A Guide to the Best Electric Toothbrushes
Oral hygiene is important. Besides the risk of tooth decay and developing cavities, it’s also important to remove plaque along the gum line. Plaque deposits near the gums can lead to serious gum infections, such as gingivitis and periodontitis, which can eventually lead to the loss of teeth. So, a good toothbrush is essential. And today’s electric toothbrushes offer features that your good ol’ toothbrush can’t touch! Even dentists and oral hygienists recommend them as being preferable over manual toothbrushes.
Electric toothbrushes are not just an answer for people who are too lazy to brush their teeth. Electric toothbrushes nowadays are equipped to oscillate in ways that remove plaque more efficiently. A study indicated that an electric toothbrush can achieve 22% less receding of gums, and 18% less tooth decay, than in subjects who used manual toothbrushes. And many are equipped with sensors to ensure that you don’t brush too aggressively. They also have timers to make sure that you won’t brush too long, which can also damage your gums.
We’ll go through some of the options among the Best Reviews Guide list of the best electric toothbrushes. They can save you a lot of money, as well as the anguish, on visits to the dentist!
Types of Electric Toothbrushes
We’ll see a great variety of features among electric toothbrushes. There will be many bristle types, as well as differences in how the brush oscillates. For simplicity, we can distinguish between electric toothbrushes by how they are powered:
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Replaceable batteries: You can get a no-frills electric toothbrush that uses replaceable AA batteries. You’ll have to replace the batteries, but at least it’s not dependent on having a recharger in the area. An example is the Oral-B Pro Expert Battery-Powered Toothbrush.
Oral-B Pro Expert Battery-Powered Toothbrush
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Rechargeable batteries: You’ll see two main ways of recharging electric toothbrushes:
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With a charger base: This type uses inductive charging, where a varying magnetic field generated in the base unit induces a current in the unit containing the toothbrush. That induced current is what charges up the toothbrush’s battery. There is no electrical contact between the base unit and the toothbrush. That makes it safer in areas near water, like near your sink, since the base unit is usually IPX7 waterproof. But, without that base unit, you can’t charge up your toothbrush. Oral-B toothbrushes typically use this type of charger, such as the Oral-B Pro 1000 Power Electric Toothbrush. (There are manufacturers who make the recharger base unit that you can purchase separately.)
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Oral-B Pro 1000 Power Electric Toothbrush, with the charger base unit
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USB rechargeable: There are also electric toothbrushes that can be charged by means of a USB cable. This allows you a lot more options to recharge your toothbrush: from your computer, laptop, or with a wall adapter. Most toothbrush manufacturers will mention that you’ll have to get the wall adapter separately. The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige Power Toothbrush uses a USB cable into a carrying case to recharge your toothbrush. It also has a recharger base like the Oral-B products, as another charging option. But the base unit also has a USB connection.
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Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige Power Toothbrush
What reviewers say
Here are some impressions of customers regarding the electric toothbrush that they chose:
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Removes stains and odor as well: One customer who bought the Philips Sonicare Prestige 9900 said that they never got their teeth as clean as when they used this brush. Also, it can successfully remove stains due to drinking coffee or tea, as well as remove bacteria that cause bad breath.
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Turn on the brush while it’s in your mouth: A customer who bought the Oral-B Genius 7000 Electric Toothbrush said that after applying toothpaste, turn the brush on only when it’s already in your mouth, behind your lips. This is because the oscillating will fling toothpaste in all directions!
Important Features
Here are some features of the best electric toothbrushes that we reviewed:
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Pressure sensor: It’s important to brush–but many people damage their gums by brushing too vigorously. This can cause the gums to recede, exposing the sensitive parts of the tooth. Many electric toothbrushes have a pressure sensor to stop the toothbrush’s oscillations if you press too hard.
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Battery life: Brushing too much can harm your gums as well. The best electric toothbrushes have a timer function, that ensures that you only brush for 2 minutes at a time. Some brushes will give you 7 days of battery life on a single charge. That’s enough for 2 minutes per brush, twice a day. But there is also the Brightline Rechargeable Sonic Electric Toothbrush, which allows you 25 days of use on a single charge!
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Intensity settings: Some electric toothbrushes let you select the intensity of the brushing. The Brightline Rechargeable Sonic Electric Toothbrush lets you adjust the intensity, and it remembers that intensity for the next time you brush. The Foreo Issa 3 Rechargeable Toothbrush has 16 different intensities!
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Replaceable heads: You’ll have to replace the actual brush regularly, around every 3 months or so. So you’ll want a brand of toothbrush which offers enough replacement heads. Also, there are toothbrushes which have different heads for different functions. The Oral-B Pro 1000 has heads for floss action, 3-D white, sensitive gum care, precision clean, and more.
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Smartphone app: The Philips Sonicare Prestige 9900 Toothbrush is a very hi-tech model, which hooks up to your smartphone via an app that tells you which parts of your mouth need more care!
Final Verdict
We looked at some of the options among the best electric toothbrushes. Some are quite economical, costing no more than $50. That’s a small investment, considering how much it costs to fill a cavity or perform a root canal! And even the expensive, hi-tech models can help you maintain proper dental hygiene habits. Check out the offerings in the Best Reviews Guide list, and select one today!
