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Original poster

So.... what's the best electric toothbrush

23 replies

Anste · 01/06/2010 18:51

Any suggestions gratefully received - its a minefield out there.

We've alredy got a Philips Sonicare (a few years old though), the toothbrushes have the 'fat' screw on bit. Its gone disgusting and I have to bleach the electric hole bit at least every other day. Got to buy one urgently.

OP posts:

MaggieW · 01/06/2010 19:46

Oral B. Ours was around £15, although you can get them in all price ranges. I buy replacement heads off Ebay as they work out around £1 each, rather than nearer to £2 in chemists or other stores.

pinkhousesarebest · 01/06/2010 19:57

Watching this with interest. Are there toothbrushes with replacement heads for children too? I have bought the Oral B ones for them, but the heads are not replaceable. Am shocked.

frangipan · 01/06/2010 20:18

any Oral B oscillating electric toothbrush, sonic toothbrushes are good but heads are expensive (oral B sonic not as good as phillips sonicare) I have used just about every Electric toothbrush on the market and my order of preference goes;

Oral B Triumph (££ though)
Oral B 7500
Sonicare elite

but any of the Oral B with a timer will be fine, its what you do with it that matters
Large supermarkets and Boots mostly do the best offers.

frangipan · 01/06/2010 20:20

children can use Oral B too, buy seperate heads (they have a coloured ring around them) for each family member and all can use the same handle. HTH

frangipan · 01/06/2010 20:20

I do not work for Oral B or Phillips

cyb · 01/06/2010 20:21

tescos sometimes have instore offers. I got mine there and heads on ebay. mine has a timer so I get my full 2 mins worth. Its an oralb dont know what type

orienteerer · 01/06/2010 20:30

I have a Braun Oral B (don't know model) that has a "floss" action brush. It's magic, have always been told off by dental hygienist in the past. Having bought said toothbrush about 10 months ago I have just had a hygienist appt, she was very complimentary about the state of my teeth.......it seems to work!!

orienteerer · 01/06/2010 20:31

Got mine half price at Waitrose.

CarGirl · 01/06/2010 20:33

I've had loads of electric toothbrushes and the sonicare one you already have is the best but I think they've brought out a new version?

I need the tiny brush heads though, much better than the sonic versions for me.

frangipan · 01/06/2010 20:38

I am however a Dental Hygienist/Therapist (runs off and hides because everyone hates us....)

CarGirl · 01/06/2010 20:43

Perhaps I will get dh an oral B triumph and I can try it out but the larger brush heads don't seem to work as well on my teeth and sonic seems to clean them easier, I have very rough teeth (with loads of sensitivity problems)

Original poster

Anste · 01/06/2010 22:00

Thanks for this, I've checked out the Oral B Triumph on Amazon, can get one reduced from £160.00 to £80. The spare brushes are £14.99 for 8. Yes 8, I pay £20 for 2!!! Oral B is looking good so far, but still got an open mind.

Frangipan don't go and hide we need your help and expertise!

OP posts:

KristinaM · 01/06/2010 22:26

watching with interest

frangipan · 02/06/2010 09:56

any oral hygiene related questions ask away then.

Triumph is a great brush but IMHO you can't do much more with it than a £ 30-£50.00 Oral B brush. The little yellow polishing paddles are nifty but don't remove a significant amount of stain.

The new sonicare (which I am currently trying) has a variety of settings, inc massage/clean/sensitive there isn't a great deal of difference between them though so a bit gimmicky. The heads are smaller as the technology is now in the handle not the head so the heads are cheaper.

Cargirl-have you tried rubbing sensitive formula toothpaste into the sensitive areas and leaving overnight? sensodyne pro-enamel is pretty good and the new colgate pro-relief is a good alternative if the current desensitizing toothpastes don't work for you.

glacierchick · 02/06/2010 11:38

I use the philips sonicare, it came out best in tests done by Which?, so I thought I'd give it a go and it is better than my old oral b one.

The only thing is, getting the new heads for it (which are expensive) seems to be problematic as they are not always in the supermarket.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap place online to get philips toothbrush heads?

frangipan · 02/06/2010 14:25

sonicare and Oral B electric toothbrushes are completely different technology so they can't be compared fairly and also the somicare is VERY technique sensitive.
Glacierchick-I know the heads are not easy to get hold of, I am not at work until friday but I have the sonciare reps number at work I will give her a call and see if I can get hold of any (at what we buy them in at) I use the same brush so if you want I could send you some?? dependant on cost??

mamatomany · 02/06/2010 15:42

Sonic is scientifically the best according to the BDA however it tickles so I cannot use it, we all have Oral B's and I shall now buy the heads from ebay, thanks for the tip.

frangipan · 02/06/2010 16:59

have you a link to that BDA guidance mamatory?( I have my science head on now !) Would be interested to read it, always on the look out for more info for my patients........I need a life outside of work I think

mamatomany · 02/06/2010 17:18

It was on a huge banner at the BDA conference last month, selling them to dentists admittedly but I guess that's a hard audience.
Have you got CAT, I'll send thorough anything I uncover in the bags of literature/samples ?

glacierchick · 03/06/2010 10:11

Frangipan - that's a very kind offer thank you, I would definitely be interested in that.

I will try to pm you (never tried that here before...! )

CarGirl · 05/06/2010 19:40

frangi thanks for the tips.

Best toothpaste I've found so far is Elmex which friends kindly bring back from Germany for me. It is undoubtly partly hormone related - it is the indicator that my period is on it's way!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I obviously have good brushing technique with my sonicare thingy as my hygienist says I'm doing fantastic and doesn't believe that I often only brush once per day and rarely floss

I have noticed thought that I need it to be fully charged to be effective. I will be investing in the new style one I reckon and pass on mine to dh who never goes to the dentists and has fantastic teeth

frangipan · 05/06/2010 20:03

Glacier chick- which sonicare do you have?

bluebump · 05/06/2010 20:09

We both have Oral B toothbrushes and get the heads from ebay if they aren't on offer anywhere. I find that the Oral B toothbrushes are often half price making them much more affordable.

Does anyone know when/if electric toothbrushes are suitable for children. DS will let me brush his teeth with his normal toothbrush but the boy over the road (who is 3) has a childrens electric one which my DS is now trying to steal. He's only 22 months so I was assuming it was a bit early to go and get one of those for him!

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