While at first we weren’t huge fans of this extra hurdle, we quickly became obsessed with keeping up our brushing score. If you want to fully commit to a top-of-the-line brushing experience, go for the Sonicare Prestige 9900. Setup is easy, and you get both a base and a USB charging case, which you can plug directly into the toothbrush if you don’t have access to an outlet (another great travel feature).
The OLED touchscreen can be unresponsive, while the app simply tracks the frequency and efficiency of your brushing, and sometimes struggles to make a stable connection to the brush. The iO Series brushes do a better job of actually monitoring where you’ve brushed and where you haven’t. As a toothbrush, though, the Oclean is a real contender; it’s quiet but surprisingly powerful, working effectively along the gumline and doing a fine job of keeping the teeth feeling fresh and clean. As a bonus, you can charge it using nearly any wireless charger – not just the USB pad provided – and the battery lasts for over 160 minutes. Tests were conducted under the guidance of Dr. Marc Schlenoff, vice president of clinical development at Tend. Testers brushed their teeth with the included brush heads, noting where the controls were and how easy the handles were to grip.
But for our guide to the best electric toothbrush for kids, we tested the AutoBrush Kids, which was unimpressive. Not only did it leave behind specks of food, it also required using a special kind of toothpaste made by AutoBrush. Nearly all electric toothbrushes that pair to apps collect varying amounts of personal information. In most cases, the only way to opt out of your data—anonymized or not—being disclosed with affiliates and third parties, for a variety of purposes, is to not download or use the app at all. Because of this, it’s difficult to compare the Quip to our high-powered picks.
You can purchase multiple different types of replacement brush heads for this electric toothbrush, which will typically cost you about $9 for a pack of two. “I like that this electric toothbrush has a circular spinning brush head so I can just hold it over my teeth instead of moving it side to side,” said Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz. Dr. Lawrence Fung, a dentist at Silicon Beach Dental in Southern California, recommended this electric toothbrush brush, which pairs with an app that can track your habits over time and provide you with helpful oral care tips. You can purchase multiple different brush heads, which will typically cost you about $31 for a pack of two.
Where this toothbrush scores well for sensitive teeth and gums is the light-up pressure sensor—green for perfect pressure, “white” (though, strangely, actually blue) for too soft, and red for too hard. It’s real-time gratification that you’re doing it right, or wrong, so there’s no need to second guess it. Although the auto pause mentioned in the instructions is actually just an extra buzz when 2 minutes are up, the vibrating timer is a game changer for people prone to losing track of time. Though the ADA stops short of recommending electric over manual toothbrushes, a recent study found that electric toothbrush users benefit from healthier gums and less tooth decay than people who use manual brushes. Going electric can help prevent several oral hygiene issues, including dry mouth and bleeding gums, explains Dr. Jeffrey Sulitzer, DMD, Chief Clinical Officer at SmileDirectClub.
It’s also one of the more expensive toothbrushes on the market, with a price tag of around $200. Replacement brush heads are expensive, about $25 for a set of two CrossAction heads and $40 for a four-pack that includes a variety oral b genius toothbrush of head types. Mike Bluestone, co-founder and head of business development at Smile Brilliant, notes that adjustable oscillation and vibration speeds are an advantage for people with oral or other sensory sensitivities.
In addition to a quick rinse and wipe between uses, you may find it worthwhile to periodically remove the brush head to clean this junction. In our experience, a cotton swab is well-suited for getting gunk out of any small divots in the brush handle. Smart-toothbrush capabilities vary widely, but mainly these devices automate the process of tracking your brushing habits, typically by connecting to an app via Bluetooth.