Review (5/5): Very good electric toothbrush
I have owned and used the Oral B Sonic Complete model S-200 for nearly three years. I should note that a lot of this review is probably applicable to the S-320 model as well.
When I first started using the toothbrush, it took a while to get used to the sonic vibrations in my mouth. It was a very unusual sensation--almost tickled--and made me laugh, but I soon got used to it after about a week. Interestingly, when my girlfriend first started using it she had the same experience, couldn't stop laughing.
I noticed immediately that my teeth felt much cleaner, very smooth. It was effortless to clean my teeth since the toothbrush did all the real work. One thing I noticed that was not advertised was that in addition to the 2-minute timer (three long pauses), the brush also indicates 30-second intervals (one short pause), which I found very helpful for timing even brushing around all my teeth.
I purchased replacement heads at regular intervals, and would recommend the soft heads. After about two years of using the brush, I noticed some small areas at the base of a few teeth that became VERY sensitive to the slightest pressure. My dentist informed me that this was due to gum recession (when the gums are pushed back from the tooth, exposing the more delicate and HIGHLY sensitive roots of the tooth) caused by vigorous brushing. I didn't think I was brushing vigorously at all, but I had been using the regular "clean" setting. After hearing that this discomfort was due to brushing I started using the "soft" setting and things returned to normal, and this lower setting still effectively cleaned my teeth.
Unfortunately, in the last few weeks the toothbrush would occasionally not turn on, and eventually started to spontaneously/randomly turn on for brief moments. Apparently this was its death cry. I'm not sure whether leaving the toothbrush on the charger all the time would over time lead to diminished battery life, but would recommend against storing it on the charger.
Overall, I really liked the sonic complete toothbrush, would buy it again, and highly recommend everyone use a sonic toothbrush.
Pros:
- superior teeth cleaning
- 2-minute and 30-second timers
- does not automatically turn off after two minutes like some other electronic toothbrushes
- long-lasting charge (took it on several two-week vacations and it still had more charge left when I returned home)
- storage for three additional heads in charging station*
- toothbrush head holder in charging station can be pulled out easily for routine cleaning*
- drainage holes in the bottom of each toothbrush head slot (no nasty buildup) and good ventilation allows heads to dry (no mildew/mold)*
- wall-mountable charging station*
- non-slip rubber bottom on charging station
- solid construction, heads stay on
Cons:
- no replacement battery (dead battery = bulky manual toothbrush)
- no carrying case (apparently the S-320 model does)
- very long & bulky (it was hard to fit into my toiletries travel case)
- no PDF/digital owner's manual (OK, so this might be nit-picking, but keeping the printed manuals for every electronics gadget is a pain!)
*It appears that the S-200 model no longer comes with the larger charging station with head storage, but the S-320 model does.