Shiny shiny clean teeth (Sonicare Elite 7500 Power Toothbrush)

Member Name: depurple2

Product:	Sonicare Elite 7500 Power Toothbrush
Date:	26/09/06 (1372 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gets your teeth really clean, reminds you to brush for the right amount of time

Disadvantages: Toothbrush and replacement brush heads are expensive

I bought this toothbrush on the advice of my dentist because I was getting quite a build up of plaque on my teeth between dentist visits.

I was a bit horrified by the price when I went to buy the toothbrush - at around £100 it is expensive compared to non-sonic electric toothbrushes. The refil pack of brush heads is also expensive, at around £25 for two.

The toothbrush comes with a charger, two brush heads, which have colour coded bands on them so you can tell which is yours, a holder for the brush heads which you can attach to the wall, and a plastic travel case.

The toothbrush is sealed all the way around, so it appears to be waterproof (although I haven't tested this!). I have no idea how it charges, as there are no visible electrical contacts, but it does. It is important to put the brush the right way round in the charger, with the logo facing forwards, because it doesn't charge properly otherwise.

The brush heads are easy to change over, they just twist on and off. The threads can bet a bit gunky with toothpaste, but are easy to clean.

The toothbrush is quite loud when it is turned on. It did hurt a little at first, probably because I was used to a manual brush, but after a couple of days it didn't hurt at all. The brush heads feel OK in your mouth though - I opted for the more expensive model with the slimline brush heads - some of the older models have much fatter brush heads.

One really useful feature of the Sonicare toothbrush is that it has a timer. It times 30 seconds each for the inside of your top teeth, the outside of your top teeth, the inside of your bottom teeth and the outside of the bottom teeth. It times you for 2 minutes in total, and I always feel really guilty if I switch the brush off before the time is up. You can turn this feature off if you don't want it.

The timer ends each segment with a beep. I find that the beeps are a little bit quiet though, and if I am listening to music or the TV I sometimes miss them.

When the toothbrush needs recharging, it beeps 3 times at the end of use. It also flashes a yellow light at you for a few seconds after it stops (normally it has a green light on when it is in use). I leave it on charge for the day while I am at work. The battery lasts about a week with me and my partner both using the brush once or twice a day each.

Finally, the most important bit - does it actually work?
A resounding yes is the answer. My teeth feel cleaner using this brush than they ever did using a manual or cheaper electric toothbrush. This was backed up by my dentist who said that I have had less plaque since I got a Sonicare toothbrush.

Summary: Help beat plaque with a Sonicare toothbrush

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Cleaning/Maintenance:
Quality: