I’ve now tested this brush consistently for six months, and can report that I only recommend it more highly than ever. This was the brush I reached for most frequently throughout the whole six months of testing and has become my primary go-to. The ease of use, attractive design and display screen, low noise and gentle bristles that are still able to reach into small spaces, make it an extremely appealing option. The Oral-B iO Series 7G Electric Toothbrush is the best smart toothbrush I tried and worth the price if you want a state of the art, high-tech toothbrush.
Because the only factors that the ADA has found critical to maintaining oral health are brushing for two minutes with a reasonably soft brush and using proper technique, we consider an ADA Seal nice but not necessary. Per American Dental Association recommendations, the only thing you need to brush your teeth effectively is a toothbrush—manual or electric—that you use properly and the fluoride-containing toothpaste of your choice. Altogether, over the past eight years, we’ve invested 100-plus hours in researching, evaluating, and testing more than three dozen powered toothbrushes. The hugely popular Oral-B is down to only £44 – and while it may not have all the bells and whistles of the Genius 8000, it does have a handy pressure sensor that tells you when you’re brushing too hard. It’s a very comfortable and well-designed brush as well, with pulse alerts to help you keep track of your brushing if you’re not using the app, and a clear battery indicator to let you know when it’s running down. Not that this is too much of an issue; Philips states that the battery should last you three weeks of brushing, and our tests put that on the conservative side.
The fact that the travel case can also be used as a charger is also an excellent travel bonus. So, to help you secure a hygienist-approved brushing experience, we’ve rounded up some of the best electric toothbrushes money can buy. And if you don’t believe us, we’ve gone ahead and asked a true expert, Phillip Hundeshagen, R&D Senior Scientist at Oral-B, to guide us through the true benefits of using an electric toothbrush. Experts recommended choosing electric toothbrushes based on bristle texture—softer is better for your teeth—and adjustable speeds/modes so you can switch settings to fit your teeth and gum types. They also recommended features like timers and pressure sensors to prevent you from brushing too long (or not long enough), and too hard (or, you guessed it, not hard enough).
The Oral-B Genius 9600 is an excellent toothbrush, but it’s not for everyone. The Oral-B Genius 9600 rechargeable electric toothbrush comes with everything you need, including a toothbrush handle, three brush heads, a charging stand, a power cord, a travel case, and a smartphone holder. The Oral-B Genius 9600 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for an advanced, feature-rich electric toothbrush. Multiple cleaning modes, position detection, and pressure sensors offer everything you need to maintain good oral health.
Its less-is-more functionality combined with its accessible price point makes it a super place to enter the world of electric brushing. The battery life is just five days, and users of higher-tech brushes will miss features like a pressure sensor, a 30-second pacer, and 3D cleaning action. It does indeed function as a 24 hour clock when not in use, but turn your toothbrush on and the screen displays the amount of time you have been brushing for. It also guides you as to which quadrant you should be focusing on, which cleaning mode you are using, and how well you are doing. This Foreo Issa 3 stands out with its silicone-led design (including brush bristles made of medical-grade silicone). The ISSA 3, in four different colour options, is capable of issuing 11,000 high-intensity Sonic pulsations per minute.
While the feedback was great, and I think would be a motivation for some, for me it felt like one more thing I had to do before I could just brush my teeth, an activity that happens at times of day when I’m often half-asleep. When I didn’t want to turn on my brain, I also didn’t want to turn on the app. If you brush your teeth with too much pressure, you run the risk of damaging your enamel or gums. When looking for the best electric toothbrush, you’ll want to consider a few factors. The CariPro is a good brush, it just didn’t compare to the others on this list. While theoretically that might produce a deeper clean, I don’t think it did that for me.
However, familiarity with the location of the mode button over time should make this easier. This brush features gum-protection technology, an intuitive color display, and a powerful motor for the ultimate clean. It’s also the most expensive option, which is why you may want to consider their other models first. As more features and technology are added to the brush to help with your oral hygiene, the price also increases.
The AI-powered Philips Sonicare app tracks your brushing and provides personalized recommendations, and, best of all, this is one sleek-looking electric toothbrush. However, most toothbrush heads are not recyclable as part of household waste, so they should be tossed in the trash when they’re no longer useful. Even if you don’t use the app, it’s a hit with kids thanks to the replaceable stickers and the built-in timer and jingle. Plus, while you don’t get all the extra brushes or charging glass of the flagship model, it does still come with a handy USB charging case, making this a fantastic toothbrush for both home and travel. It’s still not what you might call cheap, but it’s a premium brush at a price you might find easier to swallow.
We’re currently testing Sonicare toothbrushes and will do a full comparison between the two brands once that testing is complete. Over the past eight years we’ve tested, and in many cases retested, more than three dozen different electric toothbrushes. We assessed what it’s like to use each brush twice daily over several months and—for our picks—years. This involved timing brushing sessions and battery lives, replacing brush heads (every three months, oral b genius toothbrush or more frequently as needed), and cleaning the handles and charging stands. To stress-test each brush shortly after unboxing, we dropped it onto a tile floor from chest height and submerged it in water while running for a full two-minute brushing cycle. After testing eight toothbrushes, I found that the best electric toothbrush overall is the Oral-B Pro 1000 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush thanks to its blend of features and affordability.
We’ve included links to compatible brush heads in the reviews below, so you can stock up when you run out. It’s now unusual to get an old-school NiMH battery that runs out in less than two weeks and takes most of a day to charge, but they still exist. More modern lithium-ion batteries will give you two to four weeks of brushing – or more – without a recharge, and will take anywhere between three and 12 hours to reach full capacity. “The Biometric Health Tracker concept is our idea of a 360-degree health platform, designed to improve oral and overall health,” Stephen Squire, global brand director for Oral-B, says of the AI toothbrush. “It is not a finished product. It is a vision that shall further enable pioneering work between dental professionals, external researchers and Oral-B scientists alike.” The AI powering the GENIUS X has been trained with thousands of brushing behaviors, and so can identify your own unique brushing style.