+++Electric vs manual+++
Whether you think using an electric toothbrush is better than normal manual tooth-brushing or not, how many of us can say that we brush our teeth for a full two minutes twice a day? I must admit that when they first came out, I thought leccy toothbrushes were just for the plain lazy among us. Perhaps I'm right. Research mostly suggests that electric toothbrushes are better than manual ones, but some people disagree, saying that using a regular toothbrush for two minutes at a time, following the gumline and paying attention to problem areas, should be just as good as the effect produced when using an electric brush.

The way I see it is that even those who don't think electric toothbrushes are much better than normal ones, there must be a reasonable proportion of those people who are even in the slightest bit lazy and would like some help in maintaining the 2 minutes twice a day ritual that should help us keep our teeth and gums plaque free and healthy.

I'd not used a modern type electric toothbrush before, (i.e. those with round brushheads) but an old style one I have used in the past proved to be pretty good. Coupled with a wish to avoid the dentist for as long as possible, I decided to hunt for a suitable toothbrush earlier this week.

I had no idea how much they would be, and so did a little internet searching before heading off to Boots. From other dooyoo ops, I figured Braun were pretty good, and came in wide range of prices.

+++SPECIAL OFFER!!!+++
One of my main reasons for writing this review now is that I came across what I class as a very good electric toothbrush at an affordable price at Boots. www.wellbeing.com was unable to clarify when exactly the offer ends, but I was able to get the Braun Oral-B Plak Control Family Power Toothbrush D9 for £14.99, normally retailing at £29.99. To give you an idea of how good that price is (other than obviously being a 50% discount),

www.shavers.co.uk stock replacement parts for Braun toothbrushes, and they sell the replacement body for this toothbrush set for £15.99 (the charging stand being additional.)

(Extra note for girls: until 1st April 2003, if you spend over £15 at Boots, you'll get a £5 voucher to spend on No.7 products, so if you do take advantage of this offer, make sure you buy some (sugar free) chewing gum or something equally cheap to take you over £15!!!)

I just thought I would share my little find, in case any fellow dooyooers have also been considering buying a lazy toothbrush too!

+++What do you get?+++
The 'cheaper' Braun toothbrushes come in plastic packaging, rather than a box. I think it was themoomin's op on this electric toothbrush that warns about the problems you encounter trying to open the packaging that comes with this product. I won't go on at length, but you do need scissors and patience.

As you can't get into the packaging whilst in the shop, I'd advise having a look at one in a box to get an idea of the weight of the toothbrush, and just generally get an idea if it's what you're after. The boxed toothbrushes at the cheap to mid price range appeared to be essentially the same as the one I was interested in, so it seems good for comparison.

The toothbrush itself is white with blue controls. In all it's slightly longer than a manual toothbrush, and the handle/body of the toothbrush is probably about as fat and long as a tube of smarties (ooh dear, can I mention chocolate in a 'clean teeth' op?)

This particular model comes with a storage tower/charging base which holds the toothbrush and charges it when it's plugged in to the mains. I've never seen an electric toothbrush with such a tall storage holder. Again, think tube of smarties height-wise. However, this tower comes with a flip-up lid which, when opened, causes a little tray divided int
o two sections to pop up. Each section holds one replacement toothbrush head, stored vertically. Having read into toothbrushing (only for the purposes of this op, I hasten to add!!) research suggests that people should have two toothbrushes, one for the morning and one for the night, giv
ing the toothbrush time to dry to kill bacteria. I've never heard this before, but certainly you could store your morning toothbrush in one compartment, and your evening toothbrush in the other section of the pop-up. I suppose the idea behind this toothbrush storage holder is that you keep one replacement head on the brush itself, and the other two are for other members of the family (hence the name "family power toothbrush."

You can mount the storage tower on the wall using the fixings provided, but if you choose not to, it seems that the power cord wraps around the rear of the storage base, should you wish to put the charger away when not in use.

The D9 version of the Braun toothbrush comes in a variety of models, but the one I chose comes with a timer. I did worry that this would be a bit like an alarm clock or kitchen timer, perhaps waking everyone in the house once your two minutes of brushing are up. Given that I didn't read the instructions prior to use, it did take me a few minutes to realise that what I thought was the battery failing was actually the signal that the two minutes of brushing were up. Effectively, after two minutes, the toothbrush 'pulses,' so that it feels like it's going to stop or run out battery, just for a few seconds, as it becomes intermittent. Should you wish to keep brushing, you need not do anything but continue to use the brush. Obviously, you can stop brushing before two minutes is up, but it is really useful to have the reminder of when two minutes is, just so that you can clean your teeth to dentists' recommendations, should you wish.

This model comes with one toothbrush h
ead on the toothbrush itself, and a further, replacement toothbrush head.

N.B: you DON'T get a plug that you can put straight into the wall. As this product is for bathroom use, the plug provided on the product plugs into a shaver socket. I bought a shaver adapter so that I can
plug straight into a normal wall socket. This set me back only #1.65 from a hardware shop.

The toothbrush comes with a 1 year guarantee for defects in the appliance. Additionally, a 12 month performance guarantee allows you to return the toothbrush to Braun if you are not convinced that it significantly reduces plaque. Braun promise a full refund. A short form is included with the instructions for this purpose. However, you must keep the evil, sharp plastic packaging within which to return said toothbrush!

+++Is it easy to use?++
Well the simple answer is yes. You must charge the toothbrush for 16 hours prior to first use. This should provide 30 minutes of continuous use, and so will last about a week before you next need to charge it. (I have it on good authority from other dooyoo ops that the charge does last this long.) Other than that, it's easy to operate, just press the larger button on the blue control panel to switch on, and the smaller one to switch off. However, when using the brush, you need to be careful not to apply too much pressure, as it's simply not necessary. The brushhead oscillates 7,600 times a minute, and so all you need to do is move the brush over your teeth, using your normal amount of toothpaste and water. The instructions with the product show diagrams of how to use, but it's not difficult to figure out. It does feel kind of lazy, but at the same time, very effective.

Once the two minutes is up, just rinse your brush as normal, dry and either replace in the stand for further charge, or set it aside on its own. Another piece of research I read recommends always rinsing your toothbrush in co
ld rather than hot water, as this keeps the bristles softer, meaning you are less likely to cut your gums.

+++How effective is it?+++
After using my toothbrush for the first time, I noticed that my teeth felt noticeably cleaner and they looked better too. Obviously, I've only had
the product for a few days, but already I can feel a difference.

You should be aware that your gums may bleed for the first few times of use, while you get used to the toothbrush. The first two times I used my brush, I found that this was the case, but after that it was fine. If your gums bleed for more than a week, then the instructions recommend visiting your dentist.

+++What about replacement toothbrush heads?+++
All the blurb I have read indicates that all Braun Oral-B brushheads fit the toothbrush. On first glance, the replacements can seem very expensive because you generally buy them in multipacks, but they seem to work out at around £3 each. Of course, this is what you could spend on a decent manual toothbrush. You should change to a new toothbrush head every 3 months, and to assist you in when to change, the bristles are white and green. After about 3 months, the green colour should fade as an indication that the brush needs changing. Replacing the heads is a simple matter of pulling off the old one and pushing on a new one. Each pack of replacement heads has different colour collars round the base of each brushhead, so that different family members know which brush is theirs, if several people use the same toothbrush body.

+++Conclusion++
As you will see, I've not had my toothbrush long, but I've been sold on the idea of leccy toothbrushes for a long time anyway and I know they work. This model of toothbrush at its current price at Boots is, in my view, excellent value for money. Go on, give your teeth a treat!