ForthisguideweconstantlytestthelatestelectrictoothbrushesfrommajornameslikeOral-B,PhilipsandSpotlight,aswellasinnovativecontenders.Wetriedvalueoptionsstartingat￡40allthewayupto￡800toothbrushes.Somehavequiteuniquefeatures,includinga365daybatterylife,ananti-bacterialtravelcaseandtonguecleaningsettings.
Youcanfindourfullreviewsfurtherdown,followedbysomeadviceonhowbesttousethem.Butifyou’reinahurry,here’saquicklookatourtopfive:
“Sometoothbrushescombinethetwoactionsandareknownasrotating-oscillating.ThisismypersonalrecommendationtopatientsandwhatIuse.Othermechanismsofactionincludepulsingandsonic.Pulsingandsonicareadditionalfeaturestoarotating,oscillatingorrotating-oscillatingbrush.”
Whenitcomestosonictoothbrushes,you’relookingforanytoothbrushthatdeliversmorethan30,000sonicvibrationsperminutetoencourage‘fluiddynamicactivity’:thisiswherethesonicwavesmassagethesalivaryglands,stimulatingmoresaliva.Thesalivabindswiththewaterandtoothpastetoactasastrongercleaningagent.Combinedwiththesonicvibrationsfromthetoothbrush,thishelpstobetterremoveplaqueandcleanharder-to-reachareasofthemouth.
TestingtheOral-BiO4,Oral-BiO10andtheSurisustainabletoothbrushathomeAftertakingthedentists’expertadvicewetesteddozensoftoothbrushes,eachforaweekminimum,andwhittledthemdowntoourtopnine.Weassessedcleaningpower,design,howcomfortableeachwastoholdandnoiselevel(somecanberattlierthanothers).
Bestoverall9/10
Welike:thatitchecksoffstyle,performanceandvalueformoneyinone
Wedon’tlike:sensitiveonandoffbuttoniseasilyknocked
Spotlight:comeswithaprotectivetravelcaseReviewedbyAbigailBuchanan
Iexpectedalotfromthisbrand,whichwasfoundedbytwocosmeticdentists,andtheSpotlightOralCareSonicToothbrushmorethandelivered.
Ihadneverimaginedthatanelectrictoothbrushcouldbeastylishaccessory,butthisonehasasmooth,ergonomicdesignthat’saminimalist’sdream.Onebrushedsilverbuttonswitchesitoffandon,andtogglesbetweenthreebrushingmodes:‘Sensitive,’‘Clean,’and‘White.’Othertoothbrushesoffermorespeedsettings,butIfoundthistobemorethanenough(andlessconfusing).ItusesSonictechnologythatmovesbristlesside-to-sideatarateofupto48,000repsperminute.
ThereasonIlovethistoothbrushsomuchistheintuitivedesigncoupledwiththefactthatIcanfeelthedeep-cleaningeffects,theclosestI’vegottoahygienist-standardcleanathome.Eventhoughitcleanspowerfully,itdoesn’tfeeltooharshonmygums.Italsohasaremarkablylong-lastingbattery–Istartedbytestingitdailyforfourweeksandonlyhadtochargeitonceinthattime.It’sdefinitelywonapermanentplaceinmybathroomcabinet.
Thebrushheadscomeinthreesizes,andthetoothbrushalsocomeswithapremium-lookingtravelcase.Asafunextra,youcanpersonaliseitwithyourname.Thereareveryfewcons–ifIweretofindone,andthisreallyisnit-picking,itwouldbethatthebuttonisverysensitiveandcaninadvertentlyturnon,especiallywhentravelling.However,that’snotenoughtodetractfromitsall-roundperformance.Asclosetoaperfecttenasyoucanget.
Inthesamerange:
ReviewedbyRebeccaAstill
Costing￡750lessthantheirrange-toppingiO10andusingcheaperreplacementheads,thebestsellingOral-Bmodeloffersperfectlyreliableeverydaycleaning:its3Dbrushmovementstilloscillates,rotatesandpulsesandithasadecentbatterylife,apressuresensorandatwominutetimer.
ThePro3offersthreecleaningmodes(dailyclean,whiteningandsensitive)whichyouclickasimplebuttononthefrontofthetoothbrushtoswitchbetween.Thepreviousmodellackedthewhiteningmodeandhadashorterbatterylife.Therubberisedhandleiscomfortabletohold,anditcomeswithatravelcase.
Itdoesn’thaveallthebellsandwhistlesofOral-B’smoreexpensiveiOseries,butitdoesthejobreliablywell.Thelithium-ionbatterylastsformorethan14days–inpractice,aftersomeuse,Iwouldsaythisismorelikeaweekandabit,butthat’sstilldecentperformanceforsuchanaffordabletoothbrush.YoucanbuythePro3ineitherblackorpinkwithdifferentOral-Bbrushheads,butyoucanswitchbetweenthemasyouseefit.
Slim,sonicandsustainable,that’stheSuritoothbrushinanutshell.Itwasbornoutoffrustrationatthefourmillionelectrictoothbrusheswhichendupinlandfillperyearthankstounrecyclableplasticparts.Suri’sanswerAsturdyaluminiumframe,plant-basedcornstarchheads,andcastoroilbristles.
Surialsorecyclestheheads,freeofcharge,ifthey’resentbackinthepre-paidbiodegradablebagwhichcomeswitheverytoothbrush.Theydoaskthatyoufillitwithatleastfourheads,toreduceunnecessarycarbonoutput.
It’sallexcellentintheory,andsustainabilityhaslackedintheindustryforalongtime,buthowdoesthebrushperformItcleansat33,000sonicvibrationsperminute,whichislessthanthebiggernamesofOral-BandPhilips,butstillabovethe30,000thresholddemandedtoinstigatefluiddynamics.That’sthereactioninyourmouthcausedbythevibrations,whichencouragesyoursalivatobecomeanadditionalcleaningagenttoliftplaqueoffyourteeth.
Thisistheslimmest,mostergonomictoothbrushIhaveeverused.Ifounditeasytomovearoundmymouth,andit’squieterthanotherbrandsI’vetriedat54db.Thoughthebristlesresembleamanualtoothbrush,thesonicvibrationsarequickenoughthatmymouthfeltthoroughlycleanedafterwards.Therechargeablebatterylastsfor40dayspercharge,anditcomeswithaUV-CLEDcleanandchargetravelcasewhichcleverlyself-cleansthebacteriafromthebristles.
Thereareafewnitpicks,thoughnothinghuge.There’snopressuresensortotellyouifyou’repressingtolightlyortoohard,thereareonlytwocleaningmodes,everydaycleanandpolish,andthewarrantyisonlyoneyear,comparedtotwoyearsguaranteedbymosttoothbrushes.You’dhopeasustainableproductcouldbeguaranteedtolastlonger-butthat’snottosayitwon’t.
NoneofthisisenoughtoputmeofftheSuri,andI’vebeencompletelywonoverbythisinnovative,sustainabletoothbrush.
Insidetheboxarethreetypesofheads:onedesignedforpower,oneforsensitivegumsandsingleheadswithasmallconcentratedcircleofbristlesforgumlineandtooth-by-toothcleaning.Anyonewithbraces,bracketretainersorimplantsshouldfindthisheadparticularlyuseful;Imanagedtogetareallyprecisecleanbetweenmyteeth,leavingmewithafeelingthatalmostreplicatedtheaftermathofseeinganoralhygienist.
Thistoothbrushcertainlylivesuptoitsappearance.It’sstrayedawayfromthesleekaestheticofothermoderntoothbrushes–that’snottosayit’sugly,justnotslimandmetallic–instead,itprioritisesperformance.
The30-daybatterylifeisn’tthemostimpressive,butitstillsurpassesmostOralBsandlet’snotforgethowpowerfulthistoothbrushis,with84,000movementsperminuteatitshighestsetting.
ReviewedbyAbigailBuchanan
It’stemptingtosaythatthisisthebestelectrictoothbrushoutthere.Thereasonithasn’twonthetopspotisbecauseit’sveryexpensiveand,onbalance,theSpotlightOralCareandSuriofferabetterbalanceofperformanceandaffordability.
Foryourmoney,yougetaverypremium-feelingproduct.TheSonicare9900comesin‘midnight’or‘champagne’withasmall,compactchargeabletravelcase.Atfirstglance,itseemsslightlylackinginbrushingmodes(itjusthasthreespeedsthatyoutogglebetweenbytouchingabuttononthefrontofthebrush).However,the‘SenseIQ’technologymeansthattheoscillationandspeedautomaticallyadjustsbasedonthepressure,motionandcoverageofyourindividualbrushingstyle.
Likemostpremiumelectrictoothbrushes,it’sbasedonsonictechnology,andthebristlesmoveupto62,000timesasyouclean.TheAI-basedPhilipsSonicareappthengivesreal-timefeedbackandpersonalisedrecommendations.
ThePhilipsbrushheadfeelsespeciallypremium,too.It’sdesignedforall-in-onecleaningwithangledbristlesforhardtoreachareasandtriangulartipstoremovesurfacestains.ItmaybebecauseI’msoimpressedbythelookandfeelofthebrush,butafteroneusemyteethfeelhygienistcleanand–Iswear–lookslightlywhiter.
ReviewedbySimonLewis
IfyouthoughtthePhilipsSonicarewasexpensive,holdontoyourhat.Atfullprice,Oral-B’srange-toppingiO10costs￡800.Thatissuchaninsaneamountofmoneytospendonatoothbrushthatit’shardtoimaginewhothetargetmarketis.However,havinguseditforamonth,IthinkIcanseewhyitexists.It’sthetoothbrushyourdentistwouldwantyoutouse.Allthosethingsshetellsyoutodo,andyoufibthatyouwill,fromflossingandmouthwashingtogumandtonguecare,aremuchmorelikelytohappenwhenyouusetheiO10anditsall-encompassingapp.
Thebrushitselfishighquality,asyou’dhope.Ithasasmoothmagneticstandthatholdsachargeforaroundtwoweeks.Theheadisslimmerthanotherbrushesandmoreeasilyreachesthehard-to-brushbackteethandinnersurfaces.ItvibratesatamuchhigherfrequencythantheOral-BProI’vebeenusingforyears.Thefeelisreminiscentofgoingtothedentalhygienistforadeepclean.
It’squitefunandyougetareportattheend,usedtosetcleaningchallengesandwinmedals.It’sthesame‘game-ification’thatthelanguage-learningappDuolingousestomakeyousticktoyourgoals.Youcanchoosea‘journey’–freshbreath,plaquefighter,whitening,gumhealthororthocare–eachwithdifferentadviceanddifferentcleaningmodestouse.
Thetroubleis,whohastheirphonewiththemwhenthey’rebrushingtheirteethUnder-25s,possibly.Butaretheythedemographicwith￡800tospendonabrush
It’strueyoucanstillgettheprogressreportsand‘journeys’ifyouleaveyourphoneinthebedroom–thetoothbrushtalkstotheappviaBluetooth–butinpracticeIfoundthatIstoppedbotheringafterafewdays.Ontheplusside,thosefewdays’guidancewereenoughtochangehowIbrushmyteeth.Ispendmuchlongeroneachzonenow,tryingtogetthelittlesmileyfaceonthetoothbrush’sbuilt-inscreenthatsaysI’vedonewell.
Ifweonlywentbyquality,theiO10wouldbeonthetopofourlist.Butwehavetotakepriceintoconsiderationandwe’renotgoingtopretendthat￡300–orthe￡800it’susuallysoldfor–isanywherenearreasonable.It’spossiblethattheiO10’struepurposeatthetopoftheOral-Brangeistomaketheothers(liketheiO3,below)looklikeabargainbycomparison.Inwhichcase,fine.We’llcallthisthetheoreticalnumberonetoothbrush.
Oral-B’siO3toothbrushissimilartotheiO10,minusafewbrushingmodes,AItrackingandthequickchargingtime.Ifthey’reallthingsyoucanlivewithout,I’dhighlyrecommendtheiO3,whichstillcomeswiththreebrushingmodes(dailyclean,whitening,sensitive).Ifyou’reanythinglikeme,you’llplayaroundwiththemtostartwithbutdefaulttothedailycleaneverydayanyway.
Onehandyfeaturewhichwehadn’tseenintheiO4isthebrushheadreplacementreminder.AnorangeLEDlightatthebottomofthecontrolpanelwillflashwhenthebrushheadneedstobechanged.Thetopofthehandlealsohasapressuresensor,flashinggreenorredaccordingtohowhardyou’repressing.
Thetoothbrushusessonictechnology,althoughitpulsesatalowerfrequencythanthemoreexpensivemodelsabove(40,000pulsesperminute).However,myteethwerestillleftfeelingsqueakyclean,andIespeciallylikedhowthebrushhasacentralsiliconebristletohelpwithremovingsurfacestains.
Ithasmorethanenoughfeaturesforeventhemostscrupulousofbrushers–fourbrushingmodes(Clean,White,MassageandSensitive),atwo-minutetimerandaseriouslyimpressivethreeweekbatterylife.ThesleekdesignisnotunlikethePhilipsSonicarePrestigetoothbrushand,althoughitdoesn’tfeelquiteaspremium,it’sanexcellenttoothbrushataveryniceprice.
ForamoreaffordablePhilipsSonicaretoothbrush,considerthe7900.It’sdesignedtobeespeciallygentleongumsandisjustasnicetoholdasthetop-of-the-rangePhilips9900model,butcostslessthanhalfasmuch.However,Ifounditslightlyrattly–italmostsoundsasthoughit’sgoingtotakeoffinyourmouth.Plus,thissoundspernickety,butthesmallgapbetweenthebrushheadandthehandleisapoordesignchoice:itmakesyouthinkyouhaven’tattachedtheheadproperly.
Thatbeingsaid,itcertainlydeliversoncleaningperformance,withapared-backselectionofpremiumfeatures:fourbrushingmodesandthreeintensities,includingaspecialistgumcaresetting.Ireallylikethatthesearedisplayedonthehandle-noneedtodownloadasillyapp(althoughthereisaSonicareappifyoureallywantit).Theovalbrushheadissmallandnimbleandthehandleislight.Italmostfeelsasthoughit’sdesignedwithadaintiercustomerinmindthanOral-B’schunkiermodels.
There’sapressuresensorandquadranttimer,bothindicatedbyariseinpitch,andthebatteryreliablylastsfortwoweeks.MinecamewithfourW2OptimialWhitebrushheadsinthebox,butyoucanswaptheseoutforC3PlaqueDefenceheadswhichareabitmorebristly.Foranelectrictoothbrusharoundthe￡100mark,thisisaworthycontender–especiallyifyoulikepink.(Italsocomesinblackorwhite.)
TheSilk’nSonicYouelectrictoothbrushinitiallycaughtmyeyebecauseoftheattractivepearlescentbody.Ihadn’theardofthebrandbefore,butthey’vemadeabrushthatcloselyresemblesourBestBuy,theSpotlightSonic,albeitalittlebulkier.
Itfeaturesthesamethreecleaningmodesofsensitive,cleanandwhite,accessiblebypressingthebuttontoflickthroughthesettings,andnudgesyouwithachangeinfrequencyevery30secondstoremindyoutomovethebrushheadaroundyourmouth.
Thebatterylifeiscertainlyimpressive,lastingforupto300daysifyouusetheleastintensesensitivemodetwiceadayfortwominutes.That’salmostaslongastheForeoIssa3below.Ifoundthebrushheadalittlebulky,butthebristleswerefirmenoughforagoodclean.Ifyouhavesensitivegums,you’llbepleasedtoknowtheboxalsocomeswithasoftbrushhead,wherethebristleshavealittlemoregive.
It’sreasonablypricedforasonictoothbrushthatIthinkbothfeelsandbehaveslikeapremiumproduct.
ThisuniqueelectrictoothbrushisfromFOREO,abrandthatusuallymakeshigh-techfacebrushes.Ithasasimilar‘beautytech’vibe,withasmoothsiliconehandleandcurvydesign(twotimesstrongersiliconethanthepreviousversion).It’sverysimpletosetupanduse,andhasanunbelievablylongbatterylifeof365dayspercharge(no,Idon’tquiteknowhowthatworks,either–butit’strue.I’veneverhadtochargeit).Thatmakesitagreattoothbrushfortravel.
Thebrushispoweredbysonicpulsetechnologythatcleansatamaximumof11,000pulsationsperminute.TheheadismadeofsiliconeandPBTpolymerbristles,whicharenowsuperflexible,whichgivesitaverydifferentfeeltoothertoothbrushes.Unliketheothers,you’resupposedtouseitlikearegulartoothbrush,scrubbingupanddownandincirclesratherthanholdingitagainsttheteeth.
Iwanttoloveit,butI’mnotsureIdo,astheheadisquitewidewhichmakesithardtoreachallthenooksandcrannies-althoughithasbeenstreamlinedfromtheISSA2.Ithasahugerangeof16differentspeedsettings,althoughthey’renotseparatedintodedicated‘modes’assuch,andIactuallyfoundthat16istoomany.Ithasanintervaltimer,whichpromptsyoutomovetoadifferentareaofyourmouthevery30secondsforathoroughclean,butagainnopressuresensor.
Thatbeingsaid,Idothinkit’sagoodoptionforanyonewithgumsensitivities.Thesiliconebristlesaresosoftandflexible,theygentlysweepacrossyourteethandgums,andthoughitallfeelsalittleweird,mymouthdoesfeelcleanafteruse.
Forthepasttwoweeks,mytwoyoungsonshavebeenusingtheSquishmallowsOrdoSonicKidstoothbrush.I’vepreviouslymanuallybrushedtheirteethwithatraditionaltoothbrushandhavetriedamultitudeoftacticstogetthemtobrushfortherecommendedtwominutes.
So,Iwasexcitedtotrythetoothbrushestoseeifthey’dbringabitoffunandeasetooneofthetrickiestpartsofmyday.Mytwosonswerethrilledwiththefunanimaldesignsofthetoothbrushes(wetriedthewhaleandcat)andafterexplainingthattheywereinfactforbrushingwith,andnotusingastoys,theyreallyenjoyedusingthem.
Theboxincludestwodifferenttypesofbrushes:theovalheadissuitableformostkidswhiletheroundbrushisbestforsmallermouths.Thetoothbrushalsohasthreelightsonthehandletogiveyourchildanideaoftheirprogress.Myolderson,whoissixyearsold,especiallylikedthisdetailandthefunlittlesoundyougetattheendofthetwominutesisveryrewarding.
Anelectrictoothbrushisalittletrickierwithsmallerchildren-it’ssuitablefromtheageoffour-asmyyoungersonkepttryingtobrushreallyquicklywithhis(inthewayhewouldatraditionaltoothbrush).Butthatchallengeaside,thisisafunwaytoencourageyourchildtoformgoodteeth-cleaninghabits.
Ahugenumberofusthesedaysusealigners,retainers,nightguards,denturesandotherin-mouthappliances,butthey’reirregularlyshaped,oftenverydelicate(babysteriliserwillsimplymeltsomeofthem)andreallyhardtokeepclean.Ploppingtheminaglasswithsomesteradenthelps,buttheystilltendtogoyellowyovertime.
SonicSpaProcleansusingultrasonicwaves.Thesecreatemicroscopicbubblesthatdislodgedirtfromeverynookandcranny,usingthesameprincipleassonictoothbrushesbutatanevenhigherfrequencyof43,000Hertz.ThemachinealsocontainsapowerfulUV-Clightwhichkills99.9percentofbacteriaandviruses.
Wetrieditfirstonasetoftooth-whiteningmouldswhichhadseenbetterdays.Wesetittoafive-minute‘deepclean’(asopposedtothethree-minutequickclean),andlistenedtoitsfairlyloud,toothbrush-stylebuzzwonderingwhetheritwouldbeworththemoney.Weweregenuinelystunnedwhenthemouldscameoutlookingbrandnew.Thesamehappenedwithmum’ssetofdentures.
Wenowpopourtoothbrushheadsinherewheneverwe’rerechargingthetoothbrush.Itmaylooklikeagimmick,butthisisausefulpieceofkittohaveathomeifyouhaveanykindof‘mouth-gear’you’vebeenwonderinghowtoclean.