Dr. Harris says that more expensive does not necessarily mean better, but believes that ultimately you get what you pay for. He notes from personal experience that some inexpensive brushes vibrate and make noise but don’t necessarily do a good job of cleaning the teeth. What makes this toothbrush worthy of the price tag is the mouthfeel it produces. After we tried it ourselves, every tooth felt individually polished; every part of the mouth felt equally well treated.
The cleaning performance of the toothbrush as evaluated using the TWQH Plaque Index before and after brushing. Brush how your dentist recommends with Oral-B GENIUS; designed to help maintain your gum health and guide you to a whole-mouth clean, every time. The pressure warning light, which glows green by default and turns red when you press too hard, uses an RGB LED. That made it trivial to allow the app to change the default color, personalizing the brush for different users. With the Oral-B App in “Challenge” mode, I was invited to brush my teeth as I normally would, while the brush and app monitored where I was brushing.
We found it extremely intuitive right out of the box, though we did have to check the instructions for the modes. It vibrates every 30 seconds so you know when to switch quadrants, and the handle is easy to hold, even with wet or toothpaste-covered hands. You can also quickly swap modes mid-brush if you want to adjust, and the small, round head can reach every corner of your mouth. There are six modes to choose from — daily clean, intense, sensitive, whiten, gum care, and tongue clean — as well as a battery icon on the brush itself and a pressure sensor that will flash red if you’re going too hard.
In the box with the 8000 comes a smartphone holder, with a suction cup, much like you might have in a car. In this instance, you adhere it to a mirror or wall in your bathroom, at head height. You put your smartphone in before brushing, stand in front of it, and the app. With a lithium-ion battery compared to the Nickel Metal Hydride oral b genius toothbrush of the 1000, the 1500 battery lasts 2+ weeks on a full charged compared to the 10 days of the Pro 1000. It comes with a self-cleaning case which is perfect for travel and has an impressive 40-day battery life. The iO8 also has a smart sensor that will help you get a feel for whether you’re brushing with a suitable amount of pressure.
One full charge gives you up to three months of battery life, according to Quip, and the smart electric toothbrush comes with a travel cover that doubles as a holder you can attach to your mirror. You can opt to get replacement brush heads delivered to your door automatically when you oral b genius toothbrush opt-in to Quip’s subscription service or purchase them as needed for $6. Sonic brushes resemble traditional toothbrush heads and are the default for Philips’ Sonicare range. Instead of rotating, they vibrate at ultra-high frequencies to wash plaque and dirt away from the gum line.
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).
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 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.