Review (5/5): Better than Sonicare or Interplak
This is the fourth electric toothbrush I've owned in 7-8 years, and is by far my favorite.
I did love my Interplak brushes, which came recommended by my dentist as having the best cleaning action, but they were not durable (hence "brushes" and not "brush"). They say the key to getting an Interplak to last is to not use toothpaste, just dip the brush head into some Listerine. Sorry, but for me that wasn't a satisfying brushing experience.
After two Interplaks died, I moved on to Sonicare. That brush is more durable. My husband is still using it. But when I went to the dentist and told the hygienist who cleaned my teeth that I used a Sonicare, she said that must be the reason my gums were bleeding. In fact, she said pretty much every patient she sees that has bleeding gums is using a Sonicare. I don't think she means that no one can clean their teeth successfully with that brand of brush, but apparently it fails a lot of people.
I did find the Sonicare to be a very tough toothbrush to use because of what I'll call "the splatter factor." I couldn't brush some areas of my mouth very thoroughly without spraying toothpaste everywhere. I can't count the number of times I had to change my shirt after brushing in the morning. Because it was difficult to maneuver, I probably didn't brush my gums the way I should have.
So, my dentist recommended a Braun / Oral B brush. Initially, they recommended a brush that cost more than $100. It had all kinds of bells and whistles, including a digital display that you could affix to your mirror which would tell you how well you were brushing. I decided to first try the Braun technology with this super-affordable model, partly because of my experience changing brushes over the years, and partly because the Oral B web site claimed the exact same plaque removing power (I think 97 percent) for every single brush they offer, regardless of price.
This model has absolutely NO bells or whistles. It doesn't even have the standard LED light on the handle to show you when it's recharging. It just has one button that turns it on and off. That's all I need.
A couple of key differences between the Sonicare and the Oral B brushes:
1) With this Oral B brush, I can use REAL toothpaste.
2) The entire brush head rotates, not the individual brushes. For me, this is more comfortable. It also takes the splatter factor down to about zero.
3) Both brushes have a 2-minute timer, but whereas the Sonicare shuts off after two minutes, this Oral B brush gives a pulsing signal at two minutes and then keeps going. For me personally, this is preferred, because I rarely finish brushing in the two minutes allotted. When I'm done, I hit the power button.
4) The standard brush head is smaller than some. That is by design -- you brush one tooth at a time rather than sweeping the brush across your teeth -- but some might prefer something with more coverage.
It's been several months. My gums are healthier and the battery is going strong. I just bought an additional Vitality brush for my preschool-age son, who's finding it very manageable.
My one real complaint is the same one I have had about every electric toothbrush I've owned, which is that you have to remove the brush head and rinse off the brush mechanism after each use. If you don't, you get a raunchy build-up in that area. I guess there must be something that requires the brushes to be engineered this way, since it's the way all the manufacturers make them. Just be aware of this as you care for your brush.
BOTTOM LINE: You aren't going to beat the value of this brush. It's outstanding technology at a terrific price (and the Amazon price is $3-5 less than what you'll find at retailers).