Are Electric Toothbrushes Better?
The main question many consumers still have – years after the invention of the electric toothbrush – is are electric toothbrushes even better than a traditional toothbrush? The answer is somewhat complex, but can also be distilled down into an easy yes or no. And the answer, in brief, is yes.
The traditional thinking was that the best electric toothbrush would not provide better hygiene than a traditional toothbrush as long as you brushed your teeth thoroughly twice per day, for two minutes at each session.
However, new research has shown that the best electric toothbrushes actually beat the traditional brushes. The studies concluded that the best electric toothbrushes got rid of 20% more plaque, and 10% more of gum inflammation when used for over 2 months continuously.
While 10% more gum inflammation being removed may not seem like a big deal, removing 20% more plaque than a traditional toothbrush certainly is! This is the #1 reason why an electric toothbrush is a far superior choice to the traditional models. We also like that the brushing speed is much, much faster. We have found that this makes our teeth feel cleaner, even if there is no scientific evidence to back this observation up.
These days it is very hard to tell what the best electric toothbrush on the market is. There are so many different options, it can make choosing the best product a huge challenge for the average consumer. That’s why we have distilled down our top 10 picks for the best electric toothbrush on the market today:
#1 – Philips Sonicare 2 Series
The Philips Sonicare 2 is one of the less expensive models in the Sonicare series. This makes it our top pick, as it is priced at a level where any consumer should easily be able to afford it.
#2 – Oral-B Pro 1000
The Oral-B Pro 1000 is also an excellent choice for the best electric toothbrush because it is priced at a reasonable level, making it affordable for most consumers. Even though the price is a bit lower, this brush does not skimp on features. It has everything you are probably seeking in an electric toothbrush and has excellent online reviews.
#3 – Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected
While a little bit pricier, this brush has many interesting and amazing features like the ability to connect to an app that maps out your entire mouth and keeps track of whether or not you are brushing every part or not. This futuristic feature may one day become standard, and if you don’t mind spending a little bit above the minimum buy-in for an electric toothbrush, this is one of our top choices.
#4 – Greater Goods’s Sonic Electric Toothbrush
We love this brush because it is the most affordable model on the market that we still recommend. However, you definitely will not be getting every feature that you would normally get, with even the most modestly priced electric toothbrush models.
#5 – Oral-B Pro 3000 3D White Smart Series
This toothbrush is a very high seller, and with great reason. It offers many semi-advanced features for a very affordable price. With over 500 reviews on Amazon alone, this brush has also earned the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance. Of the many Bluetooth models of electric toothbrushes out there, this brush is also the most affordable.
#6 – Waterpik Sensonic Professional Toothbrush (SR-3000)
This Waterpik model is a great choice, both in an assortment of features and affordability. It offers an advanced cleaning mode, and a very fast speed, for the brush head. One of our personal favorites.
#7 – Dazzlepro Advanced Sonic
This brush is competitively priced and even offers an extra ‘sensitive’ cleaning mode. While the brand is a little less well-known, we found this brush to be competitively priced, and very easy to use. We especially like the sensitive cleaning mode, as this is a completely unique feature to this toothbrush alone.
#8 – Philips Sonicare 3 Series
With over 1,000 customer reviews on Amazon alone, this model is a very well-known electric toothbrush, and it offers nearly any feature you could ever want or need. It is also very reasonably priced, making this a solid choice for any consumer looking to find the best electric toothbrush on the market, without spending a fortune.
#9 – Oral-B Black 7000
With over 3,000 customer reviews on Amazon alone, this is by far one of the most popular electric toothbrushes on the market. It has luxury features (like six different brushing modes) but is still affordably priced. The app for brushing is also very useful, and there is very little left to want if you make this purchase.
#10 – Philips Sonicare DiamondClean
With over 3,500 customer reviews on Amazon, this brush is definitely one of the most frequently purchased. It falls near the bottom of our list because it is priced a little bit higher than most consumers want to spend on an electric toothbrush. However, if you don’t mind spending a little bit more upfront, there are many long term features that make this brush worthwhile.
What To Look For When Buying An Electric Toothbrush
There are many different features that consumers should look for in terms of choosing a toothbrush. However, when looking for the absolute best electric toothbrush, there is a myriad list of additional features that are offered, though not all of them will be ones you will likely want to pay extra for.
Plaque removal is by far one of the top features to look for when choosing a toothbrush, but it is not the only factor to consider. Most dental issues stem from the bacteria in plaque not being taken care of properly, and an electric toothbrush will definitely do this job of plaque removal well. If plaque isn’t removed, it turns into tartar, and from there, things only get worse. If things get worse from here, gingivitis (gum disease, or periodontal disease) can start to occur. This is reversible, but if not corrected, gingivitis is one of the early stages of what eventually turns into the process of tooth loss.
If you are truly looking for the best electric toothbrush on the market, you will want to look for some more advanced features, which regular toothbrushes do not offer. This means features like:
- Speed of the brush (an electric toothbrush can clean hundreds of times faster than your own hand can)
- Power source
- Cleaning method
- Pressure sensor
- Timer
- Replacement toothbrush head costs
- App compatibility
There are even some interesting newer models that move beyond these features, but they are definitely not for the average consumer. So if you want to spend the extra money, there are certainly cool new features like unique app connectivity, charts, graphs, sensors, and different brush mode settings.
If any of these seem superfluous that’s because they pretty much are. We imagine that in the future there will be hands-free electric toothbrushes on the market or even more futuristic options, but until then, the options remain fairly constrained.
How Much Should I Spend On An Electric Toothbrush?
While it is very easy to start spending quite a bit of money on what you may think is the best electric toothbrush, the truth is that the only truly essential feature is a two-minute timer, which will help ensure you brush your teeth for long enough. Everything after that mostly qualifies as a ‘nice to have’ feature, but not a necessity.
While there are a variety of features that one can spend money on, the truth is that the replacement toothbrush head cost is one of the most important factors to consider when buying an electric toothbrush as it will end up saving you the most money in the long term. While there are many exciting new features on the market today, there is still going to be time until any true breakthroughs come in electric toothbrushes. So far, there have not been any truly standout features that make anyone run out and buy an electric toothbrush unless they happen to already be looking for one, but in due time there will be!
Another important factor to look for when deciding what to spend is how often the battery needs to be recharged, and how long each charge lasts for. One week is about the average length of time that most electric toothbrushes last on one full charge. Buying an electric toothbrush that lasts less than this amount of time would not be advisable as you will constantly have to be charging it. You would not buy a cell phone with poor battery life, so why buy an electric toothbrush with one either?
The average consumer usually spends around $50-100 on an electric toothbrush, but this is a very low amount since buying traditional toothbrushes for the rest of your life will likely cost far more than this. Our recommendation is to get the best electric toothbrush you can afford that still stays within your budget.
