American Dental Association (ADA) has recommended the use of electric toothbrushes for effective mouth cleaning. Most of us don’t know what to look for when buying an electric toothbrush. Here, we present a complete buying guide of an electric brush that answers all your questions. We have also included a review of 3 affordable electric toothbrushes that will further help you.
This article covers:
- Special features to look for in an electric toothbrush
- Review of 3 Best electric toothbrushes (Under $100)
- How to use an electric toothbrush?
- How to clean an electric toothbrush?
- How long does an electric toothbrush last after a single charge?
- After how long the brush head must be replaced?
- How to solve the troubleshoot problems, if they occur?
Special Features to look for in an Electric Toothbrush:
- High-Frequency Vibrations:
In choosing an electric toothbrush, always look for the one which has brush movements equal to or greater than 38000 per minute. This is because such brushes remove plaque and stains much more effectively, thereby, preventing plaque and gingivitis.
- Pause and Beep Indicator (Quadpacer):
Sonic Clean toothbrushes with a quadpacer will enable you to go into an “autopilot” mode. Quadpacer is a 2-minute smart pause timer that will remind you to change your brushing location every 30 seconds.
- Waterproof :
This is the most under-rated yet important feature to look for in an electric toothbrush. A highlighted survey of Delta Dental mentioned in the Wall Street Journal says that around 13 million Americans brush their teeth in the shower. You may not be the one among these 13 million, but this feature is still an important one and must be looked for when buying an electric toothbrush.
- Other Features:
These features are not necessarily important to consider in buying an electric toothbrush yet their presence will act as a cherry on the top.
- Battery reminder
- Travel-friendly charging base i.e. it must be compatible with the global voltage
- Brush head with a tongue cleaner
Review of 3 Best Electric toothbrushes: (Under $100)
We ordered 3 electric toothbrushes from fosoo website; namely APEX, NOV, and LUX. The reason we chose FOSOO is because people, on multiple social media platforms, were talking about this new brand and its state-of-the-art cleaning. Moreover, when we visited their website; even the most expensive toothbrush was under 100 dollars and had all the features of a top-notch electric toothbrush.
In addition, we got a discount voucher in their subscription, which allowed us to further enjoy a 10% discount.
On unboxing, we found:
- A toothbrush handle
- A clean brush head
- A sensitive brush head
- Wireless charging base
- Hygienic travel case
After using the 3 toothbrushes for multiple days and months; we ruled out some pros and cons which are mentioned below.
Pros:
- All the 3 electric brushes had magnetic wireless
- Among the 3 brushes; APEX electric toothbrush lasted for 6 months on a complete charge.
- All the 3 electric brushes perfectly worked on the gum line. The gum line is the area where most food particles accumulate and cause gum disease.
- All the 3 electric brushes had a 30-day money-back
- Among the 3 brushes; APEX electric toothbrush had the most advanced brushing modes namely, Clean mode, Polish mode, White mode, and Gum care mode.
- Unlike the popular noisy electric brushes, all the 3 electric toothbrushes of FOSOO had minimal noise ~ less than 50 dB.
- Among the 3 electric brushes, NOV electric toothbrush had a screen display that made it look futuristic.
- Brush heads of all the 3 electric brushes had soft contoured bristles.
Cons:
- Their highest intensity could be very intense for the gum line. Therefore their intensity should be set to medium or low when brushing.
- Their 2-minute timer (Quadpacer) resets once you set the toothbrush off. The reason to write this as a downside is that it becomes difficult to get a hold of time if you spend time spitting saliva in the middle of your brushing.
Bottom Line:
All the 3 FOSOO electric toothbrushes thoroughly cleaned the gum line at the medium intensity in the clean mode. Moreover, these brushes had all the advanced features which make them equally competent against the famous brands available in the market. In addition, the price tag of each electric brush was under 100 dollars.
We recommend the usage of FOSOO electric toothbrushes twice a day.
How to Use an Electric toothbrush?
Step 1: Wet the bristles and apply an appropriate amount of toothpaste onto the brush
Step 2: Turn on the toothbrush by long-pressing the power button
Step 3: Shift between the modes (clean, polish, white, gum care) by pressing the mode button and select one, as per convenience.
Step 4: Shift between the 3 intensities (low, medium, and high) by pressing the power button and select one, as per convenience.
Step 5: Clean all the surfaces of the teeth; facial surface, biting surface, and the inner surface
Step 6: Once the quadpacer sets off; after 2 minutes, spit the bolus out and don’t rinse
How to Clean an Electric toothbrush?
Step 1: Clean the brush head with water after using it, and dry it naturally.
Step 2: Remove the brush head and rinse the metal shaft area with warm water once a week.
Step 3: Wipe the entire surface of the handle with a damp cloth.
The metal shaft must not be soaked in water for a long time. Moreover, water higher than 40°C must not be used to clean the metal shaft as it may cause discoloration.
How long does an Electric toothbrush last in a Single Charge?
Conventional toothbrushes available in the market have a charging time of 12 to 18 hours, on average. However, FOSOO electric toothbrushes that we used (NOV, LUX, and APEX) lasted for 3 to 6 months, on a single charge.
After how long the Brush Head must be replaced?
American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brush head replacement every 3 to 4 months. However, Dr. Arbeitman, a well-known dentist of New York, said that the replacement depends on the condition of the bristles. As soon as the bristles of your brush head are frayed; it’s time for you to change your brush head.
How to solve the Troubleshoot problems if they occur?
After spying on the online forums we gathered a few problems that generally occur while using electric toothbrushes. We did this to find possible solutions to consumer problems.
Problem 1: Charging light is not switching ON.
Solution: If an electric toothbrush is not used for a long time then it takes time for the light to switch on.
Problem 2: Electric toothbrush pauses after 30 seconds.
Solution: It’s not a problem because it’s the quadpacer. Further detail about it has been mentioned in the previous sections.
Problem 3: Electric toothbrush is not switching on.
Solution: It’s mostly because of an under-charged electric brush. The recommended charging time of an electric toothbrush is in between 12 to 18 hours.
However, the three FOSOO electric brushes that we used had an 8 hour charging time, on average.
Problem 4: Vibration intensity has weakened after brush head replacement.
Solution: This is mostly due to inappropriate brush head installation or the usage of non-original brush heads. This can be solved by cleaning the brush head from inside and pressing it firmly. Moreover, brush heads of the same brand must be used as they are designed to work effectively with the handpiece of their brand.
Problem 5: Brush head falls off during cleaning.
Solution: This is mostly because the brush head is not fixed properly or foreign objects are present in the brush head.