Which electric toothbrush?

[inlimbo]

I was brushing my teeth this morning and realised that im stuck in the past, well at least with respect to dental hygiene. Further, a family friend came over today and asked my how my PB was going. I said "it is the best thing I have ever bought." And she replied that the best thing that she had bought is her Braun electric toothbrush. So I want one! Everyone raves about them.

So what do u guys recommend? I don't know what model my family friend was using (she's a crazy old english women and couldn't remember - bless her). Her Braun one also had some sort of jet which spits water in between your teeth? I dunno what its called? I want that!

I read someone raving about their Crest Spinbrush Pro. What do you recommend? I want a good one with all the best features - spare no expense :p

Cheers
inlimbo

P.S. I know this is a bit of a bizarre thread but I know that macrumors members are a bit bizarre. :)

[James Philp]

I recently got one too. An oral-b one with rechargeable batteries and "docking station" - i can't tell the difference between the actual brush in my (the cheapest) version or the top-of-the-range ones (£100) - just the charging units.
Decent! my :D is getting whiter!

[inlimbo]

Ha Ha cherrs James. What model is yours? Yeah I want one with a docking station and not have to replace batteries all the time.

[James Philp]

Economical - good man!
It's called the Oral-B "Professional Care xxxx" - cant remember the number, sorry! It appears the electronics are made by Braun, it was the cheapes of the range in the supermarket, but like I say, the actual toothbrush part seems identical from the £35 model to the £80 one. The charging stations seem to get bigger so you can have a little space for storage - meh point?
Picture attached.

[Abstract]

I was using those Colgate electric toothbrushes that take AA batteries and cost around $7 USD, or around 5 quid, etc etc.

They worked great. I really don't see the need to buy such expensive toothbrushes when the electric I had was so cool. Problem with them is that they die on you every year or so, but big deal.

[Sun Baked]

Since you're upgrading your toothbrush...

Next, you'll have to splurge and upgrade to one of the Japanese computer controlled bidets.

And keep both ends of your body clean using current technology. ;)

Note: I'm still stuck in the past myself, since I can't afford the best equipment money can buy. :(

[inlimbo]

Since you're upgrading your toothbrush...

Next, you'll have to splurge and upgrade to one of the Japanese computer controlled bidets.

And keep both ends of your body clean using current technology. ;)

Note: I'm still stuck in the past myself, since I can't afford the best equipment money can buy. :(

Ha Ha ... Hopefully it doesn't go that far!

[iGary]

Amateurs.... :rolleyes:

http://www.sharperimage.com/all/en/images/products/ON414-MI.JPG

Sonicare all the way. :cool:

[joecool85]

I use the spinbrush pro but I had my dentist appointment a couple days ago and found out that I should probably switch back to a regular toothbrush since my "gums [were] showing signs of wearing."

[sourcemonkey]

Amateurs.... :rolleyes:

http://www.sharperimage.com/all/en/images/products/ON414-MI.JPG

Sonicare all the way. :cool:

i guess i must have been out of the loop on this dental technology. the pro-spec brush with the jet system looks great - ill check it out. I'm using that 'new' listerine citrus mouthwash at the moment. its a refreshing change: i recommend tryng that in conjunction with the new brush. :D

[efoto]

Amateurs.... :rolleyes:

http://www.sharperimage.com/all/en/images/products/ON414-MI.JPG

Sonicare all the way. :cool:

I wish I remember the source, but in a recent dental trial (according to my Dentist) the Oral-B Professional Series (7845 or something :p) beat the latest Sonicare for daily cleaning and is now most recommended by dental professionals (my office sells both so I assume not bias). I had a Sonicare for years, then the battery just died one day (think my ex-gf dropped the damn thing) so when I was looking again my dentist told me all that crap, and I bought an Oral-B, and I LOVE IT. In all honesty, I prefer it to the Sonicare, although I am sure both give you a very good cleaning over a 'manual' brush.

[James Philp]

This has to be one of the most bizarre threads ever!?
I want a brush that records movement relative to my teeth that I can sync with my Mac to do a Formula-1 style analysis of my "best" brushing and my average cover and warning areas that i did not cover in the last brush! :D

[jsw]

I have a Sonicare elite, and wouldn't trade it for any other. I had an older Sonicare for years - years - and eventually decided I wanted a different one. It kept on working like a trooper, but well over half a decade of use - dropping it, etc. - made it too beat-up looking.

I bought a new elite last year, and expect to use this one until it too becomes to beat up. I suspect they never actually die....

[jsw]

BTW, the Sonicare bested (http://www.sonicare.com/professionals/research/elite_vs_soniccomplete.asp) the Oral-B for plaque removal.

It's a study hosted on the Philips site, so I'm sure it's not biased or anything. ;)

I'm guessing that the Sonicare and Oral-B are both about as good as each other. I know the Sonicares have traditionally been built like tanks and lasted forever... just my personal experience.

[mpw]

...I want a brush that records movement relative to my teeth that I can sync with my Mac...

Would that be by Bluetooth?

[jsw]

Would that be by Bluetooth?
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR... of course.

[James Philp]

I prefer firewire 800 - so i can get them instantly - and charge the batteries too! :D

[Dreamkatcha]

I thought electric toothbrushes were great too... right up until the point where I had to have enamel substitute glued to half a dozen of my teeth to repair the damage they cause. :mad:

You don't realize how abrasive they can be when you're putting zero effort into brushing your teeth. I've since gone back to using a very soft manual brush. I really wish I hadn't seen that special promotional offer at Argos.

[wowser]

The best ones are with the circular brush-heade, like the Brauns (and unlike the Sonicare pictured), which rotate back and forth quickly. So, Brauns are best.

[takao]

i second that got a lot recommadations for the Braun as well heard no complaints so far

[Daveway]

I've been using a Sonicare for about 5 yearsnow. I'm very pleased with the Sonicares, I'm on my second. My dentist tells me they're the best.

[Abstract]

For all you people spending lots of money on toothbrushes, I hope you floss. Its as important as brushing.

I brush (manually) and floss AND use mouthwash, and I probably do a better job at cleaning my teeth than anybody who only uses an electric toothbrush. I don't even get morning breath because the mouthwash probably makes my mouth uninhabitable by bacteria. :cool:

[wdlove]

I use a Braun Ultra Plak Control rechargeable tooth brush. Have been using it for almost two years.

[bbarnhart]

My wife and I use a Sonicare... don't know which one. It's about a year old. Works great. My teeth feel 5x cleaner than with a manual toothbrush.

[Nuc]

I wish I remember the source, but in a recent dental trial (according to my Dentist) the Oral-B Professional Series (7845 or something :p) beat the latest Sonicare for daily cleaning and is now most recommended by dental professionals (my office sells both so I assume not bias). I had a Sonicare for years, then the battery just died one day (think my ex-gf dropped the damn thing) so when I was looking again my dentist told me all that crap, and I bought an Oral-B, and I LOVE IT. In all honesty, I prefer it to the Sonicare, although I am sure both give you a very good cleaning over a 'manual' brush.
I'll try to explain this to the best of my ability... My wife has explained to me (she's a dental hygienist)... The Oral-B is only effective if you brush each individual tooth thoroughly (this is what the tests/trials are based on), also it is harsh on your gums (e.g. tears them up). She has seen a lot of patients that use either the sonicare or the Oral-B. The results she has seen are that the sonicare works the best overall. She can tell the difference and sonicare has the best results. She says that overall, people are lazy and don't brush each tooth individually, so therefore the Oral-B is not as effective as the sonicare. The sonicare is more gentle on the gum and gives the best results clinically. I've been using the sonicare since high school and I would never switch! With the sonicare your done in two minutes (30 seconds for each quadrant).

In my opinion get the sonicare elite, not the new one that has self dispensing toothpaste. I saw the prices for the toothpaste for it :eek: plus the thing is huge.

Nuc

[Leareth]

Get the soniccare elite. I have never had my teeth clean so well as after using this little sucker. I am not a big fan of electric toothbrushes but this baby has changed my mind, the timer feature is great, so you spend equal amounts of time on each part of mouth and thirty extra seconds for tough spots, combined with flossing and tongue scraper, and wow!!! I have been using it for 6 weeks and I am not going back to manual tootbrushes ( kinda like going over to mac from pc's)
my teeth, quite white to begin with, are so much whiter and that wonderful super clean feeling oohhh...
I am going to go brush my teeth now... : )

[absolut_mac]

Which electric toothbrush?

A few points which nobody seems to have touched on....

The Oral *B* has a smaller head, hence those people who don't have big jaws (pun intended) will be able to clean their molars and wisdom teeth better.

I have also heard that the Oral *B* is a lot easier to clean than the Sonicare, which apparently has a lot of gunk build-up internally.

Any Sonicare owners care to comment on this aspect of their toothbrushes?

As for hurting the gums with either, I believe that most damage is caused by incorrect usage (excessive pressure etc), and over enthusiasm due to the pleasant feeling of having mirror clean teeth.

[wowser]

Oh no, you darned Sonicare people have turned up and want a fight! ;)

[sourcemonkey]

what? could this be another innocuous thread turning into another fanboy battle? - ;) :D

[quagmire]

Get the sonicare. I have one. Actually the cheapest of the group, and it cleans my teeth perfectly. While, the head gets gunk stuck inside itself, the machine itself is still clean like a whistle. Get the Sonicare. And have invisible waves clean your teeth!

[scem0]

I use an Oral B 'Cross Action' toothbrush I got at Walgreens for $5.99 and it works great. Uses a single double a. It works and is more than a 10th of the cost of many of its competitors.

scem0

[efoto]

I'll try to explain this to the best of my ability... My wife has explained to me (she's a dental hygienist)... The Oral-B is only effective if you brush each individual tooth thoroughly (this is what the tests/trials are based on), also it is harsh on your gums (e.g. tears them up). She has seen a lot of patients that use either the sonicare or the Oral-B. The results she has seen are that the sonicare works the best overall. She can tell the difference and sonicare has the best results. She says that overall, people are lazy and don't brush each tooth individually, so therefore the Oral-B is not as effective as the sonicare. The sonicare is more gentle on the gum and gives the best results clinically. I've been using the sonicare since high school and I would never switch! With the sonicare your done in two minutes (30 seconds for each quadrant).

In my opinion get the sonicare elite, not the new one that has self dispensing toothpaste. I saw the prices for the toothpaste for it :eek: plus the thing is huge.

Nuc

I thought everyone brushed their teeth on an individual basis. Afterall 'teeth' is a grouping of 'tooth', so brushing one's teeth to me implies brushing tooth by tooth. If you don't read it this way, you should because its better for your oral health, no matter what brush/toothpaste you decide to use.

I had a Sonicare and I liked it (although as stated, the brush head size is much larger than the Oral-B, so small-mouth people watch out), but it started having some problems (after perhaps 5 years, imagine that :rolleyes: ) so when I had to buy again, I decided to switch (like going to Mac, you Sonic people will learn eventually, Oral-B = Mac :p )

I really like the smaller brush-head as it makes getting on each tooth feel easier and more effective, INSTEAD of feeling like I am brushing an entire quadrant I feel like I am brushing a tooth. The key with any of these is to let the technology do the brushing, not your hand. You do not need to apply great pressure. You need to let the Sonic/Oral-B-eee actions cleanse your teeth, not your over-applied muscle.

I think any selection is fine, it all comes down to how you use it. Also noted above, flossing is just as important so make sure to do that too. My dentist told me that if people flossed daily they wouldn't even worry about what type of toothbrush they had because they would notice huge differences. I floss every other day (at the very least) and worry about my toothbrush....and I love the results. ZERO CAVITIES, ZERO FILLINGS, ZERO DENTAL WORK! My parents got me into a good habit, and I kept it up because I like the feeling of a clean mouth. See, check out these pearly whites :D

Edit: On a similar note, I drink a decent amount of coffee and a lot of wine (specifically red), very little soda, and a lot of beer too :D, but due to the tendancy of coffee/dark liquids to stain, my dentist recommended a off-the-shelf tooth-whitener for even brighter teeth. I tried the paint-on Oral-B stuff, didn't like it. I recently tried the Crest White Strips Professional and they worked great. Just thought I would throw that in, since it is oral-hygene related.

[inlimbo]

I wont to get a sonicare but I dont know if u can get them in Australia. I did a quick search but havent been able to find them! I know I could just buy one from the US, but when it comes to buying new brushes and parts its going to be a major headache.

Edit: On a similar note, I drink a decent amount of coffee and a lot of wine (specifically red), very little soda, and a lot of beer too :D, but due to the tendancy of coffee/dark liquids to stain, my dentist recommended a off-the-shelf tooth-whitener for even brighter teeth. I tried the paint-on Oral-B stuff, didn't like it. I recently tried the Crest White Strips Professional and they worked great. Just thought I would throw that in, since it is oral-hygene related.

I thought those things were a wank. Do they actually whiten your teeth? If they did I was afraid they would probably damage them. i.e. they may contain too much bleach (or whatever they use) I think I would rather go to the dentist and get him to whiten my teeth rather than buying something from the supermarket. But maybe I am wrong.. im no dentist.

I do drink a lot of coffee nowadays and have taken up smoking - im a stressed student. So maybe this is something I should look into.

[jnicolso1]

I think I will also look for one of the sonicare ones they look cool

[iGary]

I've had the Oral-B toothbrushes and they don't begin to compare to Sonicare.

The Sonicare had noticably whitened my teeth, removed a good bit of tartar, and at my last cleaning my hygenist was amazed. She hardly had to do anything.

Get the Sonicare Elite, you won't soon regret it. :D

[yippy]

Sonicare offers smaller brush heads for people with smaller mouths, so the head size argument is moot. (I am a Sonicare person as well)

[cleo]

Those of you with the Sonicare Elite... is it any lighter than the "old" Sonicares? I've been using mine for about 8 years and totally love it, but it would be nice to brush my teeth with something slightly less heavy than a truck. :)

[drison]

Amateurs.... :rolleyes:

http://www.sharperimage.com/all/en/images/products/ON414-MI.JPG

Sonicare all the way. :cool:

Yep, my wife and I been using ours the last 3 years and get good remarks from the dentist every 6 months.
-Dave

[iGary]

Those of you with the Sonicare Elite... is it any lighter than the "old" Sonicares? I've been using mine for about 8 years and totally love it, but it would be nice to brush my teeth with something slightly less heavy than a truck. :)

It is much lighter Becky. Understand why you'd want something light.

[mac-er]

Any brush with the round heads that rotate (like the Oral B) have been proven to be the most effective brushes.