I do suffer with my teeth and gums. Whilst I know that all the sweeties I have eaten over the years have probably not helped my dental hygiene, I do suffer from mouth problems such as ulcerations and the like. This, coupled with extremely sensitive gums and teeth means that I am really very fussy when it comes to buying a toothbrush.

I do find that if my toothbrush is too hard or brittle then it seems to make my teeth worse in terms of their sensitivity. On the other hand though, if a toothbrush is too soft, I find that I am not quite satisfied that my teeth have been given a good scrubbing... What's a girl to do?

After perusing the relevant aisle in my local supermarket for a good half hour or so, I was rather uninspired by their offerings. I had given most of the toothbrushes on the display a good squeeze and a bit of an inspection, and had been somewhat unsatisfied with most of the brushes on offer. I did see one or two that I thought would do the job for me quite sufficiently, but as these were upwards of £3 or so (!!!!!) I felt that this was a bit steep, and decided to abandon the purchase for the time being.

Fast forward a day or so later and I am in my local (independent) pharmacy, waiting for my prescription to be made up. I noticed a little display of toothbrushes and decided to have a look.

I noticed the 'Sensodyne Total Care' toothbrush immediately as I recognized the brand. This is because I use sensodyne toothpaste sporadically due to the sensitive nature of my teeth and gums.

After a closer inspection I was quite satisfied that this toothbrush was not going to be overly harsh on my poor teeth and gums and I noted that the price was on a special offer at £1.75, which I was more than happy to pay. With that, my purchase was made.

I have been using this brush for around two months or so now and have to say I am quite impressed for the most part.

The toothbrush is clear plastic with a coloured design on (mine is blue) and the colour is also on the bristles. I do find that the shape of the brush's head is a good design because it is quite a neat size and I find that this means I can reach my back teeth almost as well as I can reach those that are nearer the front.

The bristles are of course suitable for sensitive teeth and this is where this toothbrush wins over other brands I have used before. I do not find that using the brush causes any irritation to my sensitive gums. I also do not find that my gums bleed excessively because the toothbrush is too harsh, quite the opposite in fact! I don't really recall ever having bleeding, sore gums after using this brush.

In addition, I do not find that the brush adds anything to the problems I have in terms of sensitivity to my teeth. Whilst it has not magically removed these problems for me (and I wouldn't expect it to, to be fair) it has most certainly not worsened them, whereas some other brushes do. This fact in itself makes the brush a big winner for me!

I would award the brush four marks out of five and I would suggest it might be worth a try if you suffer from gum irritation or more specifically, problems with sensitive teeth. I did find that for once, my new toothbrush didn't hurt when I used it!

The Sensodyne Total Care toothbrush is available from all good pharmacies, although I am quite sure I have also seen it for sale in both Tesco and Boots, where it costs around the £3 mark.