Review (5/5): A Giant Leap Forward in Dental Care.
I bought a similar model of Sonicare toothbrush about four years ago and I still marvel at how well it works. Honestly, when the price comes down everyone will own one of these.
I never used to enjoy brushing and I never used to brush my teeth as much as they needed it. I was just too lazy. My teeth were a little discolored and my gums were consistently a little puffy around the tooth. Then I bought a Sonicare toothbrush with the interval timer and now I'll never switch back to a manual toothbrush.
After the first few brushings my teeth were noticably whiter and after a few months I noticed the puffiness in my gums was gone.
At 30,000 strokes per minute it's like brushing hundreds of times with a manual brush. But all you have to do is "aim the brush" while it glides back and forth across your teeth. It feels like a vibrator in your hand. The timer pulses every thirty seconds to prompt you to switch from front to back of teeth and from top to bottom. After two minutes it shuts itself off after what is supposedly the ideal length of brushing time.
You can also take this brush with you when traveling as it works for more than a week without recharging.
Could it have any downsides?
Although I consider it easily worth every penny, the upfront cost is staggering compared to a manual toothbrush. It also requires a replacement brush head approximately every six months at about $15 each. But this is a sophisticated unit and is more like a medical device than a disposable supply item. The only thing these two have in common is the brushes on the end and I'm sure the Sonicare's brushes are higher quality.
It is important to note that the brush head will slowly wear out without any visible sign of wear. The performance gradually degrades until the unit seems nonfunctional. I know because I tried to save money by not replacing the brush heads according to schedule. I thought the battery had gone bad and I called customer service for advice. It turns out that the brush head was way overdue for replacement. Fortunately all the moving and wearable parts (including brush, magnets and metal connecting parts) are in the brush head and when they are replaced performance is restored to like-new again.
The first time you use this product it may make your teeth sensitive for a few days (because of the vibration) and while its permanent and rechargeable battery will last through most trips it is physically larger and takes slightly more space to pack than a manual brush.
Now I have never had to share the brush with anyone so I never had to switch brush heads on a daily basis. This seems to me like it would be an enormous hassle as you have to unthread and detach the head each time. While this is possible, I would probably buy two units instead if the finances allowed.
This is one of the best purchases I've ever made.
In summary, if you think you might like it and you can afford it, then go ahead and get one. They last a long time...