We Sing the Toothbrush Electric
You might not think that a different type of toothbrush could make a difference- but you’d be wrong. Toothbrush technology has advanced quite a bit even in the last few years, since our last review. Now the issue is more one of trying to figure out which feature you want or need, and which toothbrush works best for you. We’ve been trying out two models over the last few weeks. Both promise to make your teeth cleaner, both are dentist-recommended, feature two year warranties, and are fairly similar in size and even weight. Both even offer 28 or 30 day 100% satisfaction money-back guarantees.
But there are important differences! We’ll start with the Philips Sonicare FlexCare R910, which offers three different modes (for sensitive teeth, extra cleaning, or a massaging mode), as well as the Quadpacer indicator, which simply helps you spend the appropriate amount of time on each section of your mouth (30 seconds on each quadrant, for two minutes total). We liked the long-life battery, which lasted about the suggested two weeks between charges, but thought the options were a bit confusing- MaxCare for extra brushing and GoCare for those moment when you don’t have much time. Most impressive was the fact that brushing was quite comfortable, an advance from earlier models which could leave gums feeling a bit raw after the first few uses.
The Oral-B Triumph ProfessionalCare 9900 doesn’t offer a “quick” option, but does offer two different brush heads- one called “FlossAction” and another called “ProWhite”. It’s biggest other feature is the wireless SmartGuide screen. Meant to help guide your brushing, it also indicates if you are pushing too hard on your teeth, with a pressure sensor alert. The alert is handy at first, and the screen allows you to countdown your session, but it does feel a bit like a gimmick. You can pause and resume, which is neat. There is also a brush head replacement alert- we didn’t get a chance to test it, of course, but it seems useful. Battery life isn’t quite as long as the other model, but is pretty decent.
One other thing to consider when buying a rechargeable toothbrush is the cost of consumables- the brush heads. The Philips offers a 3-pack replacement for around $30. Replacement heads for the Oral-B range in price from $5-$7 depending on the source, which is a fair bit cheaper. Interestingly, the brushes themselves are priced about the same- available $120 each, with the Oral-B a little cheaper. And you do get a screen… but do you really need a screen for your toothbrush? Even we, gadget lovers extraordinaire, found ourselves wondering. We liked the build quality of the Sonicare better, as it felt more solid and durable, but if you have room on your sink and like the lower costs, the Oral-B might triumph.
We sell both of these on www.MailMeDental.com and we have had long and hard discussions about these exact two brushes. We have come to the conclusion that they both have their advantages, but you can’t say that one is better than the other. The Oral-B has an intelligent LCD Display that many of our customers love while the Sonicare seems to be a tiny bit more “robust” and more “aggressive”. But when it comes down to it, we really recommend the one on sale – They are both top of class and you won’t go wrong with either of them.
— MailMeDental · Mar 18, 01:09 AM · #
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— Research Term Papers · Aug 9, 01:58 AM · #