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ok so No.1 says she would like an electric toothbrush for the upcoming birthday. Now I remember having one many years ago, it was great but battery life was a bit pants and over time I have gone back to manual. A quick google seems to offer an eye watering number of costly and not so costly options, so where do i start? She made noises about Oral B having a recycling program for the brushes, that sounds good. I see a brand that claims extreme run times and usb charging, that also sounds good but all these things are serious money. Actually stupid money.
So what have you got that suits my meagre means?
I've just got a Lidl 'Nevadent' one that takes Sonicare heads. I prefer the Sonicare style buzz to the clatter of Oral-B.
The Nevadent seems just as good as the old Sonicare (can't remember how/why that died) and is nicer than the Oral B it replaced (battery was rubbish), but was cheap. It was only a few weeks ago so there might be some knocking about in store still.
Whichever Oral B is on sale. You pay twice the price for one bundled with a different head and they're all interchangeable.
Yeah, I got a basic oral b which takes various heads, and tried a couple til I found heads I like, sorted. Battery life isn't amazing but it's plugless charging so it's no bother
(well, wee bit more bother since my new place doesn't have a power outlet in the bathroom so I can't just plonk it back on charge. But still a minor thing)
I find that Sonicare are easier to keep clean and the battery can last two weeks. All the bells and whistles are pointless. Looks like you can recycle the brush heads. The heads are more expensive than oral b but I think they're meant to last twice as long. Tesco always used to do a cheaper brush head replacement that worked fine. I've always bought in a sale from Boots and never spent more than £50, they have one reduced to £40 at the moment
Since Oral-B went from Ni-Mh to Li-ion batteries the runtime is fine and the batteries last far longer (many years). So no reason not to get one. The more expensive ones add utterly pointless features like Bluetooth connectivity, so don't actually clean your teeth any better. I was going to bore you with a load more advice, but a quick glance at their website shows that for the first time in about 20 years they've actually updated the product, so all my Oral-B toothbrush experience is now obsolete. That's progress, I guess.
Sonicare here. 7 years old. Charge lasts a week (2 mins, twice per day). Cheap unbranded heads from Amazon last 3 weeks. I'd get another.
For what it's worth my dentist says my gum health is 'excellent' now, 7 years ago he tutted. Although, what he can tell in the 30 seconds he actually spends looking in my mouth every 6 months is anyone's guess... But I hoping I'm getting something for my £38.
My Philips Sonicare just stopped working after several years and I decided to go with an Oral B Io. More features than is necessary but quieter than Oral B used to be. I hated the gap between handle and head in the Philips, which always went manky. Prefer the closer fit of the Oral B. Sonic vs rotational head I think is personal preference. You could really do with starting with a specific budget.
The hygienist at my dentist gives me much higher scores since I changed from an OralB to a Sonicare.
Get a Lion battery powered one, also I find a pressure sensor (fires a red light at you if you apply too much pressure) is useful, and last week the hygienist checked I had one due to receding gums. (She also told me last time to get a water flosser as I can't get interdental brushes between my teeth, that seems good after 4 months but does have a Nihm battery that only lasts a week 🙁
Oral B with 30s timer. I thought the timer was a bit of a gimmick but it’s very useful for each mouth quadrant. The Bluetooth connectivity and pressure sensing are a little superfluous if you already have good technique. Don’t spend to much. And the charging stands always go manky and need regular cleaning.
TeePee silicone sticks for inter-dental flossing have been a revelation too. And they last a few days. Unlike some others I tried.
I got given a Oral-B 'Genius X'. I think it was failry expensive. It has 2 advantages over my older lithium powered one:
- a deep clean mode: it spins much quicker and clears a bit better. Well - my teeth feel cleaner but I dont use it every day.
- a battery level indicator (how on earth do they no have that on all their models FFS!)
If if was my own money: maybe I would get another just for the deep clean option.
The bluetooth / AI / video your teeth thing is a total waste IMO.