Electric Toothbrush recommendations please

dllive

Hi all,

Ive been using a manual toothbrush for years, so thought Id try an electric toothbrush. Ive heard the Philips Sonicare is good. 

I dont really want to spend more than £50 on one. Will I get something ok for that? Im interested to hear peoples experiences; things to watch out for; recommendations etc.

Thanks

Toothsmith

My standard response to posts like this - or indeed when my patients ask.

Oral B - best brushes out there in proper tests.

You don't have to spend a fortune either. There is always somewhere where they are on a half-price offer, so if you get one that would normally be £50 or £60 for £25-30, then that is as good a toothbrush as you need.

I'm not a fan of ultrasonic toothbrushes - the action really isn't that powerful. People equate it to the ultrasonic scaler dentists & hygienists use, but it's really nowhere near the same power as they deliver!

The 'cheap' electric toothbrushes - especially the one's you put new batteries in - are really a waste of money & plastic!

With the Oral B - make sure you change the heads frequently (About every 8-12 weeks) and make sure you get genuine Oral B ones. Again - buy packs when you see them on offer so you always have some in the house. Really avoid the cheap generic multipack ones - some can be like brushing your teeth with the equivalent of a wire brush! 

dllive

Thanks @Toothsmith - thats a very helpful answer.
 Is there a time of year thats best to wait for toothbrushes to be on offer? Id like to buy one now, but perhaps I should wait and see if there are any pre-christmas offers? Or post-christmas offers.
Or perhaps I should just buy one now.

Toothsmith

They always seem to be on a half price offer somewhere. Just keep your eyes peeled.

Supermarkets, Boots, Savers, Amazon, - just keep looking. But yes - usual sales times, Black Friday, Amazon Prime day 

Brie

Aldi and Lidl have them regularly for about £15.  Just make sure you buy a couple of packs of the replacement heads at the same time as they might not be the same design the next time they are in stock.

Toothsmith

Brie said:

Aldi and Lidl have them regularly for about £15.  Just make sure you buy a couple of packs of the replacement heads at the same time as they might not be the same design the next time they are in stock.

I take it you're not talking about Oral B ones there? Just an electric toothbrush?

Oral B heads although there are a few different types out there - they have all fitted onto the toothbrush for many years now 

Their new iQ toothbrush (Which is the best part of £300) Does use a different type of head that doesn't fit all the other Oral B toothbrushes. But the rest are pretty universal for whichever brush you own.

Nifty_Purse

Bought mine about 3 years ago. Oral B (mid-range model) about £34 (cheapest price available for model I wanted) from Superdrug. 

There is little choice compared to other electronic products. Braun Oral B and Philips are the only reliable, widely stocked manufacturers. 
Main difference is toothbrush head shape: rectangular (Philips) or round (Oral B ). 
The round heads are better for getting the toothbrush into narrower spaces in the mouth such as round the back teeth. I have a small mouth so Oral B made better sense for me. 
Philips tends to be slightly more expensive. There is less choice of toothbrush head designs and they are stocked by fewer retailers than Oral B's toothbrush heads. 

Boots and Superdrug tend to cycle the supplier/manufacturer discounts between them so if you miss a good price at one the other is likely just starting a similar price promotion.

Biggest money saver:
Make sure you do plenty of research on the model you want.
Be careful - the most expensive models have lots of unnecessary gimmicks. For example, linked phone apps, different colours. These don't make the toothbrush work any better. The biggest improvement to your oral health will be changing from manual to an electronic toothbrush.

Haven't tried unbranded toothbrush heads, but all the reviews I have seen of them is that they are badly made and a false economy.

Be prepared to bulk buy toothbrush heads. Buying the two or four packs of heads is expensive so buy the biggest pack size you can afford. As with the toothbrushes themselves, shop around as prices vary significantly between retailers at different times.

smudge2006

Georganics sonic toothbrush. Better than electric, £42 with discount code and you can send everything back to them once used (heads etc) to be properly recycled. 

Rev

I have always used sonicare. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sonic-Clean-Electric-Toothbrush-USB-Rechargeable-Smart-Timer-4X-Soft-Brush-Head-/284090100081?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I spotted that on offer on Amazon and grabbed it for curiosity sake more than anything. The sonicare is sitting in a draw unused. I don’t think it’s ‘better’ but it’s just as good. The battery lasts longer and beads and VASTLY cheaper. 

dllive

Rev said:

I have always used sonicare. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sonic-Clean-Electric-Toothbrush-USB-Rechargeable-Smart-Timer-4X-Soft-Brush-Head-/284090100081?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I spotted that on offer on Amazon and grabbed it for curiosity sake more than anything. The sonicare is sitting in a draw unused. I don’t think it’s ‘better’ but it’s just as good. The battery lasts longer and beads and VASTLY cheaper. 

Interesting. It has good reviews and at £17 is very cheap. But what do you do regards replacements brushheads? Do your Sonicare heads fit it?

maisie_cat

I was an early adopter of Oral B versions and have never had cause to change. Hubby has tried them all in the last 20 years and decided that the Oral B were the best.