We hope most people are using one of the best electric toothbrushes in 2026, as there's a wealth of clinical studies out there pointing to the efficacy and performance of electric toothbrushes over manual brushing.

For example, the SGT Dental College and Research Institute found using an electric toothbrush "demonstrated clinical and statistical improvement in overall plaque scores," findings backed by this 2014 Cochrane study, and this one from the University of Washington, to name but a few.

So, we know electric toothbrushes are better for you, but which one should you buy? We test toothbrushes for at least a week, examining build quality, battery life and testing every mode. It's good to know that decent electric toothbrushes can start from as little as $50 / £40 / AU$70 and even at this low price point, offer huge improvements over a manual brush.

Naturally, Oral B and Philips are big players in the space and in our testing, have come top of the heap. However, there are also more niche alternatives, all worth your consideration. We've also tested lesser-known brands like Ordo, Supermouth, Suri, Curaprox and Laifen.

The quick list

If you don’t have time to read our full list of the best electric toothbrushes, you can read the round-up below for a shortcut to the top options for your needs and budget. If you find one that takes your fancy, use the links to jump to our full write-up.

The best electric toothbrush overall

The Philips Sonicare 7100 is an impressive electric toothbrush: it's designed very well, with metal in its handle, offering a satisfying weight and premium build quality, and long-lasting battery. It's missing AI brushing guidance, but do you really need it when your brush is this good?

It makes up for this by offering 12 intensities (four brushing "modes", each at three levels of power) easily controlled using the button. A built-in timer and pressure sensor offers gentle guidance, thrumming every 30 seconds and offering a light in the handle's base. It's essentially the 9900 Prestige without its smart features, but more attractively priced for all that, especially as it's now frequently found on sale. This makes the 7100 the best overall toothbrush you can get in terms of value for money, quality of build and brushing options.

It's a seriously stylish electric toothbrush, too, with a sleek, minimalist design and chic carry case to keep it charged on the go. Provided you don't want a companion app, it's a superb brush.

Read our full Philips Sonicare 7100 review

The best value electric toothbrush

The Ordo Sonic Lite is the cheapest brush on our guide, and a great way to pick up an electric toothbrush for not very much money. It's replacing the Colgate Hum in this list, as Ordo is a great manufacturer of no-fuss, no-frills brushes of high quality.

It's not a true smart brush like the above Oral-B, as it has no sensor to detect mouth position, but it will flash if you put too much pressure on your gums and has both regular and sensitive modes. For thirty dollars, or the equivalent? It's excellent.

The brush comes with two modes, regular and soft, and a built-in timer, but no dock or travel case. Instead, it charges via USB-C, but lasts for ages: our test unit hung on for around five weeks, even being used twice a day. It's sonic, not oscillating, which may put some people off, but the Ordo Sonic Lite is well-worth a buy if you're just after a cheap electric toothbrush.

Read our full Ordo Sonic Lite review

The best premium electric toothbrush

The Oral-B iO Series 10 takes our award for the best premium electric toothbrush, thanks to its valuable smart tech and real-time feedback that encourages you to improve your brushing technique. This is done with a neat chipset that calculates the position of the brush in your mouth, allowing it to read your technique and nudge you to thoroughly clean each "zone" of your mouth.

We found the brush to be very quiet (much more so than a typical oscillating brush) and felt smooth as you work your way around your mouth. The in-built pressure sensor not only warns you if you're pressing too hard but also if you're not applying enough pressure to get a good clean, helping you achieve an optimum result. The dock itself will connect to WiFi to display the time and date.

Once done, the Series 10's bright color display will rate your brushing, and show the battery life remaining on the brush. It's a quick way to get feedback on your technique, and surprisingly motivating, but for more in-depth guidance you can turn to the Oral-B app, which has heat maps of your mouth to show how thorough your clean was. This is updated in real time.

The downside of the Oral-B iO Series is that it's one of the most expensive electric toothbrushes around, though like the 7100, its price has dropped significantly in the months since its release and you can now pick it up more cheaply. Additional brush heads are also pricey.

Read our full Oral-B iO Series 10 review

The best eco-friendly electric toothbrush

The name makes it clear what the Suri 2.0 Sustainable Electric Toothbrush is all about and its eco-friendly credentials are considerable. Just like the previous iteration, the toothbrush heads and bristles are made from plant-based materials and it lasts a long time between charges, which matches its relatively sustainable claims. The frame is made of aluminum and designed to be fixed if it breaks, rather than discarded, reducing e-waste. The case is now a charger to further extend battery life, with a UV-C light to kill bacteria.

This powerful yet relatively affordable brush oscillates rather than vibrates. We were initially dubious it hadn't boosted the 33,000 movements-per-minute stat of its predecessor, but during testing, we found "it felt more deliberate in its delivery of that power, while remaining as sensitive and gentle as the experience [our reviewer] had with the first brush".

We also love the sticky back magnet to attach to your bathroom mirror or wall, so the metal toothbrush can sit up and out of the way, keeping your sides clear and clean.

Read our full Suri 2.0 Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush review

The best self-cleaning electric toothbrush

The Ultim8 smart brushing system by Supermouth is slick in looks, with some interesting innovations. UV cleaning isn't new, but incorporating it into a cool-looking smart hub that also charges the brush certainly is.

Like the Curaprox, the Ultim8 brush has some unique-looking figure-eight brush heads offering functionality beyond the standard sonic affair. Mimicking the shape of a molar, the SuperBristles design is supposed to offer a better clean, while the pressure sensor helps prevent over-brushing. The actual brush itself is a simple sonic affair, but there's a lot to like here and the units certainly look cool.

The biggest downside is the add-ons and proprietary nature of it all: if you get a Supermouth brush, you need Supermouth heads for the rest of the brush's life, and the Smart Hub and Smart Case both cost extra. However, it's all very high quality and worth the investment.

Read our full Ultim8 by Supermouth review

The best electric toothbrush for gum cleaning

The Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro is the best toothbrush on our list for hitting those hard-to-reach spots, thanks to innovative brush heads: some of them curve inwards, promoting better cleaning behind the teeth, and a unique extra fine, single-tuft brush head for 'targeted cleaning of gums, niches, braces and implants' according to Curaprox.

Those brush heads certainly allow you to really get into the weeds of things, and during our testing we found the single brush head pretty revolutionary when it came to attacking the gumline. The other brushes were great for reaching the back of the molars, where cavities often form.

It's a simple sonic brush, it takes ages to charge and it's not cheap, but the unique brush heads and overall quality make this a good buy if you're after quality. Designed in conjunction with Swiss oral health specialists, the Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro is an excellent choice if you're concerned about gum disease and plaque build-up.

Read our full Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro review

Electric toothbrush FAQs

How we test

We test each electric toothbrush by using it twice a day for at least one week, brushing for two minutes morning and night, then using a disclosing tablet at the end of weeks one and two. Disclosing tablets help to reveal how much plaque remains on our teeth after our final brushing session by coating your teeth with a harmless dye. If the toothbrush has a smartphone app, then we use that to guide our brushing.

Ultim8 by Supermouth: One minute review

The Ultim8 by Supermouth toothbrush makes a lot of bold claims. For example, it says it’s the “first reinvention of the toothbrush in nearly a century”, with its unique ‘8’ shape and patented bristles designed to conform to the contours of your teeth.

The SmartHub, which is sold separately, is designed to house, charge and clean the brush with UV light, drying the bristles, and preventing bacteria from adhering to it by keeping it in a sealed environment. A travel case is also sold separately.

It all sounds very innovative, and the brush itself is inordinately pretty and well-designed. The battery lasts ages, the unit itself looks a lot better than most electric toothbrushes, with its swooping curves reminiscent of a spacecraft, and the magnetic charger is a really neat touch, although it’s USB-A rather than USB-C.

However, redesigned brush heads, SmartHubs, and Supermouth’s bold claims aside, what we have here is essentially a sonic toothbrush with two modes, a pressure sensor, and a two-minute timer, priced at $99.99 (around £75 / AU$160) It’s perfectly functional, but it’s hardly breaking the mold when it comes to toothbrush design.

Perhaps my expectations are too high; after all, how much more advanced can toothbrushes get? At least this one isn’t trying to foist an AI app on me. It cleans well, and while I could stand to have the motor a bit stronger, the pressure sensor is nicely designed, flashing from blue to green to red depending on how hard you’re pressing, and the brush is comfortable to use day-to-day. Battery life isn’t given, but it still held charge after a full week of testing.

One of the issues I do have with the brush is that all the accessories don’t come as standard. To buy the SmartHub with the brush from Supermouth costs an extra $70 (around £55 / AU$110), and once you buy the toothbrush, you’re then locked into the proprietary 8-shape brush heads, costing $19.99 (around £15 / AU$30) for a pack of two.

The Ultim8 is also missing a few features we’re used to, such as more than two intensities, but as a standalone $100 sonic brush, I’d be more than happy with it. In the grand scheme of overpriced toothbrushes, $170 for a brush with a cool-looking cleaning and housing case also isn’t too bad, although it’s far from budget, and what initially looks like a good mid-range offering ends up feeling rather premium. Get the travel case and spare brush heads too, and you're pushing top-end prices.

However, during my testing, the brush cleaned well, held its charge and was extremely comfortable to use.

Ultim8 by Supermouth: Specifications

Ultim8 by Supermouth: Price and availability

• $99.99 (around £75 / AU$160)
• Extras drive up cost
• Available from third-party sellers for inflated cost

The Ultim8 by Supermouth brush costs $99.99 (around £75 / AU$160) from the Ultim8 website, which is a perfectly reasonable price for a decent sonic brush. However, as previously mentioned above, the brush is part of the overall Supermouth ecosystem, which will loop you into buying the hub and proprietary brush heads for an additional premium.

Supermouth does ship internationally, but unlike many toothbrushes which can be found at third-party retailers for discounted prices, the system is the same price on Amazon US, and inflated to a hefty £345 on Amazon UK, at the time of writing.

• Value score: 3/5

Scorecard

Ultim8 by Supermouth: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Ultim8 by Supermouth: Also consider

How I tested the Ultim8 by Supermouth

I used the Ultim8 Supermouth brush for a week of testing, stress-testing the pressure sensor and two-minute timer functions, and using the SmartHub for storage and cleaning.

Oclean X Ultra S: Two-minute review

I'd been reading about Oclean’s toothbrushes for a while and was impressed at how popular the brand had become in some markets in a short period of time. We already consider the Oclean X Pro to be one of the best electric toothbrushes, so I was rather excited when, in November 2024, the Oclean X Ultra S finally arrived in Australia, where I am based, after being released in the US in April 2024.

The Oclean X Ultra S is a sonic electric toothbrush that boasts some seriously smart features, including leverage bone-conduction technology to provide verbal feedback in real time to help you brush correctly. I’ve been using it since its Australian release late last year and there’s hardly been a day when I haven’t been scolded for doing something wrong.

What I mean by ‘scolded’ is that the voice alerts sound like a 4- or 5-year-old child telling you off. You’ll hear feedback like “over pressure” suddenly pipe up in your ear or, as has happened to me a few times, “hold the brush at a 45º angle”. I mean, you can’t exactly measure that angle while you’re brushing, can you? While I didn’t get scolded for brushing too quickly, there is a prompt for that too. The most common verbal feedback from the X Ultra S is to “switch area” every 30 seconds.

Despite sounding like a petulant child sometimes, I think the verbal feedback is helpful as I found it improved my brushing habits over time, although understanding what the voice is telling you to do isn’t always clear. It took me a couple of times to realize I was being told to hold the brush a certain way (at a 45º angle), and even the “switch area” prompt can occasionally sound a little incoherent over the brush’s buzzing. I would have preferred the voice prompts to be a touch clearer, but I’m really glad it’s not loud.

If you happen to live in a crowded house (or are traveling), people around you will barely know you’re being told off for not brushing particularly well. A few weeks after I began testing the Oclean X Ultra S, I traveled overseas for a 4-week family holiday and no one heard a thing when standing about two feet away from me. In fact, as a sonic toothbrush, the X Ultra S isn’t loud – the motor, despite delivering up to 84,000 movements per minute, doesn’t buzz above 45dB. To put that into perspective, that’s about how loud a library would get.

Brushing data is available in (gory) detail within the Oclean Care+ smartphone app. The toothbrush tracks 8 zones by dividing the oral cavity into 4 areas and counting the inner and outer sides of your pearly whites separately. It doesn’t, however, track the biting surfaces of your molars and premolars. Not only are you presented with a clover-shaped diagram to indicate your brushing score, number of times you’ve brushed that day and for how long, but a 3D movable denture diagram shows you how well you’ve done each session. You are also provided with information on how much excessive pressure you might have used or if there was any lateral movement.

In fact, some of this information will be displayed on the bright color touchscreen on the brush itself, including the clover. This display comes on automatically as soon as you pick up the brush from its charging base or travel case, displaying a default mode based on the time of day – Sunrise Soothing in the morning or Sunset Clearout at night. A total of 6 modes are saved on the brush, including the so-called Exclusive Mode that you can select on the app from a choice of 14 (yes, there are a lot of brushing modes here!). You can even set up your own custom brushing mode if you want via the app and have it saved on the brush. Swiping downward on the side of the touchscreen will let you cycle through the 6 saved options.

The Oclean X Ultra S connects to the app via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, with a remarkably easy setup. While traveling, the brush can save up to 7 days of cleaning data, then transfer this information to the app when it’s back within the original Wi-Fi network. I was away for a total of 3.5 weeks on an overseas trip during my testing period and, sadly, wasn’t able to transfer the early brushing data to the app, but the last week of travel is visible on the app. Incidentally, this information can also be sent to the Apple Health app if you happen to be an iPhone user.

While it comes with a small, round charging base that also doubles as its stand, there’s even a magnetic wall mount with a double-sided adhesive pad on it. Oclean says there’s wireless charging capabilities here but that didn’t work for me and, to be absolutely honest, I didn’t miss the feature at all – it seems rather superfluous to me when it has an impressive battery life of up to 40 days.

Admittedly, this remarkably long battery life will only be possible if you are brushing twice a day for just the recommended 2-minute session each, although I think the Oclean X Ultra S is capable of going longer. At the end of my 26-day overseas trip, the X Ultra S dropped down to 40% battery from a full charge, and that’s using the Unlimited Clean mode that let me brush for over two minutes each time (my average was 4 minutes). There are other brushes that offer similar battery life too, but I am yet to see a travel case that can charge the brush while you’re away.

While it does seem to be relatively fragile compared to some of the travel cases that ship with say, Philips Sonicare and Oral-B electric toothbrushes, the Oclean X Ultra S has a case that looks premium and well made. Importantly, it has a USB-C port that can actually top up the toothbrush – something you’d be hard pressed to find with other popular brands. The case also stores two brush heads.

The X Ultra S comes with three replaceable brush heads in the box, each one catering to a different type of clean, like gum sensitivity or whitening. They look like any other sonic brush head, and the design of the brush itself isn’t anything remarkable. However, the color touchscreen is bright and looks rather smart when it's lit up. It’s capable of displaying festive greetings and showing you the weather. Even the light around the bottom of the brush, which goes from white to red when you’ve exerted too much pressure, adds to the brush’s aesthetic.

All in all, the Oclean X Ultra S is one of the best electric toothbrushes I’ve used – available in Sage Green and Black colorways, it cleans really well in various modes and is arguably the smartest electric toothbrush yet. Perhaps a little too smart, because my only (tiny) issue with the brush is how the verbal feedback sounds – like a child scolding you. Other than that, this is a toothbrush you could definitely… well, sink your teeth into, but maybe consider buying it when it's discounted.

Oclean X Ultra S review: price & availability

• Announced at CES (January) 2024; released April 2024 in the US
• Available to buy now in the US and Australia; unavailable in the UK
• List price of $129.99 / AU$449.95

As mentioned earlier in this review, the Oclean X Ultra S made its debut in January 2024 at the CES tech trade show and quickly made headlines as the only talking electric toothbrush. It was subsequently released in the US in April 2024, then made its way to Australia in November 2024. While it officially hasn’t been released in the UK, it may be possible to find it on Amazon but being shipped and sold by third-party resellers.

The Oclean X Ultra S will set you back $129.99 in the US and a whopping AU$449.95 in Australia, which is a much higher pricepoint as compared to other markets, even taking taxes into consideration. However, the X Ultra S can be had for half its Aussie price during major sales (which it was during Black Friday 2024, just days after its release Down Under).

If you’re in the UK, I’ve seen it listed online from anywhere between £93 and £219.99 at third-party retailers. UK customers who would love to try an Oclean brush can opt for the X Pro Elite instead, which has a list price starting from £69.90.

Given its various smart features and its build quality, I think the Oclean X Ultra S is absolutely worth considering if you’d like to stop using a manual brush or are keen to upgrade to a new electric one. Just keep in mind that it might take you a while to get used to the verbal prompts – if you can be patient, you’ll definitely see an improvement in your brushing habits.

Oclean X Ultra S review: specs

Oclean X Ultra S: score card

Should I buy the Oclean X Ultra S?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you aren’t sold on the Oclean X Ultra S or are looking for something different, below are a couple of options to consider – one is an oscillating toothbrush while the other is a sonic alternative.

How I tested the Oclean X Ultra S

• Used for two months daily, twice a day
• Testing period included a 26-day overseas trip without the charging base
• Tried different brushing modes and brush heads

I swapped out my Oral-B oscillating toothbrush for the Oclean X Ultra S in November 2024, soon after its release to the Australian market (I am Sydney-based). I’ve used it twice a day since (and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future), trying out different brushing modes already available in the app and trying to set up my own custom mode. It took me a few sessions to realize that the maximum voice feedback comes via the Exclusive Modes and, for me, that was what helped improve my brushing habits over time.

A planned overseas holiday about three weeks after I began testing the Oclean X Ultra S was an excellent chance to test its claimed battery life. I didn’t carry its charging stand and, although I knew I could use the travel case with any USB-C cable to top up the brush, I didn’t have the need to.

I’ve been using different electric toothbrushes over the years – both sonic and oscillating – and have used this knowledge to rate the Oclean X Ultra S.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed January 2025]

Most of us brush our teeth without quite thinking about it – the result is likely that we're not doing a good job of maintaining good oral hygiene, particularly if you're still using a regular, manual brush.

Fortunately, the best electric toothbrushes can make looking after your teeth an absolute breeze, as not only have they been found to remove more plaque and offer better care to your gums, but they require very little effort – all you need to do is hold the brush head to your teeth.

If you've yet to invest in an electric toothbrush – or your current model is on the fritz – then Black Friday is the perfect time to grab a new one, with big savings on popular models from the likes Oral-B, Oclean and Philips. These brands employ different technologies to keep your pearly whites white, with Oral-B using an oscillating motor, while Oclean and Philips opting for sonic brushes. Both are great options but people with sensitive teeth might want to consider using sonic brushes.

You can find some of the best electric toothbrush Black Friday deals listed below, and we've also included a selection of water flossers to help you get the most complete mouth clean.

Sonic toothbrushses

Oscillating toothbrushes

Water flossers

• Find more discounts in our live coverage of the best Black Friday deals in Australia as well as the best Amazon Black Friday deals

When it comes to choosing one of the best electric toothbrushes you can buy in Australia, we're restricted to either the Philips Sonicare range or the Oral-B ones. Other well-known brands like Suri or Oclean haven't been available Down Under... until now.

Oclean has finally launched its full range in Australia, exclusive to the Shaver Shop, and that means you now have more choice in electric toothbrushes than before.

To be specific, Oclean is in direct competition with Philips as they're both sonic toothbrushes – unlike Oral-B's oscillating ones. Sonic electric toothbrushes are typically gentler which, in turn, makes them a little quieter too in comparison to Oral-B's brushes.

I'd heard about Oclean before, with plenty of media colleagues offering positive feedback, and I will admit to a touch of FOMO – TechRadar staff in the US and UK already rank the brand's X Pro brush as the best electric toothbrush for quiet brushing, while my erstwhile colleagues at T3 have reviewed the Flow Sonic and have been suitably impressed.

Making a splash in Australia is the latest Oclean that was one of the most highly anticipated products at CES 2024 in January – the X Ultra S. It was launched in the US in April this year and the only talking toothbrush currently to be had.

While Philips and Oral-B offer brushing feedback via their associated apps, the Oclean X Ultra S does so in real time via an AI-powered voice that uses bone-conduction technology. Whether it's too much pressure or if you're focusing on a particular area for longer, the X Ultra S claims to tell you through your bones. So, in theory, that means you'll be the only one to hear the feedback.

There really is nothing quite like it on the market.

Helping keep your pearly whites healthy is a Maglev motor that delivers up to 42,000 movements per minute without making too much of a (loud) buzz. And if you travel often, your brushing information gets stored in the companion app for you to download and view later. You get both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity on board, and it promises a remarkable 40-day battery life too. The little display on the brush wand is interactive, and you get five cleaning modes that can sync with the Apple Health app.

Tech like this doesn't come cheap, of course, and the Oclean X Ultra S will set you back AU$449.95 at the Shaver Shop – available in green or black and shipping with three replacement brush heads. While other Oclean brushes are already discounted at the Shaver Shop, I'm hoping the X Ultra S will also see a similar treatment during the upcoming Black Friday sales to make me smile (pun very much intended).

You might also like...

• Read our Laifen Wave review, which is available in Australia via Amazon
• Sonic vs rotating toothbrushes: which is better?
• Sleep expert recommends not brushing your teeth before bed – here's why

Our pearly whites are high maintenance – they need daily cleaning and manual brushing doesn't quite cut it. Extensive research shows that using an electric toothbrush will help you remove more plaque from your teeth while helping you keep on top of gum health too.

The best electric toothbrushes cost a pretty penny, though, so if you can pick them up when there's massive price drops, you should definitely make the upgrade. Amazon's Prime Day sale is one those times, and this October sale is seeing whopping discounts on brushes from the two top brands – Philips and Oral-B.

The former specialises in sonic brushes – hence the name Sonicare for Philips' offerings. That means they're quieter and gentler compared to oscillating electric brushes, which is what Oral-B makes. Both are great options but people with sensitive teeth might want to consider using sonic brushes.

If you're not already using an electric toothbrush, there's never been a better time to switch, with up to 53% off on Philips Sonicare and up to 66% off Oral-B electric toothbrushes. If you're already using an electric toothbrush but want to upgrade, below are the best deals to make switching up much more affordable. Failing that, they also make great holiday gifts!

Sonic toothbrushes

Oscillating toothbrushes

• Shop more discounts in our dedicated Amazon Prime Day deals coverage or check out all the Prime Big Deal Days discounts at Amazon.

Keeping your pearly whites both pearly and white is far easier than it used to be – but it remains a messy and time-consuming affair. Between the build-up of toothpaste and the need to deep clean your dental tools to ensure they remain hygienic, dental care can be a time-consuming affair. 

While I don’t use dentures, retainers or the like, I do use an electric toothbrush, and maintaining my toothbrush head alone is a real pain. As such, I was excited to hear about the Sonic Spa Pro with Steribrite, an ultrasonic and UV-C dental appliance cleaner. And, having tried it for a few weeks, I can definitely say it didn’t disappoint.  

Using UV-C light in tandem with 43,000Hz ultrasonic cleaning, the Sonic Spa Pro can destroy 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and pathogens in just three minutes, according to the manufacturer, Sonic Dental; but there’s also a five-minute cycle for deep cleaning.

It’s priced at $99.95 / £89.95 / AU$179, which covers the device itself and six cleaning tablets, but you can opt for a bundle with 36 cleaning tablets for $119.95 / £99.95 / AU$199; and there’s also an Onyx Black color option. That does make it a pretty pricey purchase, with similar devices listed on Amazon for roughly $50 / £ 45 / AU$90. However, the Sonic Spa Pro is made using premium materials and genuinely feels solid enough to last a long time – although note that a few customers across Reddit and Trustpilot seemed to have issues with units when the device first launched, as well as customer service delays for both delivery and replacement.

Neat and compact at 4.8 x 4.8 x 3.94 inches / 122mm × 122mm × 100mm (L x D x H), the simple pod-shaped Sonic Spa Pro device teeters on clinical with its basic design and matte coating; but it feels premium. 

On top of the hinged lid you’ll find an “S” logo, serving as the primary touch control for the Sonic Spa Pro, with the lid opening to reveal the 3.1 x 1.77in / 80mm x 45mm basin. You fill this with cold water (up to 165ml) before submerging your dental appliance of choice. The basin is perfectly sized for dentures, but fits a variety of dental tools – plus, it’s also suitable to clean items such as nail clippers, tweezers, and even jewellery.

I’ve been using the Sonic Spa Pro for a couple of weeks now, and I must say I’ve been impressed. Having watched countless TikToks of dubious-looking “purifying” cleaners, I was excited to try something that came with clinical backing and sported a more premium feel – and the Sonic Spa Pro delivered.

Simply fill the tank to the Max water line, with your dental appliance inside, close the lid and hold down the touch-sensitive button to start the cleaning cycle; press again to begin the five-minute cycle. When it’s done, open the lid, drain and remove the contents and rinse off the item you’ve just cleaned – voilà!

The first time I cleaned my toothbrush head in the basin, I was surprised by just how much muck came off my fairly new toothbrush head, turning the water into a milky, chalky soup in just one three-minute cycle. To see how effective it had been, I repeated the cleaning cycle again straight away, and the water in the basin at the end of that cycle was almost clear – that’s using simply the power of water, UV-C light and ultrasonic cleaning. When you’re tackling retainers or other dental items that require more maintenance, you can pop in one of the included cleaning tabs.

I didn’t often find the need to stretch to the 5-minute cycle, although I did attempt it for cleaning some older jewellery, which Sonic Dental claims the Sonic Spa Pro can also handle. I didn't notice much of a difference, barring a few flecks of black grub that were disturbed from the medallion, so I wouldn't reach to buy the Sonic Spa Pro exclusively for its jewellery cleaning chops.

The Sonic Spa Pro isn’t perfect; the power supply situation, in particular, leaves room for improvement. In the UK at least, it comes with a UK 13-amp socket, which most bathroom’s don’t include for safety reasons. You can, of course, opt for a two-pin shaver adapter to three-pin UK 13-amp arrangement, but do so at your own risk.

However, this plug issue isn’t just problematic when it comes to placing and using your Sonic Spa Pro; it’s annoying because the basin in the device isn’t removable, meaning every time you need to refill or empty the water, you have to take the entire unit to the sink. The scratchy, high-pitched sound it emits is also a bit irritating – although it isn’t too loud, meaning you can survive the few minutes it needs to run its cleaning cycle.

There’s bad news, too, for those who are unsure about the Sonic Spa Pro’s UV-C technology – you can’t opt to use the device exclusively as a supersonic bath.

Nevertheless, even taking all of the negatives into account, overall I was impressed with the Sonic Spa Pro – and my teeth have never felt cleaner. Not only this, but it’s also helping to make my toothbrush heads last longer, removing as much of the residual toothpaste and calcification as possible before it can build up to damage the toothbrush.

Should I buy the Sonic Spa Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

If you’ve tried to buy an electric toothbrush at any point in the last few years, you’ll know there are lots (and we mean lots) of different varieties. From charging stations and in-built timers to artificial intelligence, connected apps, and wall mounts, the amount of gimmicks attached to the best electric toothbrushes is many and varied. 

However, before you make your selection, the main choice you need to know about is the kind of brushing action you want: rotating or sonic. What do these key terms mean, what’s the difference between them, and which is better for fighting off tooth decay and gum disease? We’ll break it all down below. 

What do “sonic” and “rotating” actually mean?

A sonic toothbrush uses vibrations to move the bristles in two directions, side-to-side or up-and-down, to remove plaque and clean more efficiently than a manual toothbrush. A sonic toothbrush vibrates at a high frequency, but still only moves in one dimension. 

A rotating toothbrush, on the other hand, might still vibrate, but the bristles move back and forth in a circular motion. You’ve probably seen those characteristic circular heads on many electric toothbrushes. These brushes can still vibrate in addition to the circular motion of the brush head, depending on the model. 

It's really that simple. Sonic equals side-to-side, rotating or oscillating equals circular movements. 

Sonic vs rotating vs manual toothbrush: Which is better? 

Both sonic and rotating toothbrushes offer benefits over a manual toothbrush, including improved plaque removal, according to a meta-analysis of studies published before 2021. Plaque is a sticky film over your teeth which is a hub for bacteria, which eventually cause all kinds of problems including gum disease. Therefore, an improvement in plaque removal means better dental hygiene overall. 

A more powerful handset will mean stronger vibrations and a higher rate of brush strokes. The average person brushes their teeth with a manual brush at a pace of around 300 brush strokes per minute, according to Oral-B. Powered brushes can operate at a rate of around 40,000 brush strokes per minute, although these are a lot smaller, less forceful strokes. 

But what about rotating vs sonic? According to a research paper published in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene which analyzed 38 comparison studies, there was an overall “small but significant difference” in favor of the oscillating or rotating brush versus the high-frequency sonic variety. There are some gaps here (for example, the analysis study doesn’t say which handsets were used) but according to this particular analysis of the available research, you want to opt for oscillating over side-to-side movement. 

However, an upgrade from a manual toothbrush to a sonic toothbrush is still an upgrade; the top oscillating toothbrushes tend to be more expensive than sonic toothbrushes, as the more complicated motion requires different motors. If you’re still rocking the manual brush, a sonic brush will still be a significant upgrade for you, but if you’ve been using a cheap sonic brush for a while, consider a rotating one to take your oral hygiene to the next level. 

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• After checking out the science, I'm buying a Waterpik flosser on Amazon today

Mode Electric Toothbrush: One minute review

Mode is a relatively new brand that sells only one product: the electric toothbrush—and its replacement brush heads. That means a ton of thought and detail went into creating this device, and it shows. 

The Mode Electric Toothbrush is one of the most aesthetically pleasing toothbrushes you can find, certainly prettier than some of the other best electric toothbrushes. No white plastic here: its minimalistic all-black coloring and wire-free charging.  You’ll happily set this toothbrush up in a wall outlet. Yes, you read that right. The charging dock plugs directly into your wall outlet, and the toothbrush magnetically attaches to it for easy charging. Therefore, your clunky wired chargers will no longer clutter the counter space. The charging dock also doubles as a night light. 

Brushing with the Mode leaves your mouth feeling fresh and clean, thanks to some insanely powerful sonic vibrations. You’ll never want to go back to manual toothbrushes. There’s even a two-minute internal timer that pulses every 30 seconds, letting you know when to switch up the area of the mouth you’re cleaning. However, there’s only one cleaning mode, so if you’ve got ultra-sensitive teeth and gums, you may want to find a toothbrush that’s a little less intense.  

There is also no companion app or LCD screen to tell you how, when, and where to clean your teeth, uncomplicating brushing. But for those that prefer guidance, this is a deal breaker. 

The Mode Electric Toothbrush doesn’t come too cheap, landing it in the mid-to-higher-end of the toothbrush market. For those after its sleek styling and the handy functionality of the charging dock, it might just be worth the splurge. But there are also plenty of cheaper options that’ll give you the same fresh from the dentist clean feeling.   

Mode Electric Toothbrush review: Specifications

Mode Electric Toothbrush review: Price and availability

• List Price: $165.00 US 
• Not available in other regions

The Mode Electric Toothbrush is currently only available to purchase and ship in the US directly from the Mode website for $165. If you’re looking to save a couple of bucks, there’s a subscription plan available for $150—on sale now for $120. With it, you’ll get the Mode Electric toothbrush, and then every three months, they’ll send you a brush head replacement for $10. You can cancel this subscription at any time. 

If you opt out of the subscription plan when purchasing the toothbrush but still want a brush head replacement, it’ll cost you $15. The cost of brush head replacements is on par with other high-end electric toothbrushes, such as the Oral-B iO Series 9. It’s also possible to sign up for the $10 subscription plan after purchasing the toothbrush, and you’ll save $5,  getting the brush heads for $10. Active subscriptions even give the toothbrush a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects. 

• Value score: 4/5

Mode Electric Toothbrush review: Design

• Sleek matte black design throughout 
• Simple one-setting vibrating brush head
• Cordless, magnetic charging dock
• No companion app

There’s no denying the Mode Electric Toothbrush is a thing of simplistic beauty. Rather than going the gaudy colorful, or drab white route, the Mode comes in a sleek matte black. The black button and dark gray brush bristles stay on theme, while the small Mode logo shines in silver. Its charging base matches for a seamless look, ensuring this device won’t be an eyesore in your bathroom. Even the packaging the toothbrush arrived in exuded that same opulence. 

The Mode toothbrush feels great in-hand with a solid aluminum handle that’s easy to grip and a brush head that stays firmly in place while brushing. It comes with a translucent black brush cover to keep debris and dust off while not in use, and that’s also handy for travel. However, the brush is much heavier and bulkier than a traditional toothbrush, so it might not be the best travel companion. 

To get using, a single slim black button on the handle turns on the device while a white indicator light glows to tell you it’s working—if the strong pulsing wasn’t obvious enough. That light will glow red when the battery is running low. 

Only one brushing mode is available; a sonic vibration that promises 38,000 brush strokes a minute, or 76,000 when going by the two-minute internal timer. You aren’t getting an oscillating head or different intensity levels. It uncomplicates things. That may disappoint some, especially if you’re accustomed to tuning settings exactly to your liking. The relatively high price tag also leads you to expect more choice during your teeth cleanings, and maybe a less intense setting would’ve been a nice inclusion.

It is recommended that you replace your brush head every three months or so, and as I mentioned, there’s an auto-refill program with relatively inexpensive $10 replacements. Taking the old head off requires just a light tug, and the new one pops on with ease. As someone who used a Quip toothbrush for longer than I’d like to admit and always struggled to get the new brush head on and off,  this is a boon. 

One of the best features of the Mode is the handle’s waterproof design with an IPX7 rating. Therefore, you can rinse the whole toothbrush after every use, which is necessary given that the all-black design and often white toothpaste don’t mix well. There’s also a small gap between the brush head and handle that’s prone to getting toothpaste caked in it. Diligent rinsing prevents this from becoming an issue. 

However, the most unique aspect of the Mode is its charging dock. It’s something I’ve never seen in a toothbrush before. The charging dock simply plugs directly into a wall outlet, so there are no more annoying cables cluttering the space on your countertop. Your toothbrush then magnetically attaches to it just below the brush head for cordless charging and storage, similar to the MagSafe charging on iPhones. 

If you’re worried about the toothbrush blocking access to other outlets, the dock actually rotates counterclockwise, so you can place your toothbrush at any angle you please. The circular charging dock is also compact at only two inches in diameter and 1.5 inches at its thickest point, not including the three prongs. I had no problem slotting in bulkier plugs under it. 

The charging dock isn’t only capable of charging your toothbrush wirelessly, as it’s also rocking a night light feature. A soft glow emits from the back of the dock when in a dark space. There’s even a sensor that detects when the room is dark, and it’ll automatically turn on. But this is a double-edged sword because there’s no actual way to turn off the night light feature other than unplugging the charging dock. 

That dock is also water resistant, with an IPX4 rating, so after you rinse off your toothbrush, don’t be afraid to immediately attach it to the dock. Just don’t submerge the dock in water, and if it needs to be cleaned, use a damp cloth and wait until it’s completely dry before plugging back in. 

One glaring feature missing from the Mode Electric Toothbrush is an app. All the major electric toothbrush brands, from Colgate and Oral-B to Phillips Sonicare and Quip have companion apps that’ll connect to their high-end toothbrushes, keeping track of cleaning and giving tips. Personally, I don’t appreciate an app telling me how to brush my teeth. That’s what my dentist is for. However, I can see the benefit in an app noting areas of my mouth I may have missed. 

• Design score: 4/5

Mode Electric Toothbrush review: Performance

• Deep-cleaning sonic vibrations
• Only one cleaning mode
• Charging dock rotates 

The Mode Electric Toothbrush is simple to get using. Right when you take it out of the packaging, you can begin brushing, as the toothbrush comes charged.  When you press the slim black button, powerful vibrations can be felt through your hand, though you still feel fully in control of the brush. There’s also a noticeable hum from the motor, so if you’re looking for silence, you may want to seek out a different option. 

As I mentioned, you don’t get different brushing modes. However, the one on offer has a lot of muscle. In fact, the first time I tested it, my toothpaste was shaken right off the brush head. The cleaning was thorough, removing all the nastiness left from the day. My teeth felt insanely smooth after blowing the performance of a manual toothbrush and my basic Quip toothbrush out of the water. 

If you’re worried about it being too rough for your teeth and gums, the tapered bristles on the brush are actually very soft. My gums have a slight sensitivity, and I felt absolutely no pain but still got a deep clean. 

Unfortunately, there’s no app or screen to guide you through your brushing, but the internal two-minute timer subtly pulses every 30 seconds. That gives you some guidance, letting you know when to switch cleaning areas. I used it, splitting my mouth into four sections to ensure each area got a fair amount of attention. 

After you’re done brushing, I’d recommend rinsing off the entire toothbrush, ensuring you’re not left with toothpaste residue. It’s water proof, and the rinsing should take maybe ten seconds, so there’s no reason not to. During my two weeks of testing, toothpaste residue did start to build up, detracting from the sleek looks of the device. Obviously, I should’ve been more diligent with the cleaning. 

Once it’s clean, you can place the toothbrush directly onto the magnetic charging dock. No need to dry it off or anything. Just make sure you don’t splash water into the other outlets. 

Mode claims that this magnetic dock is the first of its kind, and I have to admit, I like it. My toothbrush just plopped right in and began charging. You don’t need to worry about finding batteries every few months, while long wires won’t be clogging up your counter space, and annoying charging stands won’t leave your toothbrush prone to being knocked over. 

The charging dock also rotates, though I will warn you it’s not the easiest to move, and the dock needs to be plugged in in order to actually make it turn. This feature came in handy when I wanted to plug in my blow dryer, as I just turned the toothbrush from a vertical positioning to horizontal and plugged the device in. The toothbrush stayed firmly in place the entire time.

As I noted earlier, warm light glows from the back of the charging dock when the room is dark enough. The ambient light shining from my bedroom didn’t affect the night light from functioning in my master bathroom. However, as soon as I turned on the bathroom light, the night light shut off. But if you’re not a fan of night lights, there’s no way to turn off that feature besides unplugging the charging dock or turning on a light. The toothbrush has a battery that should last a month, so there’s no reason you need to keep it charging all the time anyways.

Speaking of keeping it charging, I’ve noticed that the area where the toothbrush handle attaches to the charger is always warm. It’s not too hot to touch or anything like that, but it’s still slightly worrisome and makes me wonder about the longevity of the battery. Also, could it be a fire hazard? Be sure to keep an eye on it if you end up purchasing the Mode.

Of course, the lifetime warranty when Mode’s subscription plan is active means you’re covered if something happens to the toothbrush’s battery or if you find other defects. Otherwise, the device has a one-year warranty from the date of purchase. Luckily, two weeks in, my Mode Electric Toothbrush is working just as great as when I first unwrapped it from its classy black box.

• Performance score: 4/5

Mode Electric Toothbrush review: Battery life

• 30-day battery life
• 72-hour recharge time

The manufacturer claims that the Mode’s rechargeable battery has a 30-day life, so you can always store the charging dock away in a cabinet if you don’t want it left out all the time. I’ve only been testing the toothbrush for two weeks and have had no issues with the battery thus far.  Whenever I placed it back on the charging dock, a light would pulse to indicate charging, going off after a few minutes. 

If you decide you don’t want to pop the Mode back on the dock after every use, a red light will glow, indicating it’s time to charge it back up. A full charge should be achieved after 72 hours in the charging dock. 

•  Battery life score: 5/5 

Mode Electric Toothbrush review: Verdict

Buy it if,,,

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Mode Electric Toothbrush

Our writer had the Mode electric toothbrush for several weeks and used it twice a day, wearing down the battery and using the brush to its fullest extent. Visit our how we test page for more details.

First reviewed: May 2023

There are many wonderful things about being in a relationship, but the first one that springs to your mind probably isn’t playing with new gadgets.

For me, that’s been one of the most exciting parts about sharing my life with somebody else: I get to try all of their cool stuff, and they get to try mine, so I know what to pick up in the Black Friday deals. Of all of the wonderful things that my boyfriend has introduced me to, one stands tall above the crowd; the Waterpik. 

Waterpik devices are rechargeable handheld water flossers that produce jet streams that pull water from a reservoir to blitz your teeth, reducing plaque and clearing out any food stuck between them. They work in harmony with the best electric toothbrushes to ensure optimal oral health with less wasteful devices.

I’ll admit, I was dubious at first, but after using the Waterpik just once I was hooked, and I’m willing to bet anyone who is particular about dental health – or has a penchant for popcorn and other teeth-clogging foods – will be too.That's why we've included some in our lists of the best Black Friday electric toothbrush deals.

It makes a flossing difference  

As my colleague, our Fitness and Wellbeing Editor Matt Evans, recently discovered, the science checks out for the Waterpik, but that’s not necessarily enough for me sometimes. It’s all about how it feels.

That’s what really sold me on the Waterpik to begin with. There’s a palpable difference between how my mouth feels after water flossing versus regular flossing - it feels very fresh and there’s no pain.

The Waterpik also made me realize how much is hiding between my pearly whites - my teeth rarely feel noticeably different after a floss, and it’s not often I’ll see signs of stowaway food bits being cleared out. That’s what makes the Waterpik so immensely satisfying to use. You can feel food debris being dislodged from between your teeth, and whether or not I’m a sick freak for enjoying it so much is a different question. 

 Time goes by so slowly for those who floss

If the mouthfeel wasn’t enough of a driver, the time spent should be. If you know your dental hygiene guidelines, you’ll know teeth should be flossed at least once a day. Is that a quota I or many people meet? For the sake of my shame, I hope not. 

As well as being a real annoyance of a task, flossing can eat up your time - it takes me roughly three minutes, and if you wear braces it can take even longer. 

It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so darn fiddly - or if it didn’t use so much single-use plastic - which is why the Waterpik also won me over. 

Generally, I only need to use the Waterpik for a minute, a maximum of two, to feel its full effects, and it’s wonderfully easy to control once you get used to it - though you may have a few water jet incidents before you reach this point. 

I'm hoping for a Waterpik-me-up

Waterpik devices typically go on sale for Black Friday, so I’ve got my eyes peeled ready. We’re seeing a few deals in the UK already, like the Waterpik Cordless Plus, which was £59.99, and is now £39.99 at Amazon, and the Waterpik Ultra Plus Water Flosser which was £74.99, now £49.99 at Amazon.

In the US, the Waterpik Cordless Advanced is down to $79.99 from $99.99 at Amazon, and there’s up to 30% off the Waterpik Aquarius at Amazon.

If you're shopping in Australia, Amazon has the Waterpik Corldless Advanced down to just AU$105 from AU$220, while the bulkier, with water-tank Waterpik Ultra Profession is AU$140 from AU$242.

Whether you choose to join me in the Waterpik fanclub or opt to spend your savings elsewhere in this year’s sale season, make sure to check out our live coverage including all the top picks for the best Black Friday deals. Now, at least, my boyfriend gets his Waterpik back at last.

The Black Friday deals are upon us, but you’ve probably heard already. The late November shopping event is famous for bringing us all the electric deals under the sun, including cheap TV offers and Playstation 5 sales. 

That said, if there is one thing you should buy this Black Friday, it’s a new electric toothbrush. Not just because these handy oral cleansing devices will be much cheap than usual but because your old manual toothbrush is ready for an upgrade. To be fair, it was ready six months, maybe even a year ago.

The best electric toothbrushes are much more than just an expensive bathroom ornament you’ll never use. According to an 11-year-long cohort study published in 2019, people using electric toothbrushes “increased the number of teeth retained” compared to people using manual brushes. Not to mention, electric toothbrush users had healthier gums and experienced less tooth decay in general.

Another study from 2013 found that people “ using powered toothbrushes demonstrated clinical and statistical improvement in overall plaque scores.” “Powered toothbrushes offer an individual the ability to brush the teeth in a way that is optimal in terms of removing plaque and improving gingival health, conferring good brushing technique on all who use them, irrespective of manual dexterity or training”, the researchers added.

Here are three more reasons to take advantage of the Black Friday electric toothbrush deals. 

Electric toothbrushes can help you brush for the required amount of time

We all know that we must brush our teeth at least twice a day for at least two minutes at a time, but without using an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer, it’s hard to tell how long you’ve been brushing. Two minutes can feel a long time when you aren’t staring at your smartphone's screen, let alone when you’re brushing your teeth. Most electric toothbrushes, even the most basic ones, such as the Ordo Sonic+, have this feature nowadays, making it easier to keep to the two-minute time limit.

Electric toothbrushes can teach you how to brush properly

Some premium models, like the Oral-B iO Series 9 and the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige, can connect to smartphones via Bluetooth. Using this connection, the electric toothbrush can provide real-time feedback on your brushing technique in the app, teaching you how to look after your teeth correctly. Some apps go the extra mile and even score your scrubbing efforts, although this kind of gamification might be a bit hit-and-miss. Kids love it, though.

Electric toothbrushes can help preserve gum health

There is one more trick up in electric toothbrushes’ metaphorical sleeve: they often have pressure sensors built-in with which they can sense if you’re pressing the device against your gums too hard. 

A common brusher mistake, applying too much pressure can cause the gums to bleed and expose more sensitive areas at the bottom of your teeth. Even basic electric toothbrushes, such as the Colgate Hum Smart Rhythmic Sonic Electric Toothbrush, have pressure sensors connected to a LED light on the toothbrush's body; when you press too hard, the light comes on. Feedback loops don’t get much simpler than that.

Two minute review

This is our full review of the Oral-B iO Series 10. This toothbrush is not only one of the most expensive out there right now but, thankfully, is also one of the most impressive. While it costs a bomb, this brush packs in multiple powerful AI-driven features that all result in that elusive "dentist-clean feeling", making it one of the best electric toothbrushes out there right now.

A big new feature over previous models is a magnetic wireless charging dock which uses a screen and LED lights to offer live feedback on your brushing technique, helping do away with phone-based apps—although this is also available.

The Series 10 uses a brushless magnetic motor, meaning you not only get oscillating and micro-vibrating cleaning but all with one of the quietest operating levels of any premium Oral-B toothbrush. Featuring a color LED display on the brush handle, packing in seven modes and offering AI adaptive brushing smarts, this is a brush that will help you get the cleanest mouth possible. 

But that hefty price tag does put it apart from the rest, and do you really need to spend that much for all the extras, just to clean your teeth? 

The short answer is that, if you can afford it, this brush is really, really good, the most intelligent and thorough teeth-cleaning tool around right now. However, providing you're a rigorous and diligent brusher already, you'd probably get away with a cheaper toothbrush. 

Oral-B iO Series 10: Price and availability

The Oral-B iO Series 10 is out now in the US, UK and Australia. The suggested retail price sits at $350/£450/AU$550. At time of publishing, that price has yet to be confirmed in the US and Australia, as it has launched first in the UK.

Oral-B iO Series 10: Design 

Oral-B iO Series 10: Design

• Color LED screen
• Magnetic wireless dock with display
• Stardust White and Cosmic Black colors

The Oral-B iO Series 10 continues on from the Series 9 with that slender and sleek form that features an angular brush head and a clean finish to the premium handle. It also features a clear color LED display which is top-and-tailed by two concave and rubberized buttons.

At the base is a metallic finish with an indent that allows this to magnetically sit, and hold in place, on the charging dock with ease. This dock also features a display as well as LED top lights used for a time, date, and real-time brushing feedback. 

The travel case comes with enough space for the toothbrush and one brush head. There is also a separate case for carrying two more brush heads if you need them. The charging cable for the dock is the same one that works in the charging travel case.

The body is devoid of any grip material which makes for far easier cleaning, but the brush isn't slippery. That eye-catching design with flecks of paint is actually technically useful too as the paint stands out on the body, offering a level of grip that's perfect for brushing, even when the unit gets wet.

At the top of the brush, before the brush head, is a 360-degree LED light ring. This changes color to help you find the right pressure sensitivity when brushing. The standard color can also be changed with 11 options to suit your style and tastes.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Oral-B iO Series 10: Features

• Quick charging
• 6 zones of sensitivity
• Comprehensive app

The Oral-B iO Series 10 is packed with features. The brushing functionality is obviously the most important, as this uses not only the oscillating small brush head as usual but also offers micro-vibrations to further clean on a deeper level. As such this comes close to crossing the world of oscillating and sonic brushing styles.

The brush is backed by a helpful app which lets you keep track of your brushing, but also gives live feedback so you can see the zones you're brushing as you go. Thanks to six zones of sensitivity in the brush, you can see on the screen an animatic of your teeth changing color as you brush. Once the animatic of your teeth sparkles white, you can move on to the next "zone". 

While the light ring on the toothbrush is a fun feature to personalize, it is also useful. If you press too hard that light will turn red, if you are leaning too lightly it will turn white. When you are brushing with just the right amount of pressure you're given a reassuring solid green light. This won't vibrate, like Philips Sonicare brushes do, but that light change combined with the dock alerts were more than enough.

The seven modes offer plenty of brushing options to suit most mouth types and teeth needs. These modes are Daily Clean, Sensitive, Super Sensitive, Intense+, Whiten, Gum Care, and Tongue Clean. You can flit between these on the brush itself or by using the app.

The dock itself will connect to WiFi to display the time and date. The lights on its top also change color, like the brush, using red to let you know if you're pressing too hard. This is new to the Series 10 and is genuinely useful as it means you can get live feedback on brushing without the need to have your smartphone with you when you brush. You can use the app to change what that dock light ring displays with coverage or zone timings shown as needed.

A very powerful feature is the smart learning AI, which aims to protect your teeth and gums by adapting to your brushing style in real-time. Should you brush harder or longer than needed, the brush will intelligently adapt, slowing the number of oscillations, to make sure you don't over-brush and potentially damage your teeth and gums.

Smart restarts are a nice touch, where the brush will start up in the same mode you finished using—subtle but genuinely useful to save time and effort.

Quick charging is also a great feature, getting you back to full power in just three hours, so you never find yourself thinking about battery life at all.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Oral-B iO Series 10: Performance

• Dentist level cleaning
• Useful live feedback
• Quiet running

The Oral-B iO Series 10 offers some super impressive cleaning where, after a good brush, you can actually feel how smooth and fresh your teeth are with your tongue. The fact it is able to do this with a quieter-than-ever operation is a real bonus. If you're brushing early or late, near a bedroom with someone sleeping, that quieter running is a really welcome feature.

The on screen timer, both on the toothbrush and the dock, are helpful to keep track of progress. You also have the standard two-minute total timer with vibrating alerts at 30 or 20-second intervals to help you move between zones. Combine that with those LED pressure light alerts and you're good to get a perfect brush even in the most basic of modes.

The zone sensitivity worked impressively well, showing in real-time on the app just how clean each zone of your mouth is. The novelty wears off pretty fast but the fact you can continue to monitor that using the dock is a really useful feature that takes into account more realistic use of the brush minus the app.

That dock is super easy to use, locking the brush in place quickly and easily for a very fast charge to full in three hours. It also stays far cleaner than the older model brushes which have indents that get grubby very quickly. It's worth noting that this model uses the same power cord for the dock and charging travel case – something the Series 9 did not offer.

The water resistant body on this toothbrush allows for a rinse under the tap when grubby but the fact it isn't waterproof does mean this is probably best done only when needed – and while avoiding getting water in the top. That said, in testing when submerged, it showed no problems. 

• Features score: 5/5

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

First reviewed November 2022

Months after first being revealed at CES 2022, the latest options in Oral-B’s iO smart toothbrush series have officially launched, offering the range’s advanced brushing options at a more affordable price point. And while the dust may still be settling on the new models’ release, it hasn’t stopped one from seeing its price halved in a surprise deal!

Consumers on a tighter budget can now access the technology of one of the best electric toothbrushes with the release of the budget-friendly iO Series 4 and iO Series 5, retailing for AU$299  and AU$399 respectively. To put that price point into perspective, Oral-B’s most advanced electric toothbrush available in Australia – the iO9 – carries an eye-watering price tag of AU$749. 

So if the more affordable price tag wasn’t enough already to get excited about, the iO Series 4 has already found itself swept up in a tantalising deal, down to AU$149 at the Shaver Shop. It’s not very often we see brand-new products get discounts immediate at (or after) launch.

Like its predecessors, the iO 4 and 5 boast Oral-B’s patented magnetic iO technology – its full-spectrum built-in technology encompassing a variety of features Oral-B insists allows its iO series to stand out when compared to competitors. These include a smart pressure sensor to protect gums, alerting the user when they’re brushing too hard, and AI recognition plus additional 3D tracking integrating with a smartphone app to enable guided brushing and give users a clearer picture on their brushing habits. 

The result offers what Oral-B promises is a deeper cleaning of both teeth and gums, with the dental dynamo suggesting that 100% of iO users report healthier gums and cleaner teeth in just one week when compared to manual toothbrushes.

And even we can vouch for that statement: we’ve reviewed a few iO series brushes, including the Oral-B iO 9 and Oral-B iO 6, and have scored them with high marks.

That’s not all that the dental determined have to celebrate, however, with previously released models in the iO series range also seeing generous savings thanks to new deals one month ahead of Black Friday. The deals are headlined by a 50% saving to the top of the range iO Series 9, with deals for the Series 6, Series 7 and Series 8 following suit.

As the release of the next in the range’s top echelon – the iO Series 10 – also looms on the horizon, the greatest chance to get your hands on some of the best electric toothbrushes on offer could be now, particularly since we expect the Series 10 to cost as much as the iO9, if not more!

More Oral-B iO series discounts

• Oral-B iO Series 9 electric toothbrush with travel case: AU$749 AU$374.50 at the Shaver Shop (save AU$374.50)
• Oral-B iO Series 8 electric toothbrush: AU$649 AU$299 at the Shaver Shop (save AU$350)
• Oral-B iO Series 7 electric toothbrush (white): AU$549 AU$249 at the Shaver Shop (save AU$300)
• Oral-B iO Series 6 electric toothbrush (black): AU$499 AU$239 at the Shaver Shop (save AU$260)

Want to know more about Oral-B's iO series? Read our comparison between iO9 and iO6, plus how the iO Series 9 compares to the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige.

Some of the most popular gadgets in Amazon's Prime Day early access sales are electric toothbrushes and other oral care gizmos. They often range from reasonable entry-level prices to seriously expensive smart handsets with AI-powered brushing aids, multiple modes and brush-replacement subscription plans. Like other home gadgets, price reductions this time of year are common. 

But as well as the best electric toothbrushes, water flossers are also becoming increasingly popular buys. These devices are used, like disposable dental floss, to remove excess particles of food from between your teeth, before the food begins to decay and spread harmful bacteria. 

However, rather than you buying plastic cases and spools of string that will eventually end up in landfill, water flossers squirt thin jets of water between your teeth at high pressures to dislodge those particles. They’re reusable, rechargeable and are attached to a large reservoir by a cord like a tiny hosepipe, so you’ll get plenty of uses out of it before needing to fill it up again. 

The most popular water flosser on Amazon, the Waterpik Aquarius, is currently on sale at better than half price in the US, from a pricey $99.99 down 55% to just $44.99. Check out the deal in full below:

It’s not only better for the environment but better for your teeth as well. Researchers from the Journal of Clinical Dentistry set out to examine whether a Waterpik actually reduced plaque as well as a manual floss, splitting seventy adults into two groups and testing their plaque levels. 

After they were tested, one group used the Waterpik, and the other used waxed string floss. Both the Waterpik and manual floss were tested alongside a two-minute clean by a manual toothbrush, and then both groups were tested again.

The researchers found “the [water flosser] group had a 74.4% reduction in whole mouth plaque and 81.6% for approximal plaque compared to 57.7% and 63.4% for the [string floss] group.” The Waterpik was found to be around 15-20% more effective at targeting plaque than string floss. 

In addition, if you’re like me and frequently forget to floss, it helps to have a visual reminder handy. Storing your Waterpik, which you paid good money for, next to your electric toothbrush means you’re more likely to use it in the morning, rather than rummaging around for a little spool of floss. It’s why I’m bagging one for better-than-half-price in the Amazon sale, which ends tomorrow. 

Looking at toothbrushes rather than flossers? Watch your wallet, as not all discounts are as good as they seem. And while you're checking out which deals are worth your time, our experts are combing through the early access Prime Day discounts live to find out which are hot (and which are definitely not).

One-minute review

The Colgate Hum Smart Rhythm Sonic Toothbrush is a great basic introduction to the best electric toothbrushes, especially for its super-low price. It’s simple to use and surprisingly good at improving oral hygiene habits. 

If this isn’t your first smart electric toothbrush, and you normally pay far more for your oral tools, you might find the lack of features limiting. There are no specialist heads; neither will you find any in-mouth position detection of the type found in top-end models; plus the batteries will need replacing. 

However, for those coming from an analog toothbrush, or even an electric toothbrush that doesn’t come with a companion app, there’s plenty of good stuff to be found here. 

The app offers tools to help you improve more general oral hygiene, such as recommending achievable goals to be completed in specific timeframes, and while there’s no location detection, guided cleans are still encouraged and they certainly improved my routine. 

Colgate Hum Smart Rhythmic Sonic: Price and availability

The Colgate Hum Smart Rhythm Sonic Toothbrush is available from the Colgate website, with prices starting at $29.99 in the US and £24.99 in the UK for the model with replaceable AAA batteries. There’s a rechargeable model available, too, priced at $69.99 in the US and £59.99 in the UK. 

The Colgate Hum Smart Rhythm is available worldwide from other suppliers such as Amazon, although it’s listed as “Currently Unavailable” in certain markets such as Australia. If that changes, we’ll update this review. 

Colgate Hum Smart Rhythmic Sonic: Design

• Simple vibration head rather than oscillation
• Plastic travel case included
• Well-designed Colgate Connect app

The Colgate Hum Smart Rhythm package includes a plastic travel case, two AAA batteries guaranteeing 90 days of charge of a single brush head (although bundle packages with multiple heads and replacements are available), and the unit itself. A single button allows you to turn the unit on and access its two modes: a normal-strength mode for everyday cleaning, and a less powerful mode for sensitive areas. 

The brush head is a simple vibrating head rather than an oscillating unit with a motor. The handset also features a light to indicate when it’s on and when charge is running low, and a Bluetooth chip to connect to the Colgate Connect App.

The app is incredibly well designed, with a connected brushing experience (more on this later) and additional tools, such as the Journal page. You input your information into the Journal, including how many times you floss or use mouthwash, and the Journal will offer a schedule to improve your oral health habits.

If you brush your teeth twice a day, but only floss or use mouthwash around once a week, the Journal can prompt you to do so twice a week. If you already hit those numbers, it can prompt you to do it every day. It’s a good strategy for keeping teeth and gums healthy through making gradual changes. The app also logs your brushing sessions automatically, and can set tasks to help you identify whether you’re brushing properly through demonstrations and brushing for the appropriate amount of time. 

Through all of these things, you’ll accumulate “smile points”, which you can redeem at Colgate for items such as extra brush heads and toothpastes. However, each point is equivalent to one cent, so you’ll be brushing for a while before amassing enough points to buy yourself a new brush head. 

• Design score: 4/5

Colgate Hum Smart Rhythmic Sonic: Performance

• Good connected cleaning performance
• No true position tracking (but not expected at this price)
• Multi-dimensional movement lacking

Once the device was on, connecting the brush to the app on my phone was easy enough. The guided brushing experience was initially impressive: just like Oral B’s connected toothbrushes, the guide highlighted an area in my mouth which I should focus on brushing and how, for an appropriate amount of time before moving on.

During our tests, it proved a decent habit-breaker, and a useful guide and reminder on the amount of time I should spend in each oral ‘zone’.

However, the Colgate Hum doesn’t deliver a true guided brushing experience (as in, it can’t determine where the brush is in my mouth, nor whether I’m brushing correctly) since the information being relayed to the app only covers the length of time for which the toothbrush is switched on. 

Nevertheless, for $30, I wasn’t expecting the same experience as a toothbrush costing 10 times the amount, plus the Hum proved a satisfying budget option of a guided brush that still helped me to pay more attention to the process of brushing my teeth. 

The dual vibration settings were useful, with the full-strength one certainly powerful enough to blast away any leftovers sitting between teeth. The Hum is leagues ahead of an analog toothbrush. But the brush doesn’t have the multi-dimensional movement of its more expensive peers, nor does it provide any indication that you’re not brushing correctly. 

Two AAA batteries should last for around 90 days before they need replacing, and while we were unable to verify this was the case, following several weeks of brushing, the toothbrush is still going strong, displaying the same level of power it did at the start of testing. 

• Performance score: 3.5/5

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Also consider

Looking for a great deal on an electric toothbrush? Whether this is the first time you’ve tried an electric alternative to your old-fashioned manual scrubbing toothbrush, or you’re looking for a replacement for an older model, it’s well worth seeing what the Prime Day deals have in store. 

It's well-known that the best electric toothbrushes can clean your teeth more efficiently and effectively than a manual toothbrush thanks to technology such as oscillating brush-heads. However, if you've had the same basic model for several years, you might not know that many of the more recent models also carry in-built timers to make sure you brush for the appropriate amount of time, while some even have accompanying smart apps which can highlight how effectively you’ve cleaned different areas inside your mouth. 

In the face of this smart oral-hygiene onslaught, the humble analog toothbrush has been relegated to scrubbing in between the tiles of your shower. Even if you've got a more basic electric toothbrush, it might be time to get connected.

However, the biggest factor here has always been price. For example, the top pick in our buying guide – the Oral B iO Series 9 – can cost upwards of $400 in the US, £250 in the UK, and AU$600 in Australia. Some electric toothbrushes continue to be powered by replaceable batteries which adds to the cost over time, while high-end toothbrushes can cost hundreds of pounds or dollars. Both will eventually require replaceable brush heads. 

These brushes are popular items that can often be discounted on Amazon Prime Day, and that’s where we come in. Buying a quality electric toothbrush at a bargain price can help mitigate this initial cost, keeping your teeth and gums healthy for less.

 Which brush is right for you? 

Price will naturally be a big factor in which brush you choose, but the deals aim to close that gap in cost. With the incredible amount of choice on offer, first ask yourself what’s most important to you when choosing a toothbrush. 

Do you share a bathroom with a light sleeper? Maybe you need the electric toothbrush to be whisper-quiet. Do you find yourself scrubbing for 20 seconds and calling it a day? Maybe look for one with onboard timer functionality. Do you have braces? You might want to make sure your brush of choice has interdental heads like the Ordo Sonic Plus, which can better get in those hard-to-reach gaps. Do you want an app, or do you find the idea of a connected toothbrush ridiculous? Do you need a travel case?

Asking yourself these questions will help you know what to look for on Amazon Prime Day. Perusing our buying guide, you might be able to find your ideal brush – even if it's too expensive for you right now. Then, set a Google Alert to buzz you when that brand or model gets written about online over the Prime Day sales period. 

Go for the big discounts

One of Amazon Prime Day’s worst-kept secrets is that the biggest discounts apply to the biggest-ticket items. If you don’t think a Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige is on the cards for you, make sure you keep an eye on the Prime Day deals, as big discounts might allow you to grab one at 20, 30 or even 50% off. 

That's a common piece of wisdom to bear in mind throughout the Prime Day deals period, that's not restricted to toothbrushes; look for the premium items, and you’ll occasionally see discounts in the triple figures. 

If you’re just looking for a cheaper brush, that’s not to say there won’t be anything for you on Prime Day, as you might be able to grab a discount or bundle deal. In the US, one early Prime Day deal features a Sonic electric toothbrush and eight replaceable brush heads, with its price slashed by 50% down to just $24.99. If you’re replacing a brush head once every three months or so, that’s two solid years of clean teeth.  

Don't forget to look for accessories

Getting replacement brush heads or batteries in bulk during Prime Day is also a good idea which can save you money on your teeth cleaning. We’ve seen replacement brush heads compatible with Oral-B brushes discounted by as much as 44%, so picking up a few extras now could save you a packet later down the line.

Don’t forget about other items too, such as water flossers. These neat devices are rechargeable electricals that squirt concentrated jets of water between your teeth to dislodge any particles of food, doing the same job as dental floss with less waste and less pain. They're also great for braces users.

Philips, Oral-B, Braun and specialist companies such as Waterpik all produce these handy devices, and Oral-B’s Advanced water flosser has already seen price reductions, and Prime Day hasn’t even started yet!

Amazon Prime Day toothbrush deals: Our top picks

These are the toothbrushes to keep an eye out for this Prime Day. 

Oral B iO series 6

The iO series 9 is top of the Oral-B range, and a new iO-10 is coming in September. It makes sense that Amazon will begin discounting some of these older, but still excellent, iO series models. 

Read our full Oral-B iO series 6 review

Ordo Sonic+

Our best value electric toothbrush, savvy shoppers might be able to get one of our best performers even cheaper in the Prime Day deals bonanza.

Read our full Ordo Sonic+ review here

Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige

Our best premium toothbrush for frequent travellers, the Sonicare 9900 Prestige is normally quite expensive at $399.99 / £299.99 / AU$550. Of course, this is exactly why you should keep your eyes out for a great deal.

Read our full Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige review

Philips makes some of the best electric toothbrushes around, but is its Sonicare range good, and which brush the right one for you?

First, the basics: all Sonicare toothbrushes use a sweeping motion (unlike the oscillating movement of many other brushes) and move up to 62,000 times per minute. The idea is that these high-frequency movements gently drive water between your teeth to remove plaque and food without hard brushing that can damage your gums.

Philips isn't the only company whose toothbrushes are designed to protect your gums (higher-end Oral-B brushes automatically reduce speed if you press too hard) but you'll find the sonic tech in the entire range of Sonicare brushes, from the simple DailyClean through to the DiamondClean 9000.

All Sonicare toothbrushes also have a two-minute timer, and will pulse to alert you by pulsing every 30 seconds so you know how long to spend brushing each quadrant of your mouth, but there are many differences across the range as well.

Here we've rounded up the key difference between the various Sonicare electric toothbrushes so you can make an informed choice and decide which is right for you.

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 series

The Sonicare DiamondClean 9000, 9300, 9500 and 9750 are Philips's top-end electric toothbrushes  with Bluetooth connectivity so you can link the handle to the Philips app on your phone. That might sound like overkill, but it's actually a very handy feature if you want to improve your brushing technique, giving you guidance to help you clean your mouth more thoroughly.

There's also a pressure sensor to warn you if you're pressing too hard with the brush, plus three brushing intensity levels and four modes.

When you connect a Philips 'smart' toothbrush head, brushes in the DiamondClean 9000 line will automatically pick the most appropriate mode, then you can dial the intensity up or down to suit your preferences. The handle also logs how long you've been using the head for, and warns you when it's time for a replacement.

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean series

The regular Philips Sonicare DiamondClean is a stylish electric toothbrush that's a particularly good choice for frequent travellers thanks to its carry case and 14-day battery life. Its smart charging puck is powered up via USB, so there's no need to worry if your hotel bathroom doesn't have a suitable power outlet.

It has five brushing modes (clean, white, sensitive, gum care and deep clean), but is only supplied with a single brush head.

This is the best-looking Sonicare brush, and is available in black, pink, rose gold and white to suit your bathroom.

Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean series

There are several ProtectiveClean brushes, but all have similar specifications. Unlike the DiamondClean, toothbrushes in the ProtectiveClean range have a pressure sensor, and will warn you if you're applying too much force when you brush. This is great for anyone who tends to be a bit heavy-handed, and has been warned that they're at risk of damaging their enamel.

ProtectiveClean brushes have fewer cleaning modes than the DiamondClean (between one and three), though most have several intensity options so you should still be able to find one that suits you.

Philips Sonicare DailyClean series

The DailyClean line is the most affordable range of Sonicare toothbrushes. Whether you choose the DailyClean 1100, 2100, or 3100, you'll get a single brushing mode and a timer to help you spend 30 seconds brushing each quadrant of your month.

All Sonicare DailyClean brushes are supplied with one brush head and last up to two weeks on a single charge, but only the DailyClean 3100 has a light to indicate the current battery status, which is a very useful feature. The 1100 and 1200 may be cheaper, but we think it's worth paying a little extra for the battery indicator so your brush doesn't run flat.

• Want to develop healthier habits? Check our our list of the best fitness trackers

The Oral-B iO Series 9 (also known as the Oral-B iO9) and the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige are two of the best electric toothbrushes you can buy today, and we're here to help you work out which one is right for you.

When you're shopping for an electric toothbrush, the choice can be baffling – there are so many different models with seemingly very little difference between them, all for a similar price, it's tricky to know how to differentiate between them. That's where we come in. We've tested both these brushes ourselves over the course of several weeks, putting their mobile apps, different brushing modes, and speed options to the test, and using disclosing tablets to help assess their actual cleaning ability.

The Oral-B iO Series 9 and Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige both ranked very highly in our tests, and both provide real-time feedback on your smartphone to help improve your brushing technique. They're similarly priced too, but there are some important differences to bear in mind.

If you have kids, the Oral-B iO Series 9 is the brush we'd choose. It has a bright display that provides feedback on your brushing even if you're not using the mobile app, and if you do connect the brush to a phone, youngsters can earn badges and awards for good, consistent habits.

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige, on the other hand, is a more stylish and minimalist brush, with no settings options on the handle, but fine-grain control available in the mobile app. It's very light and comfortable to hold, with an equally well designed charger and travel case, and includes a sensor that warns you if you're using too much of a scrubbing action.

If you've decided which brush is right for you, we've rounded up the best deals on both right here. If not, read on to learn more about the pair.

Price and availability

• Sonicare 9900 Prestige usually slightly cheaper
• Both frequently discounted in sales events

Right now there isn't much price difference between these two brushes, but the cost fluctuates a lot at third-party stores like Amazon, and they're often steeply discounted during sales events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.

The Oral-B iO Series 9 was released in 2020, and was originally priced at $300 / £500 / AU$400. Replacements heads cost around $35 / £30 / AU$35 for a set of two.

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige launched in 2021, and originally carried a price tag of $399.99 / £299.99 (about AU$550). Replacements heads are about $32 / £30 / AU$45 for a two-pack.

Those prices, we think you'll agree, are pretty eye-watering. Thankfully electric toothbrushes drop in price rapidly after launch, and you can now pick up either one for much, much less. At the time of writing, you can grab the iO Series 9 for around $300 / £200 / AU$400, or the Sonicare 9900 Prestige for roughly $350 / £250 / AU$400.

Design

• Both have charging cases for travelling
• Philips brush has no setting controls on the handle
• Sonicare 9900 Prestige has more practical charging base

The Oral-B iO Series 9 and Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige are both premium electric toothbrushes, with designs to match.

The Oral-B iO Series 9 has a sleek handle, and comes in three colors: black, white, and rose quartz. It has two buttons (one for power, and one to switch between modes) and a color LED display that makes it easy to change modes and receive feedback at the end of each brushing session. 

One the iO Series 9's best features is its pressure sensor, which is connected to colored LEDs in the bottom of the handle. You can choose a default color for the light for a personal touch, and while you're brushing the color will shift to green if you're applying just the right amount of pressure, or red it you're pressing too hard. If it remains on your custom color, you're not pressing hard enough.

The brush comes with a magnetic charging base, which gathers less water residue than the typical design with a peg that fits into a hole in the bottom of the handle, though in our tests we found it easy to accidentally knock the brush off.

The iO Series 9 is supplied with a plastic travel case that protects the brush in transit, and doubles as a power bank to keep it charged on the road. It has space for the brush handle and one head.

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige feels similarly sleek and well balanced in the hand, and comes in two colors: champagne or midnight. It's particularly lightweight, making it easier to use if you experience stiffness in your hands, and uses compact, all-purpose brush heads so there's no need to choose between types and configurations of bristles.

The design of the handle is very streamlined, with just a power button and a single LED; there's no screen, and if you want to change brushing modes you'll have to dive into the Sonicare app on your phone. You can't change settings by tapping a button on the handle as you can with the Oral-B iO Series 9.

We particularly like the Sonicare 9900 Prestige's thoughtfully designed charger, which is essentially a metallic puck with a plastic cover that sits over the top and holds the brush in place. It looks smart, there's no risk of knocking the brush off as there is with the iO Series 9, and you can easily remove the plastic part for cleaning.

The brush's case is extremely smart looking too, with a leather-effect outer and gold-toned accents. If there's such a thing as an executive toothbrush, this is it.

Features

• Both have Bluetooth connectivity
• Sonicare app gives you more brushing options
• Philips brush warns if you're scrubbing your teeth too much
• Sonicare is more user-friendly for kids

These toothbrushes both contain Bluetooth modules, allowing them to connect to your phone and transmit data from positional sensors to a mobile app. This gives you feedback on your brushing, which you can use to improve your technique.

The Oral-B app is very well designed, and can give you as much or as little feedback as you like. It's adaptive, too; if you have an advanced brush like the iO Series 9, you'll see a wider range of options and tools than if you have a more basic model. 

You can choose to brush with or without the app. If you choose to use it, you'll see a diagram of a mouth divided into six sections. As you brush each part of your mouth, the teeth in that section will change color from blue to white, helping you see when you've covered all the surfaces. When you're done, you can add details such as whether you experienced any gum bleeding, and whether you flossed and/or used mouthwash.

The app will keep a log of your brushing sessions, and award you with virtual tokens for reaching certain goals (something that could help keep kids engaged).

If you choose not to use the app, you'll still receive real-time feedback from the brush's pressure sensor, and once you've finished brushing you'll get a mini performance report in the form of an emoji on the brush's screen. It might seem silly, but it's surprisingly motivating to earn a smiley face for your efforts.

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige is also easy to connect to your phone, but the app gives you finer control over brushing settings. Once you've set up the brush, you'll be able to change brushing mode and intensity separately, giving you a wealth of different options. We preferred the medium intensity in 'clean' mode, which gave a good clean while gliding smoothly over our teeth.

Like the Oral-B iO Series 9, the Sonicare 9900 Prestige contains a pressure sensor, and a light in the bottom of the brush handle that illuminates if you're overdoing it, but we found the Sonicare much less sensitive to changes in pressure. You had to press really quite hard before the brush illuminated and vibrated as a warning. There's also no alert if you're not pressing hard enough.

You do, however, get a helpful warning if you're using too much of a scrubbing action, which can also damage your gums.

Like the Oral-B app, the Sonicare app presents you with a diagram of a mouth, with teeth that change color as you brush to ensure you get every surface. However, rather than allowing you to make your way around your mouth in your own time, the Sonicare app encourages you to stick to two minutes, warning you that it's time to move on with a series of vibrations. You can spend time tidying up afterwards if some of the the teeth in the diagram aren't white yet, but the experience does feel a little rushed.

There are no badges and awards to keep kids engaged, but the Sonicare app gives you custom brushing advice based on your past performance, which should help you improve your technique in the long run.

• Look after your whole body with our pick of the best fitness trackers

The Oral-B iO Series are some of the best electric toothbrushes you can buy, with models available for every budget, but some of them can be difficult to differentiate between. The Oral-B iO Series 9 (also known as the iO9) is currently our top-rated toothbrush, but it looks almost identical to the Oral-B iO Series 6 (also called the iO6), so you might be wondering if there's really much of a difference between the two.

The simple answer is yes, if you're a frequent traveller. The main difference between the two is that the iO Series 9 comes with a charging case that will keep it powered up when you're away from home, while the iO Series 9 comes with a simple carry case that'll protect your brush from dust and knocks, but that's it.

There's also a significant difference in price. Both brushes are available much more cheaply now than they were at launch, but the iO Series 9 is still around twice the price of the iO Series 6 in most territories. If you're sticking to a modest budget, then you'd be better sticking with the iO Series 6, or waiting for a sales event like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, when electric toothbrushes tend to be steeply discounted.

For a full roundup of all the key similarities and differences, read on. If you're ready to make your choice, we've found the best prices for both toothbrushes right here.

Price and availability

• Oral-B iO Series 6 is much cheaper
• Both brushes cheaper now than at launch
• Often discounted in sale events

The Oral-B iO Series 9 was released in 2020, and was originally priced at $300 / £500 / AU$400. The Oral-B iO Series 6 was launched 2021 for $149.99 / £300 / AU$400.

The iO Series 9 was one of the most expensive electric toothbrushes around when it first launched, but like all brushes, it was soon available much more cheaply at third-party retailers like Amazon. At the time of writing, it's on sale for $250 / £218 / AU$425.

The iO Series 6 has also had a big price cut since launch, and at the time of writing you can grab it for $120 / £110 / AU$225. Both brushes often get even bigger discounts during annual sales events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day as well, so if you can wait, you may be able to snag an even better deal then.

Both brushes use the same heads, which cost around $35 / £30 / AU$35 for a set of two, but can sometimes be found more cheaply on Amazon.

Design

• Brush itself is the same
• Oral-B iO Series 9 has a charging case
• Different style charging bases

When it comes to design, these two brushes are nearly identical. Both have sleek, well-balanced handles that take the same type of Oral-B iO head, and feature bright color displays that make it easy to switch between brushing modes.

The big difference is the cases. The iO Series 6 has a simple, lightweight case that serves as a way to keep your brush and two heads safe from dirt and damage. The iO Series 9 has a much more sophisticated case that can keep your brush powered up away from home, and has a USB cable stashed in the base that makes it easy to charge (though there's only room inside for the brush handle and one head).

The two brushes also have different chargers. The iO Series 6 has a typical induction charger with a large prong that fits into a recess in the bottom of the brush handle. The iO Series 9, on the other hand, has a charger that resembles an ice hockey puck, and holds the brush handle in place magnetically. This has the advantage of being easier to clean, and there's no hole in the brush handle to gather toothpaste and water residue, though you're also more likely to accidentally knock the brush off.

Features

• Both have quiet brushless motor
• Bluetooth for use with mobile app
• Pressure sensor

Like all Oral-B iO toothbrushes, the Series 6 and Series 9 both use brushless motors that make them much quieter than the company's earlier models, and allow them to glide smoothly over your teeth. They're not silent, but you should be able to brush your teeth in the morning without waking your partner in the next room.

Like all premium electric toothbrushes, both the iO Series 6 and Series 9 have a pressure sensor in the handle, with a colored LED that alerts you if you're pressing too hard. What's unusual here is that they can also detect if you're not pressing hard enough. When the LED turns green, you've got it just right.

Both brushes contain position sensors that can detect which part of your mouth you're currently brushing, and a Bluetooth transmitter that can send this data to the Oral-B app on your smartphone. It might sound like overkill, but once you've tried it, we think you'll be impressed. The app shows your progress on-screen as you brush, helping you thoroughly clean each portion of your mouth and guiding you to improve your brushing technique. It's a genuinely useful feature, and developing better technique will stand you in good stead in the future.

The app also gives you tips to improve your oral health, and kids will appreciate the ability to earn virtual badges for consistently good brushing.

You don't need to use the app every time you brush, though; after each session, the app will give you feedback in the form of an emoji on the screen. A smiley face with stars for eyes indicates a particularly good job,

• The best fitness trackers

Given that the Oral-B iO Series 9 is our current pick for the best electric toothbrush on the market right now, it’s no surprise to see the tooth care giant doubling down on ensuring its next flagship device, the iO Series 10, is equally well received. 

Oral-B unveiled the iO Series 10 back at CES 2022, but the brand has used this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) showcase to shed more light on the wireless magnetic charger set to accompany the brush. 

Called iOSense, the device – which could moonlight as a hockey puck, by the look of it – will double as an AI companion capable of offering real-time guidance on when, where and how to brush. 

Six color-changing lights on the charger will indicate the quality of brushing across six different zones (upper right back teeth, upper front teeth etc), highlighting when you are applying too much or too little pressure to your gums. 

Digits on the side of the iOSense, meanwhile, will indicate optimum brushing time before reverting to a helpful digital clock face when you're not brushing. 

The iOSense charger will also track brushing habits and provide personalised goals to the user, sending information to the Oral-B app for a more personalized brushing experience – though, without having tested the hardware ourselves, we're not totally sure how this works just yet.

A brush for everyone

As for the actual brushes Oral-B has on the way this year, the flagship iO Series 10 will lead the line in 2022 ahead of two new entry-level brushes in the same range. The Oral-B iO Series 4 and 5 will boast the same quiet brushless motor as other cleaners in the lineup, but will lack premium features like a touchscreen display and the myriad brushing modes found elsewhere.

Oral-B has confirmed neither prices nor release dates for its new brushes, though we’re confident that both the Series 4 and 5 will be under $100, while the iO Series 10 is almost certain to exceed the $300 / £500 / AU$400 price tag of its predecessor. 

In any case, those eager to learn more can register for updates about the new brushes on the brand’s official website. We’ll hopefully have reviews of each model live on the site when they do finally release, too.

• Internet-enabled toothbrushes seemed like total overkill – until I tried one

Oral-B has unveiled a new electric toothbrush at CES 2022, and it's designed to stop you going cross-eyed while you clean your teeth. The Oral-B iO Series 10 is a successor to the iO Series 9 (our current pick for the best electric toothbrush) – and has one big upgrade.

Most electric toothbrushes vibrate every 30 seconds to remind you to move onto a different quadrant, plus a timer display on the handle. However, it can be easy to lose count of the vibrations if you're half-asleep first thing in the morning, and looking at the display means either peering awkwardly at the brush in your mouth with, or pausing your cleaning partway through.

The Oral-B iO Series 10 solves that problem with a charging base that doubles as a secondary display. Four lights indicate which quadrant you should be cleaning, and digits on the side show how long you've been brushing. The time is displayed on the side of the base when it's not in use.

This isn't the first electric toothbrush to show your brushing stats somewhere other than the handle, but it's the most convenient. Earlier brushes like the Oral-B Smart Guard range used a separate LCD display unit to show brushing time, which took up extra space in the bathroom. Showing the same info on the charging base means there's no need for an extra device cluttering your countertop.

Oral-B has yet to announce a release date for the iO Series 10, but if you're in the US you can register for updates and be first to know when it's available to buy.

Budget-friendly brushes

Oral-B also used CES 2022 to reveal a pair of new entry-level brushed in the iO lineup. The Oral-B iO Series 4 and 5 have the same quiet brushless motor as other brushes in the range, but drop a few of the fancier features to lower the price tag.

In a briefing, TechRadar saw that, unlike other iO brushes, neither of the two new budget models has a touchscreen display on the handle. They also have fewer brushing modes (four, compared to five for the iO Series 6), and the iO Series 4 lacks real-time tracking and coaching in the Oral-B app. The entry-level brushes have simpler charging bases than higher-end models too.

Oral-B hasn't announced final prices or release dates for the Series 4 and 5, but both will be under $100, making them the cheapest brushes in the line.

Opinion: Bluetooth brushes make sense

We're still waiting for Oral-B to announced a retail price for the iO Series 10, but we can safely say it's likely to be pretty steep. The iO Series 9 launched at $300 / £500 / AU$400 in 2020, and the new brush is likely to be cost around the same – or possibly even more.

You might baulk at the idea of spending so much on a toothbrush, but very few retailers actually sell them for the full RRP. The Series 9, for example, is now available for less than half its initial price, making it a much more tempting proposition.

It's still not cheap, but a Bluetooth brush is well worth considering. It may initially seem like overkill (after all, how many appliances do you really want installing apps on your phone?) but the real-time feedback you get from a smart toothbrush can help improve the way you brush, highlighting any areas you often miss, and building better technique that'll stand you in good stead in the long run, even if you decide to switch back to a cheaper brush in the future.

Even if you don't use the app, Oral-B's brushes also give you quick feedback in the form of an emoji on the handle's display. If you did a particularly good job, you'll be awarded a smiley face with stars for eyes. Acceptable brushing will earn you a regular smile, and poor cleaning will result in a frown.

It might seem childish, but in our experience it actually works. Nobody wants to be ticked off by their toothbrush, and earning the starry smile gets you day off to a good start.

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I have terrible teeth. MIsshuffled squares and discs, all various shades of grey/brown with one too-obvious cap. 

Some searing pain and questionable redness made me go to the dentist after several years of not bothering. Turns out I have an abscess so large it is eroding my skull. Upset as I was by this, the dentist didn’t seem to see this as the urgent problem.

The cavity Columbo instead pressed me about my toothbrushing habits. I have often been told that I don’t have good enough technique but never so gently as when this dentist told me that a sonic toothbrush wasn’t for me. It was something about angles and going slower. 

So kind was her reprimand that when I promised her I would buy a new toothbrush, I felt like I actually meant it. And I must have meant it because I did buy one. The best electric toothbrush the internet could find, no less: the Oral-B iO9.

My first brush with happiness

I didn’t expect it to help my teeth. And I didn’t believe in my heart that I would use it properly. By buying it, I felt like I was really just investing in making my next lie more believable. 

As it turns out, the Oral-B iO9 has had a bigger, more positive emotional impact on me than I ever thought possible.

I learned early on that if you don’t brush for a full two minutes, the on-handle screen gives you a sort of disappointed smirk. The sort of face a child performing in a school nativity might give their dad who showed up halfway through the last song.

After the fourth time this happened, I said to myself: “No more. I will brush for the full two minutes.” And when I did… the smile I saw on the handle was a sense of satisfaction unlike anything I have felt in my adult life.

So I carried on doing this. I wanted that smile. I needed that smile. And so long as I brushed for two minutes, I’d get it. 

And then one day... one bright, determined day... something magical happened: I got a smiley face with starry eyes.

My toothbrush looked at me in a way I wish my son one day will. It was proud of me. I had done a good job, I hadn’t let it down. I helped it realise its full potential and it maybe helped my teeth too. 

Life is hard. We know this. I am often in a rush to go somewhere I don’t want to be, to miss people I would rather be with. 

I never feel like I have enough, and feel bad for never giving enough. 

I get stuck in traffic and disappoint people at work and make promises that evaporate faster than it takes the sentence to finish. 

But this toothbrush has given me a daily joy that I didn’t have before. For one brief moment a day, I am enough. 

And it’s currently half-price. 

Two-minute review

Last year, Oral-B launched the iO Series 9 – a top-end electric toothbrush with a super quiet motor, sleek design, and real-time brushing feedback either on the brush handle or in the smartphone app. It cleaned well, was a pleasure to use, and earned a place at the top of our guide to the best electric toothbrushes. The only downside was its cost – with a launch price of $300 / £500 / AU$400, it was one of the most expensive brushes around.

Now, there's an alternative: the Oral-B iO Series 6, which gives you the best features of the iO Series 9, for a substantially lower price tag. Oral-B hasn't cut any significant corners to achieve this; the iO9 Series 6 is fundamentally the same as its more expensive counterpart, and the overall experience is just as good.

You get the same low-friction magnetic motor, simple controls, crisp LCD display, and Bluetooth connectivity. The differences are in the accessories, with a simple plastic case that simply keeps the brush clean, but doesn't charge it, and a standard charging base rather than a sleek magnetic puck for your bathroom.

Whether those differences matter will be entirely a matter of personal choice. If you're a frequent traveller then the superb charging case of the iO Series 9 may justify the extra expense, but for everyone else, the iO Series 6 is an excellent compromise. Its cleaning performance is just as good, its pressure sensor is equally accurate, and its real-time location tracking is just as effective at helping you cover each segment of your mouth.

Price and release date

The Oral-B iO Series 6 was released in July 2021, and costs $149.99 / £300. For comparison, the iO Series 9 cost $300 / £500 / AU$400 at launch – though it was soon available more cheaply at third-party retailers.

The iO Series 6 uses the same brush heads as the Series 9, which cost around $35 / £30 / AU$35 for a set of two, but can sometimes be found more cheaply on Amazon. It's not compatible with heads from older Oral-B toothbrushes.

Design

The Oral-B iO Series 9 and 6 are very similar; in fact the handles are nearly identical. Both are modern-looking electric toothbrushes with a bright LCD display to show the current brushing mode, plus post-brushing feedback. It has a super-quiet motor, a color-changing pressure sensor, and comes in three colors: black, gray, and pink.

There are just two buttons to control the brush (one for cycling through menus, and another to control the power or select the current menu option), which keeps things refreshingly uncomplicated.

The key differences are in the accessories. While the iO Series 9 has a rechargeable case that keeps the brush powered up while you're away from home, the Series 6 has something much simpler. It's a very basic white plastic case that keeps your brush handle and two heads protected from dirt and damage, but that's all.

The two brushes also have different chargers. The iO Series 9 has a smart magnetic charging puck that keeps your brush in place, while the iO Series 6 has a more traditional charger, with a peg that fits into a recess in the bottom of the brush handle.

It's not quite as sleek, and means you have to be careful to avoid toothpaste and water residue building up inside the bottom of the handle, but does mean you're not going to accidentally knock the brush from its base with a clumsy swipe of your hand (a problem we've sometimes had with magnetic bases).

Performance

We were enormously impressed by the performance of the Oral-B iO Series 9, and the Series 6 is basically identical, from first impressions to final testing.

The iO Series 6 has Oral-B's latest motor, which is extremely quiet and allows the brush to glide smoothly across your teeth. The handle has a smooth finish and, although not the lightest around, is evenly weighted and comfortable in the hand.

It takes Oral-B's iO Gentle Care and Ultimate Clean brush heads, which have densely packed bristles that fit around the curvature of each tooth. The Oral-B app lets you track how long you've been using your current brush head, and will remind you to re-order when it's coming towards the end of its life (a useful touch).

The Oral-B iO Series 6 offers Bluetooth connectivity so you can receive real-time feedback on your brushing through the Oral-B app (available for Android or iOS), but it's a pleasure to use even without this.

The first time you use the brush, you'll be prompted to select a color for the illuminated band around the bottom of the brush head. This light also indicates whether you're applying enough pressure while brushing – green means good pressure, red means too high, and if it returns to your chosen color, you're pressing too lightly or not at all.

Once that's done, cycle through the various brushing modes with the button below the display, select one with the button above it, and you're ready to begin. By default the brush runs for two minutes, vibrating every 30 seconds to indicate when you should move to a different quadrant of your mouth. Once that time is up, the brush will vibrate several times in quick succession, and when you switch it off, you'll be presented with a smiley, neutral, or frowning face on the display reflecting how well you cleaned your whole mouth.

This is based on time taken, and whether you applied excessive pressure (and if so, how much). It may seem a little childish, but earning praise form your toothbrush is surprisingly motivating, and if you've been warned that heavy brushing is putting your gums and tooth enamel at risk, it could be just the nudge you need to alter your habits.

For more detailed guidance on your brushing, install the Oral-B app, register for an account (a quick process that asks for a bare minimum of personal data), and turn on the brush so it can be discovered via Bluetooth.

The app is extremely simple to use; just begin brushing, and a graphic on-screen will show which section of your mouth you're currently cleaning using data from the location sensor in the brush's handle. The teeth in the image will gradually change from blue to white as you work your way around, showing when you've cleaned each part of your mouth thoroughly

Once you're done, turn off the brush and you'll be given a rating for your efforts. It doesn't matter if you end up taking longer than the typical two minutes to complete a thorough clean, but you'll lose points for not completing every part of your mouth, rushing, or applying excessive pressure. It's an impressive system, and will help you get a better idea of how good brushing should feel so you can adapt your habits on days when you choose not to use the app.

It's straightforward enough for kids too, and if they brush well, they'll receive virtual awards that are gathered in a 'piggy bank' for extra motivation. 

Over time, the app will build up a picture of your brushing habits and start to suggest tips accordingly to help improve your oral hygiene. It's a small touch, but a thoughtful one that's more meaningful than generic advice.

If you want to take things a step further, there's also a set of programs to help with specific concerns, such as bad breath or whitening. These will suggest specific brushing routines, and give you feedback based on how well you follow them. Unlike some brushes we've tested, the selection of programs is quite small, and carefully curated to avoid confusion.

It's fundamentally the same experience you'd get with Oral-B's top-end iO toothbrush, but for a vastly reduced price. If you don't mind making a few sacrifices when it comes to the accessories, the iO Series 6 is extremely easy to recommend.

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One-minute review

Can the Y-Brush really clean your teeth in just 10 seconds? In our experience, the answer is yes... mostly.

It's hard to deny the novelty of an electric toothbrush that promises to clean all your teeth at once, giving every surface more attention than a conventional brush in 1/120 of the time. However, we weren't awed by the performance.

We wouldn't expect any toothbrush to eliminate the need for floss or interdental brushes, but in our tests using a disclosing tablet, we found that the Y-Brush left noticeably more plaque deposits between our teeth than a standard electric toothbrush. We therefore needed to spend a little longer wielding the floss after brushing, which ate into the time we'd saved. You can't brush your tongue with the Y-Brush either, so you'll need to use a tongue scraper to finish the job.

Mastering the Y-Brush technique takes a little time – you need to chew on the bristles while moving the brush from side to side – but even with a few weeks of practice we just couldn't get the same clean as we could from a regular toothbrush.

It was more effective than we'd expected, and quite fun to use, but the extra work required to tidy things up afterwards meant we didn't save a huge amount of time compared to our regular routine.

Y-Brush price and release date

The Y-Brush was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2018, and its maker began shipping brushes to backers in 2020. It went on general sale later that year, and can be bought directly from Fasteesh in the US, Canada, UK, EU, and Australia.

The  Y-Brush starter pack costs £106.99 (about $150 / AU$200), and includes the handle, plus a brush head and charging cable. Accessories (including extra heads, toothpaste applicators and chewable toothpaste tabs) can be bought separately.

That's quite a steep price, particularly for an electric toothbrush without Bluetooth. For context, our top-rated electric toothbrush, the Oral-B iO Series 9, is currently available for $199 / £245 / AU$400, and offers real-time location detection, custom brushing advice, and near-silent brushing. 

Y-Brush design

The Y-Brush consists of a semicircular tray, similar to a gumshield, which is lined with bristles to clean the front, back, and biting surfaces of your teeth. It isn't the only mouthguard-style toothbrush available, but most others use silicone 'bristles' to get the cleaning done.

The Y-Brush uses more conventional nylon bristles, which its creator Fasteesh explains has been clinically proven to do a better job removing plaque than other materials. They're very soft, and we didn't experience any gum irritation.

There are only two head sizes (one for teenagers and adults, and one for children). People's mouths vary hugely in size and shape, but the heads are made from a flexible plastic that can be bent a little to fit different sized arches, and Fasteesh has devised a way of manipulating the brush during cleaning that helps reach around the entire mouth.

This head slots into a wedge-shaped handle, which is equipped with a single large button, surrounded by an LED ring that indicates the power status, charge level, and selected mode.

There's a soft silicone adapter that fits over the end of your toothbrush tube, allowing it to dispense a thin line of paste that will sit neatly in between the brush head's bristles. We appreciate that Y-Brush doesn't force you to use its own proprietary toothpastes with a special dispenser, though it's worth bearing in mind that it works best with a relatively thin paste.

Our review kit also included a wedge-shaped holder that allows the brush head to drain and dry after you've given it a thorough rinse. It's not particularly attractive to have on your bathroom counter (particularly because the brush head is a strange off-white color), and takes up a lot more space than most electric toothbrush charging bases.

Our kit came with a travel case as well, which is a little larger than those for most electric toothbrushes, but is solidly built and has enough space inside for the draining stand, a spare head, and even a mini tube of paste. 

Y-Brush performance

• Requires chewing and sliding technique
• May require more time flossing
• Can't clean tongue

To use the Y-Brush, you first need to charge it via the micro-USB port in the side of the handle. It's a shame that there's no adapter for charging it via a bathroom shaver socket, but this only needs to be done approximately every six months (less brushing time means less power consumption) so it's not much of an issue.

Once that's done, push the head onto the handle and attach the special silicone nozzle to your toothpaste tube (it's not suitable for a pump-style container). Rinse the brush head under the tap, then squeeze a thin line of paste all along the bristles.

Now bite down gently on the brush with your upper teeth and you're ready to begin. Press the power button for one second to turn it on, and press it again briefly to change intensity settings. When the vibration tops, turn the brush over so the bristles sit over your lower arch and press the button once more.

At the top setting, the Y-Brush does indeed take just 10 seconds to clean your entire mouth. However, Fasteesh advises starting with the most gentle option for the first few days, gradually moving up as you get used to it.

When using the brush, it soon becomes clear why; rather than simply chomping down and waiting for the bristles to do their work, you need to chew vigorously while moving the brush side-to-side. It's an unusual motion, and you need to do it quickly. The lower intensity settings give you a little longer (15 and 10 seconds for each arch, respectively), so you can get used to the movement before graduating to the fastest setting.

The results were better than we'd expected (it felt very strange to finish brushing after such a short time), but not as good as those we'd get with a standard electric toothbrush. Using a disclosing tablet, we found the Y-Brush cleaned flat surfaces well, but left more deposits of plaque between teeth and around the gums than we'd normally expect.

We'd always expect to need interdental brushes and/or floss after cleaning our teeth, but with the Y-Brush we needed to spend longer tidying things up, which ate into the time we'd saved with the extra quick brushing.

We could definitely see it being useful for freshening up on the move, though. The six-month battery life and carry case mean you can slip it into a bag and use it to give your teeth a (very) quick brush after lunch, or before an event.

The Y-Brush may also be useful for people with limited movement of their  hands, which would make manoeuvring a standard toothbrush difficult, but for our own everyday cleaning we'd prefer to stick with a conventional design – particularly considering how much it costs.

At the time of writing, you can pick up the versatile Oral-B Genius X smart toothbrush for the same price, which might take a full two minutes for a complete clean, but has position detection to help you reach every part of your mouth, a pressure sensor to help avoid damage to gums and tooth enamel, and a smartphone app that helps you improve your brushing technique.

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Two-minute review

The Oclean X Pro Elite is an excellent sonic electric toothbrush – well designed and astonishingly quiet. In fact, it’s barely audible when used with your mouth closed, even on its highest power settings. The handle has a sleek design, and its touchscreen menus make choosing your preferred option a breeze, even with wet hands.

It’s affordable too – one of the cheapest smart toothbrushes you can buy today – and replacement heads are reasonably priced too (particularly when bundled with a sterilizing unit).

It’s a shame we can’t heap the same praise on the Oclean app, which overwhelms the user with an abundance of options that over-complicate what should be a simple daily routine. The number of options is dizzying, the brushing instructions are excessively complicated, and the ability to create your own custom brushing plan (taking your pick from up to 32 intensity settings) just isn’t necessary with all the presets available.

Although the brush handle contains an accelerometer to track its position as you clean your teeth, the app doesn’t present this data in real time, so you can’t adapt your brushing technique on the fly as you can with a high-end Oral-B or Philips brush. This information is synced with the app once you’ve finished brushing so you can act on it next time, but it’s not as useful as seeing a map of your teeth that updates as you clean each quadrant.

The Oclean X Pro Elite works extremely well by itself, and is easy to recommend as a premium electric toothbrush if you’re not interested in the ‘smart’ features. If you’re really interested in getting detailed feedback on your brushing, however, there are better options around.

Price and availability

The Oclean X Pro Elite is usually priced at $99.99 / £75 / AU$141, but at the time of writing is discounted to $79.99 / £56 / AU$106, making it one of the cheapest smart electric toothbrushes around.

That price will get you the brush, plus one head. Bundles with additional heads and a sterilizing unit are also available for only a little more, so it’s well worth checking these out. Extra heads start at $9.99 / £8 / AU$15 for two (down from $15.99 / £8 / AU$23).

Our review model also came with a carry case for the brush handle and two heads, which is sold separately for $12.99 / £10 / AU$19 (down from $19.99 / £15 / AU$29).

Design

The brush is available in one color: a tasteful light gray, with a slightly textured surface, which provides a little extra grip for wet hands. On the handle is a single button, which serves to turn the brush on and off, plus a large color touchscreen that allows you to switch between modes by swiping and tapping. The screen also shows a timer while you brush, though this can be tough to see while you’re holding it, even in a mirror.

The Oclean X Pro Elite’s charging base is excellent. Most electric toothbrushes have a recess in the bottom, which fits onto a pronged base, and had a tendency to collect water and toothbrush residue unless you’re utterly meticulous about drying your brush after each use. The bottom of the Oclean X Pro Elite brush handle is completely flat, with nowhere for gunk to build up, and the charger has a soft silicone cup that holds it securely in place, and can be easily removed for cleaning.

Unfortunately, there’s no cable or adapter for charging your brush from a bathroom shaver socket – only a USB connector. It seems like a strange omission considering how carefully the rest of the setup has been designed.

The Oclean X Pro Elite also comes with a magnetic mount so you can attach your brush to your bathroom tiles. It’s secured to the wall firmly with an adhesive pad, but won’t keep your brush charged. It’s just a way to keep it out of the way between charges if you’ve no room for the base by your sink.

Unlike most of the other electric toothbrushes we’ve tested, the Oclean X Pro Elite doesn’t come with a travel case, and if you buy one separately, it’ll only be to protect the brush; the case doesn’t serve as a power pack to keep the brush charged on the move like that of the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000, or the Oral-B Genius X.

Performance

The first thing you’ll notice about the Oclean X Pro Elite is that it’s quiet – even quieter than the Oral-B Series 9. In fact, it’s barely audible with your mouth closed, which might lead you to believe that its action is less powerful than noisier brushes. That’s not the case, though – the X Pro Elite is capable of vibrating up to 42,000 times per minute on its highest setting.

This is a smart toothbrush with its own mobile app, but it works perfectly well by itself. There are four modes to choose from on the brush handle (clean, sensitive, massage, and white), and you can pick an intensity setting (from one to four) plus a duration. It’s a simple system, and the brush’s touchscreen makes it easy to pick your preferred options.

In our tests, we preferred the ‘white’ mode on a moderate intensity, which gave a thorough clean – as proven by use of disclosing tablets after use. Even on this relatively high setting, the brush remains whisper quiet, so you won’t disturb anyone in your household who’s sleeping while you’re in the bathroom.

Overall, it’s a well designed brush that’s a pleasure to use. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for the smartphone app.

Mobile app

The Oclean app is available for iOS and Android, and is simple to set up; just register an account and click the link in the confirmation email. Although it’s not mentioned in the brush’s manual, we found that we had to keep the brush in its charging base while it was pairing; otherwise the brush would turn off before the process had finished. After this, we had no further Bluetooth issues.

Once your brush is paired, you’ll find yourself presented with an app that’s attractive, but overwhelming, and packed with unnecessary features (including the ability to pick a background wallpaper to match your bathroom).

Whereas the brush handle offers a perfectly reasonable selection of brushing modes and intensities, the app complicates matters with dedicated ‘plans’ to suit different oral hygiene needs. There’s a staggering array of 12 different presets to choose from, including standard cleaning, gentle teeth spa, newbie whitening, and braces cleaning.

If you find all the options overwhelming (which is quite likely) tap ‘Smart push’ and you’ll be prompted to enter some details about your teeth and lifestyle, which the app will use to recommend a particular setting. Our tea-drinking habit resulted in a recommendation of newbie whitening.

If you find all the options overwhelming (which is quite likely) tap ‘Smart push’ and you’ll be prompted to enter some details about your teeth and lifestyle, which the app will use to recommend a particular setting. Our tea-drinking habit resulted in a recommendation of newbie whitening.

Now things get really complicated. These plans don’t simply affect the intensity, duration, and type of vibrations produced by the brush – they also come with specific instructions to follow, advising you which surfaces to brush for how long. It’s clear what ‘right palate side’ and ‘left cheek side’ mean, but ‘your dedicated zone’ is something of a mystery. These steps aren’t shown on the app’s screen as you brush, so you’ll need to follow them on your phone’s screen, changing to the next one each time the brush vibration changes.

Still not satisfied with the options available? You can also create your own plan, choosing how long you want to spend cleaning each quadrant of your mouth, and taking your pick from 32 intensity settings.

The brush handle includes an accelerometer that monitors its position in your mouth as you clean, but unlike smart toothbrushes from Philips and Oral-B, the Oclean app doesn’t show this data in real time. Instead, the info syncs with the app after you’ve finished, and presents you with a map of your brushing efforts, together with a score. Remember this info, and you should be able to achieve a better rating.

This system is a little strange. Despite only achieving a score of ‘middle’ for both pressure and coverage area, with ‘great’ for duration, we were given an overall score of 89 and a rating of ‘excellent’. It’s worth delving into your results though, because tapping the question mark icon beside ‘coverage’ shows you exactly which surfaces you reached, and which you missed (areas highlighted in red being insufficiently cleaned).

The Oclean X Pro Elite seems to be more picky than Oral-B and Philips brushes when it comes to covering all your teeth surfaces, which may be beneficial if your dentist tells you that you often miss a particular spot.

Overall, we preferred using the brush by itself, without the app. It’s an excellent piece of hardware (its powerful but near-silent motor is superb), and gives you all the options you need on its touchscreen. It’s certainly comprehensive, but we feel the app adds little extra value.

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Two-minute review

If you're on the fence about smart toothbrushes, the Oral-B Genius X could be the one for you. Just like top-end electric toothbrushes such as the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige and the Oral-B iO Series 9, the Genius X can provide real-time brushing guidance as you work your way around your mouth via a smartphone app – but even if you decide to forego the bells and whistles, you're still getting a very good, powerful electric toothbrush.

Skipping the app means you lose out on feedback that could help improve your technique, but you aren't missing any of the key features. Some other brushes only allow you to change modes or see pressure warnings through the app, but the Genius X puts all this on the handle, where it's visible at a glance.

The Genius X also has a particularly well designed charging case. Whereas many premium toothbrushes have a case that only holds a single replacement head, this one can hold two. It also has two different charging ports, which is a small feature, but could be invaluable if you're somewhere without a shaver socket, and need to rely on USB instead.

If you do decide the install the app, you'll find that it tracks the brush's location with impressive accuracy in real time. In fact, we found its positioning better than that of many top-end toothbrushes. Once you're done, you'll receive a report on your progress, and over time the app will build up a picture of your brushing habits that will help give useful practical suggestions to improve your oral health.

It's not quite as sleek as the Oral-B iO Series 9, and it's less advanced motor means it's considerably louder, but the Genius X strikes a good balance. The Bluetooth connectivity and brush positioning can help improve your technique, but its practical design means it's also a good choice if you simply want a good quality, dependable electric toothbrush for everyday use and travel.

Price and release date

The Oral-B Genius X was released in June 2019, priced at $199.99 / £339.99 (about AU$270) for the handle with one brush head, charging base, and charging travel case. It's dropped substantially since launch though, and can now be found for half price or less at third-party stores like Amazon.

The Genius X uses standard Oral-B brush heads, which are priced at around $20 / £20 (about AU$30) for a pack of four, but are also often available for a discount.

For comparison, the top-end Oral-B iO Series 9 cost around $300 / £500 / AU$400 at launch, and its specialized replacement brush heads are about $35 / £30 / AU$35 for a set of two.

Design

The Oral-B Genius X is about a standard size for an electric toothbrush, and fits comfortably in the hand. It comes in three colors: blush pink (tested here), black, and rose gold. The handle accepts standard Oral-B brush heads, which helps keep cost down long-term compared to higher-end brushes like the iO Series 9, and means you can keep using your stock of heads if you're upgrading from an older Oral-B model.

Unlike the Oral-B iO Series 9, the Genius X has no screen. Instead, the brush's six modes are marked on the handle, and the currently selected one is backlit. A battery indicator at the bottom of the handle shows the remaining charge. 

The Genius X has a pressure sensor, with a bright light just below the brush head that illuminates if you press too hard. The light's color is customizable through the Oral-B smartphone app (the same one used by all of the company's smart toothbrushes).

The brush is supplied with a travel case, which can be charged via a bathroom shaver socket. There's also a USB socket for charging the case if you don't have ready access to a suitable socket, but there's no USB cable included.

The induction charging base is standard for a mid-range electric toothbrush, with a plug for a shaver socket and a large pin that fits into the base of the brush handle. This keeps it securely in place (some higher-end toothbrushes have flat magnetic charging stands that are easy to knock over), but there's no removeable plastic cover for easy cleaning, so you'll need to take care to dry your toothbrush carefully after use to avoid build-up of water deposits.

The case is larger than that of the Oral-B iO Series 9, but has a similar robust design, with space inside for the brush handle and two heads. The choice of charging options is a welcome addition (not all hotels and Air BnBs will have a suitable shaver socket), though it's a shame there's nowhere in the case to stash the cable.

Performance

The Oral-B Genius X gives a thorough clean, as we found in our tests using disclosing tablets, and even its everyday cleaning mode is quite powerful. In fact, you may prefer to start with the sensitive option, which uses a slower speed, to get a feel for its intensity before you begin using it regularly.

It's also considerably louder than the Oral-B iO Series 9, which uses a frictionless magnetic motor. If you're concerned about waking your family with early morning brushing, it may be worth paying the extra for the higher-end brush. 

That's a minor quibble though, and the Genius X is an excellent all-rounder – particularly since, unlike some smart toothbrushes, it works perfectly well without its app: its pressure sensor will illuminate to warn you if you're pressing too hard, it pulses to alert you when it's time to move to a different quadrant of your mouth, and the brush powers off automatically after two minutes by default.

If you decide to check out the smart features (which we highly recommend) then the process is refreshingly straightforward: just install the Oral-B app, create an account, then press your toothbrush's power button and it will be paired with your phone automatically. 

Once that's done, you'll be prompted to select a color for the brush's pressure sensor and choose which settings you want to use – in which order. This isn't as intuitive as it is on the iO Series 9, which has an LCD display. Instead, each of the Genius X's modes is marked directly on the brush handle, so although you can re-order them in the app, doing so will mean pressing the down button no longer cycles through them in a logical way.

There are six modes to choose from (daily clean, intense, whiten, sensitive, gum care, and tongue clean), though the app doesn't describe the differences between them. The fundamental difference is the speed of the pulsing and oscillating motion, with modes such as intense and whiten being faster, and sensitive and gum care being slower.

Once you're ready to begin cleaning, turn on the brush and a graphic will appear on-screen showing a set of teeth divided into six sections, which will gradually turn from dark blue to white as you brush. Interestingly, we found its positioning actually worked better than that of the iO Series 9, detecting when we moved to a different section of our mouth with impressive accuracy. 

The Oral-B Genius X has a less sophisticated pressure sensor than the iO Series 9. The Genius X will only alert you if you're not pressing hard enough (which takes quite a lot of force), whereas the iO Series 9 will also let you know if you're not applying enough pressure. If your dentist has advised you that you have a tendency to be heavy-handed then this (combined with the rather vigorous brushing action) might make a higher-end brush like the iO Series 9 or Philips Sonicare Prestige 9900 a better choice.

If, on the other hand, you've been told that you tend to miss a particular spot, then the Genius X could be exactly the tool for you, at a very reasonable price.

Smartphone app

As we've mentioned above, the Oral-B app works with the Genius X to give real-time feedback on your brushing, showing how well you're cleaning each section of your mouth as you move around each surface.

Even if you'd rather not use it every time, the app is still worth installing so you can tweak the way the brush behaves when not connected to your phone. For example, if you find that a thorough clean often takes you longer than two minutes, you can disable the timer that turns it off once that time is up.

After you've finished cleaning, the app will rate the effectiveness of your cleaning, and suggest some extra steps that you can take to further improve your oral hygiene: flossing, brushing your tongue, and using mouthwash. These details are all logged, and you can check your brushing history in a calendar view to track patterns.

You will also be awarded badges for certain achievements, such as brushing your tongue for a certain number of days in a row; something that could well prove useful if you want to encourage your kids to take better care of their teeth.

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The Ordo Sonic+ works on the same principle as a Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush, using sonic pulses to send water between and around your teeth. The Sonic+ is more gentle though; its movements are slightly slower (40,000 per second rather than 62,000 per second) and although there’s no pressure sensor, its head has softer bristles that will help you avoid gum damage. If you’re concerned that a Sonicare brush might be too vigorous, it’s a great alternative.

We also particularly like its small brush head, which gives easy access to all tooth surfaces. This, combined with the gentle brushing action and optional subscription pack containing toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and three sets of interdental brushes, makes it a very good choice for anyone with fixed braces.

It’s tough to criticize the Ordo Sonic+, but it’s strange that the charger only has a USB connector, and there’s no adapter for plugging it into a standard shaver socket.

There’s no Bluetooth connectivity here, but for such an affordable price (£49.99 - about $70 / AU$90) that's no surprise. if you’re looking for a gentle and effective toothbrush, and are confident that you don’t need guidance with your technique, the Ordo Sonic+ could be the brush for you.

Price and release date

The Ordo Sonic+ was released in August 2020 and costs £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90). It’s available direct from Ordo, and from Boots in the UK. For comparison, the entry-level Philips Sonicare DailyClean 3100 costs £59.99 (about $80 / AU$110), but only has one mode compared to the Ordo's three, and has a much less attractive design.

Replacement brush heads for the Ordo Sonic+ cost £5 (about $7 / AU$9) each, which is also much less than most other electric toothbrush brands.

Design

Despite its low price, the Ordo Sonic+ certainly doesn’t feel cheap, and will look just as good in your bathroom as brushes costing several times the price. It's supplied with the brush handle, charging base (which comes in two pieces for easy cleaning), USB cable, and one brush head with a plastic cover.

Our review unit also came with a pack containing two tubes of toothpaste, three packets of interdental brushes, floss, a pouch of mouthwash concentrate, and a bottle for diluting it. These can all be bought separately, and the pack (not including the bottle) is available as a one-time purchase, or on a subscription plan.

Unlike many electric toothbrushes we’ve reviewed recently, there’s no travel case. It’s also worth noting that there’s no adapter for plugging the charger into a standard shaver socket in your bathroom.

The charger has a central pin that slots into a recess on the bottom of the brush. This design holds the brush firmly in place, but lead to a build-up of toothpaste and hard water reside at the bottom of the brush unless it’s carefully dried after use. There’s also a small gap between the brush head and body (much like the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000), so it’s a good idea to make sure this area is clean and dry after you’ve finished as well.

The handle (available in white/silver, charcoal gray, and rose gold) is slim and light, with a single control button. Pressing it once will turn the brush on, and pressing it again quickly will switch between the different cleaning modes. These are listed on the handle, with the current active mode indicated by a white LED.

Pressing the button after a brief pause will turn the brush off. A red light towards the bottom of the handle illuminates when the brush is charging, and switches off when it’s finished.

Performance

The Ordo Sonic+ is very pleasant to use – comfortable in the hand, and nicely weighted. It’s unusually quiet as well, producing even less sound than the top-end Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige. It has four modes (clean, white, massage, and sensitive), which cover all the fundamentals, but there are no intensity options. Instead, all the settings are relatively gentle.

The brush head is particularly small, making it easy to manoeuvre right to the back of you, and its slim design means it’s easy to use with your mouth closed. The bristles are softer than many other brushes we’ve tested, making it a good choice if you have sensitive gums.

This also helps compensate for the lack of a pressure sensor. There’s no light or vibration to indicate if you’re pressing too hard with the brush, but the design of the head means you’re less likely to cause damage than you are with other electric toothbrushes.

There’s no display on the handle, so no visible indicator of how long is remaining, but the brush buzzes gently every 30 seconds to alert you when it’s time to move to the next quadrant of your mouth, and it switches itself off when two minutes are up.

In our tests with disclosing tablets the Ordo Sonic+ wasn’t quite as effective when used alone as the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige, but if you opt for the refill pack, the interdental cleaning tools makes it easy to finish the job by hand.

We particularly like that the subscription pack isn’t delivered on a set schedule; you can choose how often it arrived based on how quickly you get through its contents. Floss is always handy, and the interdental brushes will be particularly useful to anyone with braces.

The refillable mouthwash bottle is a nice touch, reducing use of single-use plastic. You only need a very small amount of mouthwash concentrate (the small pouch provided will fill the bottle four times) and when fully diluted it still has quite a kick. We also appreciated the two different sized toothpaste tubes, though the smaller travel tube would be even more useful if the brush came with a carry case for taking on the road.

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Two-minute review

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is a powerful, good-looking electric toothbrush with a wide array of modes and intensity settings so you can tailor it to suit you. It's a versatile brush, robustly built, and our tests with disclosing tablets revealed that it did an excellent job removing plaque when used regularly.

It holds its charge well (although the charging base is rather large) and comes with an excellent rechargeable carry case to keep it powered up on the move, with a built-in cable so there's no need to pack a separate charger.

Connect the brush to your phone and you'll have access to some extra tools within the Sonicare app, but sadly this is largely limited to a timer, basic feedback on your brushing, and a calendar showing your brushing history over the last week. There are tips, but if you want to improve your technique, the Oral-B iO Series 9 is a better choice, costing around the same and providing real-time feedback as you clean.

The app can do a lot more when connected to a higher-end Sonicare brush, but with the DiamondClean 9000 its most useful feature is the ability to identify brush heads and track their lifespan based on your brushing habits. It can even re-order more automatically, if you like.

Overall, this is an excellent toothbrush for everyday use, but if you want to get the best app experience, there are 'smarter' options available for the same price.

Here we’ve reviewed the 2020 edition of the DiamondClean 9000 – the previous model lacked the pressure sensor and brush head replacement reminders.

Price and release date

This edition of the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 was released in May 2020, with a recommended retail price of $475 / £340 (about AU$640). However, it’s been discounted substantially since then, and is now available for around half the initial price – or even less during sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

It’s worth bearing in mind that additional heads are quite expensive, costing around $45 / £30 (about AU$60) for a set of four at the time of writing.

Design

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 has a stylish, modern design that looks much like the higher-end Sonicare 9900 Prestige, but is somewhat larger. This is no doubt due to the additional controls on the handle; while you have to delve into the Sonicare mobile app to change settings on the 9900 Prestige, here you can select a mode and intensity level with a press of the lower button.

The current mode is highlighted by an LED on the lower half of the handle, and the current charge level is indicated by four small bars on the upper half. The handle has a satin texture, and is available in two colorways: black and pink.

The brush comes with one Premium Plaque Defence head, but Philips offers a range of four to suit different needs. We particularly liked the narrow neck of the brush head, which makes it easy and comfortable to use with your mouth closed (always an advantage with a sonic toothbrush to avoid mess).

It’s worth noting that there’s a small gap between the brush head and handle to allow for movement when the brush is running. It’s only a millimeter or so, but could be susceptible to a build-up of toothpaste and water residue, so it’s a good idea to clean and dry the area regularly.

The brush is supplied with a puck-style charger that comes in two parts: a circular base with a two-prong wall plug, and a transparent plastic top that holds the toothbrush. It’s a practical design – the top can be easily removed for cleaning, and the toothbrush is held securely in place – but quite large – around 3in in diameter and 1.25in tall when assembled – so you’ll need plenty of space on your bathroom counter.

The Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 also comes with a smart-looking rechargeable carry case to keep the handle powered up on the move. Again, this is quite large (around 9in x 3in x 2in) but it’s well built, with a magnetic lid and sturdy feel. There’s room inside for the brush handle plus two heads, and the base of the case unfastens to reveal an integrated USB charging cable – a thoughtful touch that means you don’t need to worry about packing an additional charger for long trips.

Performance

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is a premium-feeling all-purpose toothbrush that’s well built and adaptable thanks to its range of brushing modes and intensity options. In our tests, we found ourselves leaning in favor of the White+ mode, which gave a very clean feeling and produced impressive results when tested using disclosing tablets, with minimal plaque left behind.

The brush defaults to its highest intensity setting, which some people may find too vigorous, so give the option button a few presses the first time you brush to find the setting that works best for you.

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is fairly quiet, producing about as much noise as a typical oscillating brush at its highest intensity, but noticeable more than the higher-end Sonicare 9900 Prestige.

It’s interesting to note that, when used with the smartphone app, the toothbrush vibrates every 30 seconds and turns off after two minutes. If used by itself, it will vibrate twice every 30 seconds but keep running. Most electric toothbrushes give you a particular indication once two minutes are up (such as a triple vibration), but if you’re not paying attention you might not realise you’ve already been brushing for the recommended amount of time.

There’s also no light on the brush to indicate that you’re using too much pressure. There is a pressure sensor, but you’ll only know if you’ve triggered it when you’re using the app.

Smartphone app

To get the most out of the Sonicare DiamondClean 9000, you’ll need to install the Sonicare mobile app, create an account, and connect the toothbrush to your phone via Bluetooth. This is a straightforward process that only requires your first name, an email address and a password. Once that’s done, turning the brush on will make it visible to the app, and you’re ready to connect. We had no trouble syncing the brush with the app, and the whole process took only a couple of minutes.

The app presents with various brushing tips, with personalized suggestions underneath. You’ll also see feedback on your last brushing session, and a separate tab contains a calendar showing your brushing habits over the last week.

The app also detects the type of brush head attached and how long you’ve been using it, using your brushing habits to calculate how many more sessions remain before it needs replacing. The app can also be set to order replacement heads automatically through Amazon Dash.

Aside from some privacy settings related to promotional emails, that’s about it. Unlike the more advanced Sonicare 9900 Prestige, this brush doesn’t have an accelerometer to determine the its position in your mouth, so you don’t get a map in the app showing which areas you should focus on and you won’t receive real-time feedback to help improve your technique.

However, if you choose to upgrade to a more advanced Sonicare brush at a later date, these options will appear and your brushing history will be carried over.

First reviewed July 2021

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Two-minute review

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige is an absolutely top-end electric toothbrush, and it shows. It's smart and sleek, and even comes with an executive-looking leather-effect travel case that keeps it charged when you're away from home. It's slim and light in the hand, designed to stay as clean as possible, and its compact all-purpose brush head avoids the need to switch between different designs for sensitive and intense brushing.

The downside of that minimalist design is the lack of controls on the handle, which means you'll have to delve into the Sonicare app to make adjustments to the settings. That's not a problem if you know exactly what type of brushing experience you like, and are happy to invest a little time getting it just so, but if you're in a hurry you can't pick a mode on the fly as you can with the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000.

This is a seriously smart toothbrush though, with real-time feedback that warns you if you're scrubbing too hard and, most impressively, a feature that automatically lowers the intensity if you're applying too much pressure. The app will also supply you with advice based on your brushing habits. 

That 'AI' technology is the real draw here, adapting to your brushing as you go, but you're also paying for the premium design. If there's such a thing as an 'executive toothbrush', this is it. 

Price and release date

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige was released in April 2021, priced at $399.99 / £299.99 (about AU$550). It was one of the most expensive premium electric toothbrushes around at launch, but has already begun to drop in price at third-party retailers like Amazon.

Design

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige is a very sleek, minimalist electric toothbrush, and is available in two colors: champagne and midnight. Unlike many higher-end electric brushes, it has no display and only a single power button. Power level is indicated by three small LEDs below the button, and another LED at the bottom of the handle indicates that it’s powered on.

The Sonicare 9900 Prestige comes with a leather-effect case, which resembles a compact umbrella and will keep your brush safe and charged while you’re travelling (with space for two brush heads). It’s powered up via a USB-C connector, and comes with its own charging cable. There’s just one drawback: unlike the Sonicare 9000 DiamondClean, which has a hidden compartment on the base of its case, there’s nowhere to store the cable for the Sonicare 9900 Prestige’s case when you’re on the move.

When you’re at home, the brush is juiced up via a rather stylish charger base, which plugs into a standard shaver socket. The translucent plastic upper can be lifted off for easy cleaning, and there are no awkward recesses where hard water deposits could accumulate.

The Sonicare 9900 Prestige uses all-in-one brush heads, so there’s no need to mix and match for different purposes. If you need something specific (particularly gentle brushing, for example), you can configure the brush through the mobile app rather than switching the head when you want a different clean. It’s a welcome touch, particularly since premium electric toothbrush heads from any brand are so expensive.

There’s no gap between the brush handle and head (as there is with the Sonicare 9000 DiamondClean), which helps keep the whole device clean.

Performance

To get the most out of the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige, you’ll want to spend a little time getting your brush set up with the smartphone app before you begin your first clean. The setup process is simple, and although you’ll need to create an account and place your brush on a flat surface briefly for it to be configured, the whole process takes only a minute or so.

Once that’s done, you can set about customizing your brushing experience. As we’ve mentioned, there are no controls other than a power button on the brush itself, so it’s necessary to make all your preferred adjustments within the app, where you can fine-tune the options to create your ideal brushing mode.

That said, the app gives you an impressive degree of control, letting you adjust the brush’s mode (clean, white+, gum health, deep clean, or sensitive) and intensity separately. The brush’s default setting is ‘gentle’, but having tried all brushing intensities, we found ourselves favoring the ‘medium’ option in ‘clean’ mode, which left our teeth feeling smooth and allowed the brush to glide nicely.

The brush can also take action to stop you getting too aggressive with your brushing. If you scrub too hard, it can light up and vibrate to alert you (with a warning in the app as well), and if you apply too much pressure for too long then the handle will pause, then lower the intensity automatically so you don’t damage your gums. In our tests, this appeared much less sensitive than the pressure sensor of the Oral-B iO Series 9 (another premium electric toothbrush). There’s also no light to show if you’re not applying enough pressure, though this is less of a concern.

The Sonicare 9900 Prestige is remarkably quiet, and the sound fades gently in and out as you turn it on and off. We're not sure whether this is an intentional design feature, but it certainly adds to the 'premium' feeling.

The brush feels smooth and comfortable in the hand thanks to its slender handle. You’re advised to hold it gently, like a flute, but despite using a light touch, we found that the brush location wasn’t quite as accurate as that of the Oral-B iO Series 9. It seemed necessary to angle the Sonicare 9900 Prestige quite steeply for it to register that we were brushing some lingual surfaces.

Will the Sonicare 9900 Prestige suit you? It’s mostly a question of how much you enjoy tinkering. A display or a touch control on the handle would make the Sonicare 9900 Prestige more practical for anyone who wants to swap modes regularly (for an occasional gentle brush or deep clean, for example). However, if you know what you like and want a consistent experience, there’s no need to spend time picking a setting every morning and night – after configuring it once, you can simply power it on and begin brushing.

Smartphone app

Much like Oral-B’s smart toothbrush app, the Sonicare app presents you with a simple map of your mouth, divided into areas that change color on-screen as you clean each one. The app times you, and shows when it’s time to move around to the next part.

The app shows whether you’re brushing the outer or inner side, which is a nice feature that helps ensure you don’t miss a spot, but your time is split equally between these two, which allows no time for biting and chewing surfaces until the very end, when you’re urged to make finishing touches. It’s a little frustrating.

We did, however, appreciate the ability to change the starting point for our daily brushing sessions (in our case, the bottom right), which allows you to tailor the experience to suit your brushing style. We also liked the real-time warnings on our phone when we were using too much of a scrubbing action; these appeared more quickly than haptic feedback from the brush, so we were able to slow down our brushing straight away.

This is a seriously premium toothbrush, and the app provides a more grown-up experience than those of some rival brands. The Sonicare app will congratulate you on a job well done, you can track your brushing sessions in a calendar to make sure you’re maintaining good habits, and there's an abundance of practical brushing tips, but you won’t be showered with smiley faces, badges and rewards. If you’re looking for something that will keep kids engaged and interested, the Oral-B app will serve them better.

First reviewed July 2021

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Not everything needs to be connected to the internet. I wasn't too impressed when I tried a smart coffee cup that cost $150 and require new firmware before I could start making my morning brew, and there have been several incidents where devices like smart speakers have been bricked by a faulty update.

That's before we get onto security. Any insecure Wi-Fi-enabled device has the potential to be exploited, meaning your smart fridge could become part of a botnet and used to carry out DDOS attacks. It sounds crazy, but it happened to vending machines at a college campus back in 2017.

That's why I've long been skeptical about smart electric toothbrushes – they seemed to be overcomplicating a mundane daily task, and providing a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

My first encounter with a Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush, many years ago, didn't involve a mobile app at all. Instead, the brush linked to a small battery-powered unit that was essentially just a timer with an LED display that counted down two minutes and showed a frowny face if you stopped brushing early. The brush itself was good, but the Bluetooth unit was pretty pointless (like any electric toothbrush, this one buzzed in your hand once your time was up) and was soon relegated to the back of the bathroom cupboard to gather dust.

I therefore approached the Oral-B iO Series 9 electric toothbrush with a degree of wariness. It doesn't connect to your Wi-Fi network, thankfully (nobody wants their toothbrush to become part of a botnet), but it does link to your smartphone, with a companion app to help improve your daily brushing. It seemed like over-complicating matters – but I was quickly won around.

Plaque hacks

First, I should say that the iO Series 9 doesn't connect directly to your Wi-Fi network, so there's no worry about it becoming part of a malware-spreading botnet. Instead, it connects to your phone via Bluetooth using the Oral-B app. Yes, a firmware update for the toothbrush may be recommended, but it's a mercifully quick process that won't leave you waiting long.

Once that's done, and you've selected a nice color for the brush's main light, a graphic showing a set of teeth divided into six groups will appear on your phone's screen. As you begin to brush, each section will change from blue to white as you glide around the inside, outside, and biting surfaces.

The brush tracks its own location within your mouth, and while it's not absolutely perfect, it's very impressive, and can definitely help you get those rogue spots that the dentist says you always miss. It's not excessively complicated, and only adds a couple of seconds to your regular bathroom routine.

There are various 'medals' up for grabs for achievements like brushing between 3:30am and 6am for five days, cleaning your tongue for several days in a row, or brushing at midnight. These look like a good way to keep kids motivated to clean their teeth, and thankfully the iO Series 9 is quiet enough not to wake you if they decide to partake in a nocturnal brushing session.

The brush works very well without the app, too. Almost all mid- to high-end electric toothbrushes have a pressure sensor that alerts you with a red light when you're pressing too hard, but the iO Series 9 also illuminates blue when you're not pressing hard enough, so you can get just the right amount of pressure without risking damaging your gums. Once you've finished cleaning, the brush's LCD display will show you a little emoji depending on how well you did, from a frowning face through to a smiley with stars for eyes.

All in all, it's the equivalent of getting a real-time brushing lesson, followed by a gold star sticker from your dentist – and who doesn't want that?

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Two-minute review

The Oral-B iO Series 9 not only gives an excellent clean, it also makes it refreshingly simple to develop better brushing habits. Feedback can be as simple or in-depth as you want.

If you’re in a hurry, just watch yourself in the mirror and ensure that you maintain a steady colored light while brushing, straying into neither the blue zone (too little pressure) or red (too much). This smart pressure sensor is much more useful than one that simply tells you if you’re pressing too hard, and the way the brush head glides over your teeth makes it easy to cover each surface.

Once you’re done, the brush’s color display will give you a quick heads-up in the form of a frowning, neutral or smiley face, and you can go about your day.

When you want more in-depth feedback on your brushing, connecting the brush to the Oral-B Bluetooth app allows you to get real-time feedback as you move around each section of your mouth. The location detection isn’t quite perfect, but it’s impressive nonetheless, and an effective way of encouraging you to pay equal attention to each part of your mouth. If your dentist often comments that you need to focus more on your molars, it’ll be a real help.

It might seem a little silly at first, but the little face on the brush is genuinely motivating, and the various awards and achievements in the app will give you the same little sense of accomplishment as hitting your Fitbit’s step goal for the day, or filling your Apple Watch’s activity rings. A little bit of positive feedback that helps reinforce good habits.

The chief downside is the iO Series 9’s price; it’s one of the most expensive electric toothbrushes around. However, it’s come down a lot since its launch last year, and you may be able to pick it up for even less during deal events. If you can stomach the cost, it’s easily one of the best electric toothbrushes you can buy.

Price and release date

The Oral-B iO Series 9 was released in 2020, and was originally priced at $300 / £500 / AU$400. That makes it easily one of the most expensive electric toothbrushes around, but it can now be found much more cheaply if you shop around.

Replacement brush heads cost around $35 / £30 / AU$35 for a set of two, which is undeniably steep. You can occasionally find them for a discount on Amazon, so it’s wise to stock up if you do. The iO Series 9 isn’t compatible with heads from older Oral-B toothbrushes.

Design

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is a modern-looking electric toothbrush available in three colors: black, white, and rose quartz. It’s supplied with a magnetic charger that connects to a standard shaving socket, one brush head, and a case to hold spares. You also get a rechargeable carry case, which keeps the brush powered up while you’re away from home. This holds the brush handle, and one head.

One of the iO Series 9’s best features is its color LCD display, which makes it easy to choose your preferred setting, and receive feedback after you finish brushing. While some toothbrushes over-complicate matters, the iO Series 9 is refreshingly simple, with just two buttons on the brush itself. Remove it from the charger to wake it, then use the lower button to select a mode and press the power button to start. There are seven modes to choose from, and the simple menu makes it easy to pick an appropriate one each time you’re ready to start brushing.

When you set up your toothbrush, you’ll be prompted to choose a color for its light. This isn’t just a nice touch of personalization; it also has a practical use. Like most higher-end electric toothbrushes, the Oral-B iO Series 9 has a pressure sensor. However, this is much more useful than the standard red light to indicate that you’re pressing too hard; as well as detecting excessive pressure, it also detects whether you’re not pressing hard enough. Your aim is to keep the light illuminated in your chosen color as much as possible, without straying into red (too much pressure) or blue (not enough).

Performance

In use, the Oral-B iO Series 9 is much quieter than an oscillating brush, and glides smoothly from one tooth to the next. Disclosing tablets revealed that we did indeed brush more effectively with the iO Series 9 than our regular oscillating toothbrush, when brushing for the same period of time. We also noticed a subjective difference; our teeth felt smoother after using the iO Series 9.

The brush charges quickly (a quick charge from flat takes around three hours), and the smooth charging puck with no hard-to-clean recesses, and the brush is secured in place magnetically. It works well, but if you’re clumsy first thing in the morning, you might find yourself accidentally knocking the brush off the charger, so be careful where you place it.

Using the app isn’t essential, and you get quick feedback to help improve your brushing with the brush alone. Once you’ve finished, the color display will give you a rating in the form of a smiling, ambivalent, or frowning face depending on how long you spent brushing, and how evenly you applied pressure while doing so. It’s a small thing, but we found we genuinely wanted to earn the approval of that little face.

To get the most out of the iO Series 9, however, you’ll need to download the Oral-B mobile app (available for Android and iOS). Once it’s installed, you’ll be prompted to grant permission for it to access location services (so it can find your brush) and register an account. When that’s done, connecting the brush to your phone is straightforward; just turn it on when instructed during the setup process, and it will be identified automatically. There’s no need to tap in an ID number, as you do with many Bluetooth devices.

With the app open, begin brushing and the app will detect which part of your mouth you’re currently cleaning, which will be highlighted on your phone’s screen. The teeth in the on-screen graphic will gradually change from blue to white, indicating that you’ve thoroughly cleaned each surface. This may take longer than the standard two minutes, depending on the effectiveness of your technique.

The positioning technology isn’t absolutely perfect when it comes to identifying surfaces in deal time, but it’s accurate enough to be genuinely useful, and to help you avoid missing those spots that the dentist always points out.

Once you’ve finished brushing, you’ll be asked to report whether you experienced any gum bleeding, then given a score out of 100, with feedback on how well you covered the inside, outside and chewing surfaces, and how well you managed pressure control on each surface.

You can also earn Fitbit-style badges and awards for effective cleaning, and there are different oral health programs (called Dental Health Journeys) to try. Our reviewer had her braces removed last year, but can imagine the orthodontic program being particularly helpful due to the challenges of brushing around brackets and wires.

The app is fun, and a good way to get a feel for how to improve your brushing, and once you’ve used it a few times to get an idea of how good brushing should feel, we recommend cleaning your teeth without watching the screen to see whether you can get good results by yourself. It’s a challenge, but one that’ll help you develop better technique that’ll set you up for life.

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Did you know that Oral-B has a range of ‘smart’ toothbrushes? Ones apparently so smart, in fact, that they're considered geniuses. We're not so sure they quite meet that criteria, but regardless, if you’re in the market for a new electric toothbrush, now’s a great time to snag a deal, with Amazon discounting the well-reviewed Oral-B Genius 9000 by over 50% off its regular price.

Packing a round rotary head, Oral-B reckons the Genius 9000 can remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush. Of course, these days, electric toothbrushes are becoming more and more technologically advanced, and this one's no exception. It has the ability to track your brushing habits and, thanks to the brush’s Bluetooth connectivity, can even give you real-time feedback through the Oral-B app, so you can see where your technique needs work and adjust your brushing habits accordingly.

Our colleagues at T3 rate the Oral-B Genius 9000 as their second-favourite electric toothbrush, so without doubt this is a fine teeth-cleaning apparatus. It's currently available through Amazon's AU store for only $154.95 – a massive saving of $194 off the RRP! 

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Dentists advise brushing your teeth for two minutes for optimal oral health, but French company FasTeesH has developed a tool that can get the job done in just 10 seconds.

The Y-Brush blasted past its crowdfunding target in 2018, raising $164,596, and began shipping to backers just before CES 2020. It's also available to buy for $125 (about £95, AU$180) in FasTeesH's online store.

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The Y-Brush features a kind of mouthguard lined with 96 clusters of nylon bristles, which brush all surfaces of your teeth simultaneously.

Just apply your usual amount of toothpaste (any type you like – the brush comes with an applicator for spreading it out thinly) and chomp down on it for five seconds to clean your upper teeth. Once they're nicely polished, flip the brush the other way up to do the lower ones.

The brush comes with a wireless charging dock (like any regular electric toothbrush), and there's a choice of mouthpiece sizes to suit different mouths.

Additional mouthpieces cost $30 (about £20, AU$45) and FasTeesH advises replacing them every six months. Considering the price of regular electric toothbrush heads, that's pretty reasonable value – especially if it saves you almost 11 hours of brushing during that time.

• Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2020 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.  

Via Engadget

While CES is well known for showcasing the latest developments in audiovisual and computing tech, there’s always plenty of gear outside these areas on display – and even something like a toothbrush can create buzz at the annual Las Vegas trade show.

This year, Oral-B is using CES to introduce its latest ‘smart’ electric toothbrush, the iO, which is a bit different from its previous offerings. The oral hygiene brand claims the iO is the culmination of six years of product research and development, with input from 1,800 consumers and over 250 patents from around the world.

Aside from the redesigned brush head, which we’ll get to below, the iO’s headline feature is an accompanying app that uses AI to provide users with real-time “tracking and coaching” – complete with a 3D guide informed by thousands of recorded brushing sessions.

If using a smartphone app in the bathroom is too fraught with danger for you (or just too much effort), the iO has its own integrated smart display that lets you switch between seven brushing modes, and, according to Oral-B, “greets users, while also providing coaching and motivation”.

While the smart tech may sound a little complicated, the physical design of the brush looks quite straightforward, with just two buttons and the smart display. The latter will count up to the dentist-recommended two minutes and, if you need some extra motivation, will both smile and wink if you’ve done a good job.

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As with most of Oral-B’s other electric brushes, the iO also features a pressure sensor that lights up red when users are brushing too hard – although here, you’ll be shown a sad face on the smart display too. When you’ve got the pressure just right, the light will remain green and the smart display will smile.

The actual toothbrush head features a frictionless magnetic drive, which the company says will distribute energy more efficiently to the tips of the bristles and provide a smoother, quieter cleaning experience.

The brush uses “oscillating and rotating” motions, along with “micro-vibrations” that promise to give you that fresh from the dentist feel.

In their clinical test of the new tech, Oral-B found iO users had six times more plaque removal from the gumline and 83% of gingivitis patients moved from having gums classified as ‘unhealthy’ to ‘healthy’ in eight weeks.

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Of course your toothbrush isn't safe from the ever-growing reach of artificial intelligence. Kolibree, a smart oral care company, has unveiled what it claims is the first toothbrush embedded with AI at CES 2017. 

The Ara is clearly no ordinary mouth scrubber. Just read how Kolibree founder and CEO Thomas Serval describes Ara's tech:

“Patented deep learning algorithms are embedded directly inside the toothbrush on a low-power processor," he said in a release. "Raw data from the sensors runs through the processor, enabling the system to learn your habits and refine accuracy the more it’s used."

And here we are using boring bristles. 

Ara picks up precisely where you're brushing, and will log information, such as frequency, duration and location, in either on or offline mode. 

This dental data is synced with a phone app via Bluetooth Low Energy, though you don't need to turn on your handset every time you clean your teeth in order to log your brushing stats.

Come spring, Kolibree says Ara will take part in a large clinical study in the US and Europe to see how AI impacts day-to-day behaviors and oral care. We can only imagine that if the study finds AI to have a positive impact on healthy behaviors, more mundane devices will soon be infused with AI smarts. 

The super-smart toothbrush is launching globally on March 1 for $129 (about £105, AU$180), though a pre-order price of $79 (about £65, AU$110) is available now through February 28 on Kolibree's website. 

Via Engadget

• New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2017 straight from Las Vegas, the greatest gadget show on Earth