Decent electric toothbrush (Braun Oral-B Vitality Sonic)

Member Name: Zack131

Product:	Braun Oral-B Vitality Sonic
Date:	24/10/09 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean feeling, timer

Disadvantages: Long charge time, 2 pin plug

As time goes on you increasingly become more aware on how you look and present yourself to others. One feature a lot of teenagers are more worried about these days is how their teeth look. Braces have become very common and so have the electric toothbrush as a way of improving the look of your teeth. There are all kinds of chewing gums, mouthwashes and teeth whitening toothpaste which claim to do such good for your teeth. However, without thoroughly cleaning your teeth then you may never see these effects. Your typical teenager may consume a can or more of cola a day putting them at huge risk to tooth decay. I'm going to be reviewing this electric toothbrush since I reckon it is important to pay more attention to your teeth these days.

The toothbrush has a single button on it which makes it a very simple device. The head can be removed and replaced at ease with a new one so that you don't need to go out and buy a completely new toothbrush. It is supplied with a charging station which can actually be hung onto the wall if you really wanted to. The plug only has 2 pins which is really frustrating since you need to go and buy a transformer for it to fit into the 3 pin sockets here. The charging station is coated in plastic for safety purposes but this also limits the current flow hugely. As a result it takes about 8 hours or so to fully charge this toothbrush. However, you have no idea when it is even finished. A very simple LED to signal a completed charge would be more than appreciated. Personally I have no electrical sockets in my bathroom, nor would I really charge an electrical device in my bathroom, so that part again is slightly frustrating. The battery claims to last 5 days worth which is 2 x 2 minute brushing a day. A total of 20 minutes battery life which isn't the most impressive I have to say compared to most battery operated electric toothbrushes.

The rubbery grip of this toothbrush is quite comfortable with a thinner base than most of the electric toothbrushes I have used. Being slightly textured it allows you to hold the brush firmly without much force and without the fear of it slipping. The brush heads themselves have soft bristles at different angles to clean those more obscure places in your mouth. There is a line of raised pieces on the back of the brush which I presume are for cleaning your tongue. However, I don't remember seeing anything confirming this.

Turning the brush on you will hear the generic noise that most electric toothbrushes make; that humming as the bristles vibrate at high speed. Placing it against your teeth might bring quite a shock. Your teeth will feel tingly due to the power of the brush. I find it seems to very effectively remove any traces of food and gives your teeth quite a nice feeling afterwards. Just so you don't under brush there is a timer within the brush. After 2 minutes the brush will do a pulsing vibration to let you know that you have successfully brushed for long enough. However, you may want to brush more which causes the battery life to last less than 5 days.

You can purchase replaceable heads of different types as to increase the amount of time you use the brush before throwing it in the bin. Unfortunately these are very expensive and could set you back between £5 - 10. The toothbrush itself I've seen for as low as £7 in the sales but typically it is about £15 these days.

I've found this toothbrush to be better than the rest I've used providing I can be bothered to charge it. It cleans better than a manual toothbrush and lasts a long time since you don't need to brush with it, instead you gently pass it along your teeth. Overall this is a great toothbrush that I do recommend, but only if you have the willpower to recharge it every few days.

Summary: A brush you could love or hate

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