It oscillates 7500 times per minute, it pulsates 40,000 times in the same time - does that sound sexy or what??? Yes folks, I am talking about a toothbrush - The Braun 3D Excel - and I am proud to say it has had a positive impact on my life.
Confession Time - I was one of those teenagers for whom brushing my teeth was a chore that my mother made me suffer. I usually managed to brush at least once a day, but it was generally a fairly superficial effort lasting 20-30 seconds at most. Needless to say, my visits to the dentist were not very pleasant and frequently expensive.
It wasn't until my late twenties that I discovered electric toothbrushes. My first was a Braun 3D Plaque Remover,
which I replaced a year ago with its successor, the Braun 3D Excel.
This toothbrush comes in two forms - The Personal and the Deluxe. The Personal is just the base charging unit, toothbrush and one brush head. The Deluxe adds a travel case, 2 interdental brush heads for cleaning those awkward gaps, an additional brush head and a larger base charging unit with storage space for 4 brush heads.
THE FEATURES
7,500 Oscillations per minute - This is the side to side action. Where some electric toothbrushes merely rotate in one direction, this one spins back and forth removing plaque through agitation. (Imagine trying to acheive 7,500 side to side movements whilst cleaning your teeth with a manual toothbrush - your arm would fall off if you tried 750!!)
40,000 pulsating movements per minute - the brush head effectively moves back and forth against the tooth surface - a sort of hammering effect - again helping to agitate and loosen plaque.
Pressure Sensor - For the aggressive brushers amongst us, this ensures you cannot press too hard and damage your gums. The brush head adjusts automatically to compensate for the pressure you exert on the handle.
2 minute timer - the brush alerts you when you have been brushing for two minutes. This is considered to be the minimum time required for a thorough clean.
Non-slip rubber grip - self explanatory and fairly useful with water in the proximity.
Rechargeable base unit - plugs into a shaver socket. The toothbrush stands on the unit for storage/recharging. The deluxe base unit measures about 2" wide and 4" long and can be free standing or wall mounted.
THE CONSUMABLES
As with a manual toothbrush, you need to replace the brush heads periodically. They have a blue 'indicator' stripe on the bristles. With use, the blue stripes begin to disappear from the top down. When they are about half way, it is time for a new brush head. With twice daily cleaning, I find they usually last about 3 months.
The cost of the replacement brush heads is about £8 for two. Whilst this may sound expensive, bear in mind those lovely dentist bills that you won't have to pay anymore!! Also, Boots quite often feature them in their 3 for 2 promo's so it is worth stocking up.
IMPORTANT NOTES
You must allow the battery to fully discharge at least once every six months. Disconnect the charger from the power and continue to use the brush until discharged. It takes about 9 days to discharge with two people using it twice a day. I overlooked this point with my first Braun and it died after about 18 months. You cannot replace the battery. The helpful people at Braun customer support pointed out the error of my ways, and sure enough, it is clearly stated in the user manual.
Of course, the fact that the battery can hold charge for 9 days is great for travelling. Once you get used to the way your teeth and mouth feels after using the Braun, you will not want to go back to the manual methods - not even for a few days. (I think I once told someone that it felt like my mouth had been 'born again'). You are kinda screwed if you are on a two week vacation though!
The only other point worthy of note is that it is not recommended for use with toothpastes containing whitening agents. They do not say why, but if I had to guess I would say that some of those toothpastes contain abrasives and their effect might be overdone with an electric brush. Don't quote me on that though.
SUMMARY
This is a fantastic product that has really changed my oral hygiene for the better - since I have started using the Braun I have required no dental treatment (checkups only) and no longer suffer from bleeding gums. It might seem like an expensive initial outlay of £40 - £60 plus ongoing costs of £4 per user every three months, but think of all those dentist bills saved and....what price do you put on healthy teeth and gums.
For my money, this has more than paid for itself already.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: The brush is not hard as other ones that I used in the past.Its very sensitive and cleanse in places where you can not always reach with other toothbrushes. Disadvantages: I cant find any that I know of I would say the brushes are to small thats the only thing that could be changed but dont need to.
Advantages: The brush is not hard as other ones that I used in the past.Its very sensitive and cleanse in places where you can not always reach with other toothbrushes. Disadvantages: I cant find any that I know of I would say the brushes are to small thats the only thing that could be changed but dont need to.
very helpful by (100%):
