Electric toothbrushes - Part 1 -- Oral Sensations
 Jun 29th, 2001
(Jul 5th, 2001)
Advantages:
Has the bare essentials for an electric toothbrush, by Braun . A bargain at around £15
Disadvantages:
Charging time, reach, only buy one with a timer, bulkier than others . Arguably out of date .
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Value for Money
Ease of Use
Improvement on Teeth Condition
more
  Modena
About me:
21/08/2005 - One of the Original Ciaoers (I was Ciaos Most Wanted in around February 2001 I think, o...
Member since:02.12.2000
Reviews:78
Members who trust:152
Review rated by 53 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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This is the first of a two part opinion on electric toothbrushes. I shall first give you a general overview of electric toothbrushes and obviously I shall be reviewing this product. In the second part of the series of opinions, I shall review another toothbrush, one that is slightly different, and in particular I shall address the important issue of whether it is worth it and conclude my findings to you, the consumer who is also a Ciao member. (I have the 3D one and my parents share the other brush by the way).
Contents: Part 1 – Oral Sensations (This opinion)
1.0 - Electric Toothbrush Overview
1.1 - Standard Electric Toothbrushes
1.2 - Rechargeable Electric Toothbrushes
2.0 – The Braun Oral B D9XXX Ultra Plaque Remover
Electric Toothbrushes - Part 2: Good Vibrations (Next opinion)
3.0 – Introduction
3.1 – The Braun Oral B 3D Action Plaque Remover
3.2 – Comparison
4.0 – Other Brands
5.0 – Conclusions -----<<<<<----->>>>>-----
>< -----<<<<<----->>>>>-----
1.0 - Electric Toothbrush Overview Electric toothbrushes basically take 2 formats, rechargeable and non-rechargable.
1.1 - Standard Electric Toothbrushes
Non-rechargable ones simply take batteries and heads can be replaced, and these cost from £5 upwards. These have replaceable heads that cost a few pounds for a few. 1.2 - Rechargeable Electric Toothbrushes
Then there are the rechargeable ones, these cost around £15 to £20 and are usually own brand or by toothpaste companies, they are just plain old electric toothbrushes that are rechargeable and do not claim to work any wonders. Obviously heads are replaceable.
Last but not least are the top brand ones, like Philips and Braun, these claim to be the best, with plenty of bells and whistles, and retail for anything between £20 to £100 for mega “family” ones. 2.0 – The Braun Oral B D9XXX Ultra Plaque Remover
This is the bottom of the range Braun rechargeable electric toothbrush. This comes in around 3 models:
- The bottom of the range D90XX, with your brush, one head and a charger unit, with the necessary bits for wall mounting.
- The D95XX, in addition to above, this has a timer (the brush action stutters once two minutes have passed) this comes in two forms, one with one brush head (the one my parents share), and the other with two brush heads and a container mounted onto the charger for easy storage. Definitely worth it if you are into family size things. >Features:
Indicator heads
These are brushes that are coloured so that when the colour fades, you know you need to replace it, and it is recommended that you change the brush heads every 3 months. Recognition rings
Also, you can put coloured rings around the head of the toothbrush to tell which member of the family uses which head. You get about 4 rings when you purchase the toothbrush, a must if you are going to share. Most rechargeable brushes have this.
Flexisoft bristles
We also have “FlexiSoft” bristles which reach into gaps better and clean better. Please also note that heads for the non 3D model do not work on this but the heads for the 3D model work for the standard model, this might be unique to me. There are also strips for rubber along the side for more grip, the toothbrush is completely waterproof, there is no need to worry at all. However grip is not as good as the 3D one to be reviewed later.
>Stats Weight – about a quarter of a kilo
Charging time required – 16 hours
Battery lifetime – 30 minutes
Connection – 240V AC shaver plug (Adaptor £1 needed unless you plug in the “earth”)
Replacement brushes – About £8 for 2, £1 cheaper than Philips ones!
Braun recommend you leave this fully charged all the time (i.e. placing it back on charger) and let the battery go flat every 3 months or so to maintain performance of the brush and the battery. I have not charged mine for over a week and it still runs, but not as strong, so I would recommend constant recharges and the odd running the battery flat. >The brushing experience
The brushing is comfortable and when fully charged, leaves teeth feeling fresh and “smooth” as one would expect. The Brush itself is quite comfortable to hold, and one can reasonably say that it can reach everywhere you need to, with doubts about effective treatment of the inner most gaps, maybe the shape of the head needs to be worked on. You get used to the new experience very quickly.
One thing worth noting is that if you don’t charge it permanently (i.e. let the batteries run dry) once you have brushed for a few days the action is weaker and you really do need to charge it immediately to get the full effect. >Claims and my thoughts
Clinically proven effective:
-Removes significantly more plaque than a manual toothbrush – AGREE
-Improves the health of gums by reversing gingivitis – ERR PROBABLY
-Whitens Teeth naturally by removing coffee, tea and tobacco stains – I DON’T DRINK COFFEE/TEA AND DON’T SMOKE
-Helps prevent gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss – AGREE
-Helps prevent the build up of calculus – DIFFERENTIATION AND INTEGRATION, WHAT?
-As gentle on teeth and gums as manual toothbrush – DEFINITELY; LESS GENTLE ON TEETH THOUGH
>Price
The RRP is £15 for the D90XX and £25-30 for the D95XX. However we only paid £15 for ours, after all, this is an out of date tooth brush (though still in the current range). If I was you, I wouldn’t pay over £20 for this. >Verdict
5 Stars. This is a simple top brand toothbrush that does its job perfectly well, there are no bells and whistles, the only problems are minor, namely the shape of the head does not give optimal reach, also the 16 hours full charge is a little ridiculous as is the lack of stamina.
If you have this toothbrush (the timer model) there is really not too much to gain by changing, unless you got to have good vibrations whilst brushing… -To be continued-
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31.10.2002 03:54
Great op. Niki. xx
11.07.2001 20:41
sound excellent, must invest in one. (could you read your guestbook please)
03.07.2001 16:42
I'm thinking of buying an electric toothbrush but my dentist friend keeps telling me off and warning me about how they are bad for you! Good review! Good titles too!