()I was first introduced to Sonicare products about 1993.My dentist came back from aconvention and told me that with my dental history (crowns, root canals, and one of the first dental implants) I HAD to have one of these.He set me up on a payment plan for the 250 dollar plus toothbrush.To start using it you had to put in bunch of rings.It tickled like crazy but I got used to it.
Since then I have always had a Sonicare.I always loved them, EXCEPT for keeping them clean.This toothbrush finally addresses those issues.
There is no longer a "ring" collar and a hollow portion in the handle where the magnetic portion of the brush would go.This always got full of gunk and had to be cleaned with a Q-tip.Gunk would also collect between the ring and the brush portion.This problem is eliminated with this new model.The brush head is completely different and simply sticks onto a "spike" that comes out of the top of the brush.There are no crevices for dirt and toothpaste to accumulate.The charging base is also now different, it no longer has an indentation to get dirty.The brush simply sits on a small spike on a flat surface.This, however, does make it easier to knock the toothbrush over, but I will take that for not having to clean out the charger with an old toothbrush.
The toothbrush initially starts with a "ramp up" period, which allows you to get used to the vibrations in your mouth over a few weeks of brushing.If you already have used a Sonicare you can simply put the brush on the base, hold down the button and it will automatically go to full power, you can also reverse this process to re-initialize the toothbrush back to the ramp up mode.If you get the brush and it does not seem as powerful as your old one, you need to skip over this "getting used to it period" by resetting the toothbrush.
The brush head itself is different from my current "Elite" model.This brushhead has a few longer bristles at the top which seem to vibrate faster and clean deeper.That took a little getting used to, I had to switch to the "sensitive" mode for a few of my teeth with extensive dental work.The handle feels more nimble in your hand and the brushhead smaller.
Another great feature, the charger can now be used overseas without a voltage converter. You do need a plug so you can physically plug it in (so the prongs match the prongs in whatever country you are visiting)(like Lenmar AC5 World Travel Adapter/Converter Plug Set) but you do not need a transformer.They don't say this in the product description on Amazon, but it is spelled out in the manual.
I am not sure how to determine if my teeth are whiter. I have been using the "clean and white" except on a few teeth.It would be neat if they included a chart in the box so you could test the "before" and "after".My teeth do not feel any cleaner than when I was using the Sonicare Elite, but my gums do seem to be bleeding less when I floss.I am not sure if that is due to the little extra length fibers on the brushhead or a different vibration pattern.
If you have a more recent Sonicare I would not run out to get this one, but would seriously consider it once you have used up your brushheads.Or hand down your older
model to your kids and upgrade.If you travel a lot, this is the one to get, you can use it without worrying about running out of charge.It is a lot easier to keep clean.
Although I usually do not send in warranty cards I do for Sonicare.They are will send you coupons for money off new brushheads and I also once had one that quit after 7 months.I called them, they looked up my warranty and sent me a new one in the mail right away.
()Back in Sept 2007 I got my hands on the Philips Sonicare FlexCare Rechargeable Sonic Toothbrush with Sanitizer. I loved it!
two different size brushes depending on your mouth size
Timer to ensure you hit all 4 quadrants of your mouth in a 2 minute timeframe
additional travel charger
UV sanitizer to kill bacteria on the brush heads and it has a charger built into the stand
3 Modes: Clean, Sensitive Teeth and Massage
2 year warranty
It's a great product for under $150 now on Amazon. Considering you could spend (with insurance ) $100 for a simple filling, this is a worthy investment.
Now 10 months later arrives the Philips Sonicare R732 HealthyWhite Power Toothbrush.
Everything is basically the same (2 brush heads, travel charger, etc.) . . .except . . . no UV Cleaner/charger and no Massage mode. Instead of Massage mode you get a "whitening mode.
NOWHERE in the product description or the documentation can I find what the extra "whitening" feature is or does. From what I can tell, whitening mode an additional 30 seconds of cleaning of the front visible teeth after you've done the initial 2 minute Clean mode.
Nothing other than a longer timer!
You could easily just start the quadrant timer all over again if you wanted more brushing time and stop it when you've had enough.
OVERALL:
Both of these are great toothbrushes.
If you don't want the UV Cleaner/Charger combo get the R732 model and save about $20. But for ONLY $20 more,you get the Flexcare, which in essence gives you two chargers. . .the one that sits on the counter with the UV cleaner and the travel charger.
They both use the same brush head replacements.
I would have given this a 3 star due to the blatant marketing ploy of the product. But because it is the best toothbrush I've ever experienced, it gets bumped to a 4 star.
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()Having been a long-time user of the Oral B electrical toothbrush system,I wanted to try the Sonicare to see and feel if there was any difference. Here are my observations:
General:
The first difference I noticed was that the shape of the included brush heads was rectangular like a traditional toothbrush. The Oral B system features round brush heads and I've favored those because I felt they did a better job cleaning an entire tooth, and not just part of it which I feel is what rectangular brush heads tend to do (i.e. either along the gum line or more on the other end).
Other than that, both systems have a similar feel, with the Sonicare HealthyWhite a bit lighter in weight.
Brush Heads:
What a difference when I actually began using the Sonicare! It feels very different from the Oral B, more of a vibrating, almost tickling sensation that actually feels quite pleasant. I have sensitive gums, and it seems to me that the Sonicare overall was a lot gentler than the Oral B. With the Oral B Triumph I actually had to use the extra-soft brush heads because the regular ones as well as the ones with the yellow plastic "flaps" (for lack of better word) irritated my gums to the point where it was uncomfortable. With the Sonicare HealthyWhite, I was able to use both brush heads it came with and have yet to experience any gum irritation quite a plus in my eyes.
The Promise Of Whiter Teeth:
The Sonicare HW promises whiter teeth after two weeks of continuous use of the Clean & White mode, which is what I did. My two weeks are up now, and honestly I am not sure that I notice much of a difference. Except a crowned front tooth seems to look a bit brighter than before, so for now, my conclusion is that this seemed to have worked on the capped tooth better than on my natural teeth. I am unsure whether this is a good thing because it makes the cap stand out more. Then again, not so much that other people would necessarily notice. So for now, I am reserving judgement on this. But I am inclined to say that this is more ad hype than anything else...
Clean Feel:
My teeth feel very clean after using the Sonicare. Moving my tongue across, I don't think there is a difference between the two systems, i.e. the surfaces of my teeth feel just as clean after the Oral B cleaning than after using the Sonicare.
But: I believe that the Sonicare HW does a significantly better job with removing plaque and sometimes food particles (sorry, but this is just a fact of life :-)) from in-between the teeth. I attribute this mainly to the shape of the brush head, which in addition to being rectangular is also raised in places, creating something like a "wave" pattern which enables the bristles to actually get in-between and do their job. Flossing after using the Sonicare HW seems cleaner and also subjectively I think my floss moves easier now.
User Friendliness:
Both systems have "quadrant notifications", i.e. the system makes the user aware to switch to a different section (quadarant) of their mouth after 30 seconds. Where they differ: The Sonicare HW stops brushing altogether after that time (or, in case of the Clean & White mode, after two additional rounds of 15 seconds each for the front teeth), whereas the Oral B keeps going. I personally prefer that the brush does not auto-shut off, so I like the Oral B better here, but this is just a preference of mine...
Conclusion:
I honestly think I can go both ways stay with my Oral B Triumph or continue using the Sonicare HW. Both systems seem to do a great job at keeping teeth clean and healthy. But because I feel that the brush head of the Sonicare is overall doing a better job and is gentler, I am giving my vote to it. If Oral B came out with such a head, I might re-evaluate, but at this point I am favoring the Sonicare HW.
Update:
Having now used the Sonicare HealthyWhite for about 2 1/2 months I would like to update my review. My capped front tooth became quite sensitive so that I switched to using the Sensitive mode. Still it was uncomfortable. I do attribute this to the Sonicare because this is not an old crown and I have not had any problems when using my Oral-B on it. So for now I have gone back to my Oral-B Triumph. It does not seem to aggravate the tooth like the Sonicare... Sad, but true.It's a good toothbrush, but the only whitening benefit you get from this is from running it an extra 30 seconds. This is achieved with a different setting that requires one to push the on switch 3 times to set it to "whitening". Since the whole system is called "Healthy White", it seems that it would make more sense for this to be the default setting. Overall this doesn't seem any better than the basic Sonicare, but it's more expensive. I would just stick with the basic one if I had it to do over again.
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()I was given a Sonicare Elite toothbrush as a gift about seven years ago.Whenever I needed a thorough cleaning of my teeth I would be sure to use it.Its battery finally gave out about a year and a half ago and I held off on getting another because of the cost.If not for the triple digit price tag, I probably would have purchased another.
This week I was fortunate enough to get the latest and greatest Sonicare HealthyWhite Power Toothbrush through the Amazon Vine program.Good thing too, because the $110+ price tag would probably have deterred me from buying it on my own.But don't get me wrong, it is worth the money if within you budget.No manual or cheapo battery-powered regular toothbrush cleans as well as the Sonicare line.My wife says it is like being in the hands of a dental assistant -the cleaning is that thorough and sensations very similar.
The new HealthyWhite is definitely a step up in quality.I don't know if it will whiten my teeth by two shades in two weeks, but it sure feels like it will.The build quality is excellent and cleaning motions very powerful.I really like the built-in timer that pauses briefly to let you know to clean a different section of your mouth.Each segment is about 30 seconds, plenty of time with a brush this effective.There are three different modes; Clean, Sensitive, and Clean and White.The first is a standard 4 segment cleaning, the second is a more gentle mode for sensitive gums and teeth, and the third has an extra 30 seconds for focusing on your front teeth or even your tongue.Out of the three, I like the extra time of Clean and White mode the best.One thing to add is that you don't need as much toothpaste with this brush as it really foams up with a small amount.
The travel case is nice, though I will probably just use a standard toothbrush when traveling.The base is compact and holds the brush two brush heads.The second smaller head is useful for getting hard to reach spots.
Pros: Well, just read above.It was ready to go right out of the box.This is the most impressive Sonicare I have ever used and probably the most effective tooth cleaning experience outside a dentist's office.
Cons: There are some but nothing severe enough to make me dislike this toothbrush.
1.The cost is a bit high for your average Joe.
2.They recommend replacing brush heads ever three months.A 3-pack is currently about $27 -not cheap by any standard.At least you get a coupon in the box that is good towards a free brush head or $10 off a future brush purchase (good until the end of 2008).
3.The shape of the brush head is a little strange ... it is taking some getting used to.It does work though.
4.The vibration of the brush can be a bit intense for some people.I remember that it took me a while to get used to my first Sonicare.I did fairly quickly though and don't mind it a bit now.
5.I wish there was a way to turn off the timer so that it would not automatically shut off after completing a brushing cycle.
6.The tough interior clamshell packaging took a while to get open.
The Sonicare HealthyWhite Power Toothbrush is a top of the line brush.Its initial cost and cost of the brush heads might scare off some, but if you want really clean and white teeth, you can't do much better than this.4 1/2 stars.
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