Choosing The Best Electric Toothbrush

When it comes to choosing the best electric toothbrush, there are no clear cut answers. The only thing we can do is point you to the two most popular and best rated electric toothbrushes, and also give you some tips to help you decide which one will be best for you.

The two best electric toothbrushes, or at least the most popular ones available at the moment are the Oral B Vitality and the Philips Sonicare Essence. It is a fiercely contested battle with each of these brands having their own group of loyal users. You can’t go too far wrong with either of them as they are both excellent brushes, but here are some of the factors you should consider before choosing.

Best Electric Toothbrush – Considerations

Price

Philips has made a name for themselves for producing reliably electronics, and the Sonicare range remains the most durable electric toothbrushes money can buy. However, they are also generally more expensive than Oral-B. Expect the most popular Sonicare model, the Essence 5300, to set you back between $50 and $60, with the Oral-B Vitality costing around $35 – $40.

Brush Heads

The electronics on your toothbrush will last considerably longer than the brush heads, so these need to be replaced. This is a running cost that is part and parcel of an electric toothbrush. Obviously you need to take this cost into account if price is important to you. At the moment, replacement heads for the Oral-B cost around $20 for 3, while those for the Sonicare costs $20 for 2. Again, looking purely at budget concerns, the Oral-B looks like the best electric toothbrush, but we’re not done yet.

Cleaning Action

The whole point of using a toothbrush is to get your teeth clean. In an electric toothbrush, the actual cleaning or moving action of the bristles differs from brand to brand. Oral-B generally uses an oscillating action, while Sonicare uses a patented “dynamic” cleaning action that is claimed to be gentler on the gums than an oscillating action, while also forcing liquid between the teeth for a good deep clean. Personally I prefer the Sonicare action, but once again this will be a matter of taste.

The bottom line is, however, that regardless of cleaning action, your teeth will get a good thorough cleaning that will be an improvement on any manual toothbrush.

How Often Do You Have To Recharge?

When you travel in particular, the amount of time which the brush can hold its charge becomes important. Here the Sonicare is the hands down winner, with one charge lasting up to 2 weeks. The Oral-B Vitality on the other hand only manages about 5 days on one charge.

Summary

So, how do you choose the best electric toothbrush? We still favor the Sonicare Essence, especially if you travel a lot of simple appreciate not having to recharge the unit every few days. Philips also offers legendary durability. I know a few people who have been using the same Sonicare brush for over 5 years now.

If budget is more important to you, the Oral-B Vitality is a good toothbrush. It cleans thoroughly, but the charge runs out a little too quickly and you don’t get the same level of durability.