I am approximately 3 weeks into trying the Oral-B® Professional™ Precision 5000. Prior to that my brushing regime was pretty basic but never something I looked forward to. I was using a regular manual toothbrush. In the past I had also used the cheapest battery-powered toothbrushes. I was always hesitant to spend the money on those though, because most died before I should have gotten rid of them, and there was little to no improvement over a manual brush. I brush 2-3 times per day, floss when I remember to buy it, I prefer Colgate Total gel toothpaste to any other, I sometimes rise with perxoide and every so often I brush with baking soda. But with my terribly crooked teeth (I'm talking cover-my-mouth-when-I-smile crooked) it was a pain, figuratively and literally to mess with my mouth for those 3-5 minutes morning, noon and night. I was very excited to try this Oral-B electric toothbrush but had mixed feeling about having to think about my teeth every time I brushed. Maybe I'm dramatic.
My old toothbrush never cleaned my teeth really well. My crooked teeth caused a lot of issues, like not being able to get to certain areas as well as others. My teeth would be smooth for the most part, but there were spots that I would have to go back over, making my teeth bleed from the force and awkward maneuvering. Those same spots would feel dirty frequently throughout the day, driving me insane! My biggest hope for the Oral-B electric toothbrush is these issues no longer persisting. Short of getting braces (which will probably never happen until money begins growing on trees) this is my next best option.
When the Oral-B Professional Precision 5000 package arrived I sorted through everything, figuring out what things were and reading the booklet that came with the toothbrush and accessories. I won't lie and say everything was simple to set up. Most of it was, but I had a heck of a time figuring out how to open the back of the wireless Smart Guide so I could put the batteries in it. I was so sure I would break it. Once I figured that out, everything else was smooth sailing.
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| Fancy traveling case, holder for brush heads, charger, Smart Guide and more. |
Let's begin with the Smart Guide. The Smart Guide is your wireless helper when using your new toothbrush and comes with two rechargeable batteries. You could use regular AA batteries too. There is a 2 minute timer that begins the moment you push the power button on your toothbrush. You are supposed to brush each quadrant of your mouth for 30 seconds and the Smart Guide will pause and beep when you've finished each section. There is also a visual guide to show which section you've completed. You don't have to follow it to a T; it will just remind you how much time you have. The smiley face will be complete when you are done. I tend to go beyond the 2 minute timer (the brush turns off when you hit the power button again, not after 2 minutes) because I like to brush my tongue and the roof of my mouth without taking up my tooth time.
The obvious: It has a carrying case, the brush case holds up to 4 brushes, the dock plugs into a wall outlet, the toothbrush is rechargeable and charges when you place it on the dock. Everyone in your family can use the same toothbrush and you can just buy each person a different head.
Other facts: A red light blinks if you are brushing too hard- you are supposed to let the oscillating, rotating and pulsating do its work. There are 5 settings: daily clean, deep clean, sensitive, whitening and massage.
Some facts and opinions from me: At first I hardly noticed a difference in the feeling of my teeth after I brushed with the Oral-B Professional Precision 5000. But after 2 or 3 days my teeth started feeling noticeably cleaner (a smoothness I can feel with my tongue) even in the hard-to-reach spots that always caused me trouble with my manual toothbrushes. It lasts longer too. I still wake up with brushing the first thing on my to-do list but during the day my teeth feel cleaner longer. My teeth almost never bleed anymore. They were bleeding sometimes when I used my manual, and frequently when I flossed. That seems like a big deal. I still haven't gotten to the point where I can use all of the 5 settings- there are 2 that I don't even bother trying yet. Maybe someday soon I'll be able to tolerate them but right now those two settings kind of hurt and feel the way I think a drill would feel on your teeth. I like that you don't have to do funky maneuvers to reach the back of your mouth. The brush does it all for you. Is it worth more than $150 more than a manual toothbrush? I'm not so certain...that is a LOT of money. But this kind of electric toothbrush is definitely worth an investment over a manual or cheap, battery-operated toothbrush.
The obvious: It has a carrying case, the brush case holds up to 4 brushes, the dock plugs into a wall outlet, the toothbrush is rechargeable and charges when you place it on the dock. Everyone in your family can use the same toothbrush and you can just buy each person a different head.
Other facts: A red light blinks if you are brushing too hard- you are supposed to let the oscillating, rotating and pulsating do its work. There are 5 settings: daily clean, deep clean, sensitive, whitening and massage.
Some facts and opinions from me: At first I hardly noticed a difference in the feeling of my teeth after I brushed with the Oral-B Professional Precision 5000. But after 2 or 3 days my teeth started feeling noticeably cleaner (a smoothness I can feel with my tongue) even in the hard-to-reach spots that always caused me trouble with my manual toothbrushes. It lasts longer too. I still wake up with brushing the first thing on my to-do list but during the day my teeth feel cleaner longer. My teeth almost never bleed anymore. They were bleeding sometimes when I used my manual, and frequently when I flossed. That seems like a big deal. I still haven't gotten to the point where I can use all of the 5 settings- there are 2 that I don't even bother trying yet. Maybe someday soon I'll be able to tolerate them but right now those two settings kind of hurt and feel the way I think a drill would feel on your teeth. I like that you don't have to do funky maneuvers to reach the back of your mouth. The brush does it all for you. Is it worth more than $150 more than a manual toothbrush? I'm not so certain...that is a LOT of money. But this kind of electric toothbrush is definitely worth an investment over a manual or cheap, battery-operated toothbrush.
Other Pros:
-It's rechargeable and the charge lasts a long time. In 3 weeks I've only recharged it twice. I'm the only one in my house using the tooth brush so if more of us were then the charge would obviously be more frequent.
-It will be easy to swap tooth brushes if more family members decide they want to share with me. And it came with colored bands that you can use to identify which toothbrush belongs to which family member.
-The cord to the charger base is a decent length. I honestly don't know how long it is. But we have two outlets in our bathroom and only one is reasonable to use and sometimes things don't reach from that outlet to our bathroom counter and it's really frustrating. This doesn't even come close to being too short.
-One brush and the purchase of extra heads can accomodate a whole family.
Cons:
-A little pricey at a suggested retail price of $159.99
-My inability to use all 5 settings. But I think it's just my sensitive teeth and that it's only a matter or time before I can try them again.
-It's rechargeable and the charge lasts a long time. In 3 weeks I've only recharged it twice. I'm the only one in my house using the tooth brush so if more of us were then the charge would obviously be more frequent.
-It will be easy to swap tooth brushes if more family members decide they want to share with me. And it came with colored bands that you can use to identify which toothbrush belongs to which family member.
-The cord to the charger base is a decent length. I honestly don't know how long it is. But we have two outlets in our bathroom and only one is reasonable to use and sometimes things don't reach from that outlet to our bathroom counter and it's really frustrating. This doesn't even come close to being too short.
-One brush and the purchase of extra heads can accomodate a whole family.
Cons:
-A little pricey at a suggested retail price of $159.99
-My inability to use all 5 settings. But I think it's just my sensitive teeth and that it's only a matter or time before I can try them again.
And now I have some great news! Until December 31, 2012 you can receive a $20 mail-in-rebate when you buy this and other select toothbrushes from http://www.oralb.com. Visit the website for details.
After you're done browsing their selection of fabulous brushes join the conversation on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/oralb or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/oralb and use the hashtag #PowerUp
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Modern Mom on behalf of Oral-B and received a product sample to facilitate my review.
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