results.
Value: Simply put: oral care products can be expensive. And considering that most of them are for daily or weekly use, we go through them quickly. So we evaluated the results and feeling of using a product against its cost to assess its value. If a toothpaste was on the pricier side, we had to reconcile whether it delivered the same results as a less expensive toothpaste or whether it had features that made it stand out above the rest, therefore making the higher price worth it.
Frequently asked questions
“You want to brush with a soft-bristled toothbrush (ideally an electric toothbrush that is rechargeable) and fluoride toothpaste for two minutes in the morning and two minutes at night. You want to position the brush at a 45-degree angle where the gum line meets the tooth and brush in circular motions or brush as if you are ‘rolling’ the bristles, kind of like when you sweep a floor with a broom,” says Smith. “When we eat and drink, some of the leftover food and beverage particles are jammed below the gumline so it’s important to remove it as soon as possible so that it doesn’t congeal into plaque and harden into tartar.”
It depends on a person’s individual needs, according to Smith. Here’s why:
“If you are a person who is prone to cavities, you can brush first with your fluoride toothpaste, spit (don’t rinse the toothpaste away), then floss. You could brush, spit and rinse with water, swish for one minute with a fluoride toothpaste, then floss. The idea behind flossing last is to drag the fluoride toothpaste or mouthrinse between the teeth to prevent cavities or remineralize enamel that has started to dissolve from the acid from the cavity-causing bacteria,” she says.
“If you’re a person with gingivitis, you could floss first, rinse with an antiseptic mouthrinse to kill gingivitis-causing bacteria, then brush for two minutes with your fluoride toothpaste,” she continues. “If you’re someone who uses a tongue scraper, you can scrape your tongue last. If your teeth and gums are generally healthy, you can brush, floss and rinse in any order. All that matters is that you are at least brushing and flossing regularly no matter the circumstances, so don’t worry so much about the order.”
Smith says you should floss once a day, preferably at night.
Mouthwash is optional, and depends on your individual needs. “If you are cavity prone, a fluoride mouthrinse should generally be the last step in your routine because you want the fluoride to penetrate the enamel tubes of the teeth to shield against the acid formed by cavity-causing bacteria. If you are a person with gum issues, rinsing with an antiseptic mouthwash twice a day for thirty seconds is fine after flossing and before brushing,” says Smith.
A tongue scraper? Twice a day, according to Smith. “I prefer the metal tongue scrapers,” she says.
A water flosser? Once a day, preferably at night. It can be a replacement for flossing as long as it’s used once daily, Smith says. Just make sure you’re using a high enough pressure setting and keeping the tip of the wand at least two to three seconds between each tooth to remove bacteria and debris.
“There have been concerns that alcohol leads to dry mouth, oral cancer and cardiovascular issues because it’s been claimed that it disrupts the balance of bacteria in the mouth, potentially increasing harmful bacteria,” Smith says. “If you are concerned about that, I would look to see if there are any systematic reviews that have proven that alcohol in mouthwash causes these issues.”
She also says that it doesn’t kill all the bacteria in the mouth. “Alcohol mostly burns, which is uncomfortable for some patients,” she says. “It can also exacerbate bad breath due to its drying effects. In that case, an alcohol-free mouthwash is fine. Again, check the ingredients to make sure you don’t have an allergy to any of [them] and choose the mouthrinse that’s best for your individual needs.”
A person can safely whiten their teeth every three to four months, says Smith. “I would recommend brushing twice daily with a sensitive toothpaste for two weeks prior to starting any tooth whitening product as well as consulting with one’s dentist first,” she says.
Meet our dental care expert
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Dr. Kandis Smith, General Dentist and Owner of SmileVana in Easton, Massachusetts.
Why trust NBC Select?
Shalwah Evans is an NBC Select senior editor who oversees daily sales and deals, as well as various series, including 100 Best, Talking Shop and gift guides. She has been covering wellness as it intersects with beauty and lifestyle for more than a decade.
For this story, our staff tested hundreds of oral care products spread out across several weeks and months at a time. We considered various options from popular oral care brands and chose our winners based on a series of qualitative feedback and quantitative data.
Catch up on NBC Select’s in-depth coverage of tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.
