Electric Toothbrushes - Any Good?

[Jonj1611]

Hi,

Well after seeing the never ending range of electric toothbrushes down at Tesco when I needed to get one and the claims they are better than manual brushing I have found myself wondering about getting one.

Does anyone have any experience of the electric brush, is it really better than a manual? And if so what type of brush is it, is it like the standard £20 ones I have seen or the £199 super duper brush that was right next to the others.

[cheesyboy]

My wife decided that she needed an electric toothbrush, and that the budget ones just wouldn't do. So she spent ~£80 on an Oral B Triumph (forget the exact model), used it for a week or two and just didn't like it.

Fortunately, these things sell well on ebay - got about £50 for it (who buys used toothbrushes!)

[opel80uk]

Hi,

Well after seeing the never ending range of electric toothbrushes down at Tesco when I needed to get one and the claims they are better than manual brushing I have found myself wondering about getting one.

Does anyone have any experience of the electric brush, is it really better than a manual? And if so what type of brush is it, is it like the standard £20 ones I have seen or the £199 super duper brush that was right next to the others.

Hi Jon,

I have this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Braun-Oral-B...l+b+toothbrush

I used to have a more expensive electric toothbrush but it broke (Daughter dropped it out of a window..... long story!) so decided to get a cheaper one to see if there was much of a difference, and to be honest I didn't notice any. If I go away, I just take a normal manual brush, and when I get home and use my electric one I find that my teeth feel a lot cleaner than when I use the manual one.

So, in answer to your question, I would definitely recommend an electric toothbrush, but I wouldn't personally buy one that was overly expensive, as I found the difference negligible between my old £150 brush and my current one which cost me £40 when I got it a while back.

[burble]

I've been using an electric toothbrush for about 10 years but not a cheap £20 job, a sonic toothbrush. Currently I have one of these -> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Soni.../dp/B004TQ3O54 and it does a great job.

My other half started using it about a year ago and she's gone from being moaned about by the dental hygienist to being told that her teeth are in great condition. I'm 35 and have zero fillings and my dentist tells me that using a good sonic toothbrush has helped with that.

Not everyone can get on with them though, my Mum has quite sensitive teeth so found the sonic toothbrush very painful to use.

[Jonj1611]

Many thanks some varied responses their regarding the actual brush but pretty much the same theme and cheesyboy, my god, yes who buys used toothbrushes! Though I guess they change the head, or at least I hope they do lol.

They have a load on offer at Tesco at the moment, and Amazon it seems so will look into a few that are mentioned.

Thank you.

[Smudger]

Oral B ones are always on offer, and they all use the same heads, regardless of how much they cost. Even if they don't come with the fancy heads, you can buy them and put them on as they have the same fittings. So what you're paying extra for is timers and alarms for if you're pressing too hard.

So the answer has two parts - yes, definitely worth getting an electric toothbrush. Which one? Up to you.

[Jonj1611]

Yes, its the Oral B ones that are half price at the moment, have seen some different heads, whitening, extra clean etc

[virtuo]

I got a Colgate Omron (probably the lowest spec) on offer at Asda for about £20 a year ago. It's alright but I liked giving them a good scrub with a manual brush -the electric ones don't feel like they are doing anything to me.

They do leave them feeling very clean afterwards though. And my moobs don't jiggle when I use an electric one.

[DanceswithUnix]

Another user of Sonic toothbrushes here.

Have had loads of problems with my teeth, and on the recommendation of my dentist tried a Phillips Sonicare. Good brush, made a hell of a difference and saved its cost in reduced fillings etc. Was a pain to get heads for though, so when that failed I got a half price Sonic Oral B one from Tesco. Annoyingly the heads that Tesco sell don't fit it, so I have to get them from Amazon.

The hygenist said the only thing that mattered was that it must have a 2 minute timer to make sure you really are brushing for 2 minutes and not rushing it.

[MrJim]

My dentist maintains that using an electric toothbrush is the biggest single change one can make to improve one's teeth (followed by regular flossing, & use of a good quality mouthwash). I've used a Braun Oral-B one for about 10 years now, & would never go back. The brush heads are a bit pricey, but I've found Amazon to be about the cheapest. Be warned not to buy on eBay though, as there are loads that proport to be genuine Braun heads, but are definitely not (they tend to fall apart after a week or so!).

[Ttaskmaster]

Oral B Vitality.
Cheaper end, but highly recommended by dentists and the stock of choice for many.

Have used for several years and am very happy with the results. Interchangable heads of varying types, takes much of the work out and does a FAR better job than manual. Wouldn't go back to manual if you paid me.
The vibration and tickling sensations of an electric take a bit to get used to, but after about a week you won't ever notice it again.

Beyond that, it's probably all much of a muchness, really.

[Dooms]

Got an Oral B 1000: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Was selling for £22 when I got it. Does the job.

[Jonj1611]

To be completely honest, up until this moment I always thought the electric ones were a bit of a gimmick but seems from the feedback here they do really make a difference. Will get one later

[wasabi]

Had an Oral B one and I thought the motor was far too weak to be any good. Gave up on it after a few attempts and binned it. Back to hard bristle regular job.

[Smudger]

Yes, its the Oral B ones that are half price at the moment, have seen some different heads, whitening, extra clean etc

Oral B ones are always on half price!

[wasabi]

Oral B Vitality.
Cheaper end, but highly recommended by dentists and the stock of choice for many.
.

Just did a bit of quick googling and opinions in the dental community vary on leccy toothbrushes, especially the cheaper Oral B type jobs. for example this.

Not agreeing or disagreeing other than that I didn't rate my Oral B personally. If you get on with them, great.