Sonicare Toothbrush features - The Sonicare full-power (31,000-brush-strokes-per-minute) brushing action.

The Sonicare brushing action.

If you are interested in purchasing a sonic toothbrush, it's probably because you've heard good reports about their effectiveness. If so, you'll want to make sure that the Sonicare model that you purchase has a setting where it creates Sonicare's hallmark (full-power) 31,0000-brush-strokes-per-minute brushing action.

The good new is that doing so is easy because all Sonicare toothbrushes offer this as setting.
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For most, full-power makes the best choice.

We typically feel that this full-power mode is the most beneficial brushing setting that a Sonicare toothbrush has to offer. In most cases, this setting produces the toothbrush's most efficient brushing action (at least in terms of dental plaque removal per time unit).

And despite the availability of other, more elaborate, brushing modes and actions we typically feel that for the vast majority of Sonicare owners their brush's standard full-power mode offers the best brushing choice.

Most Sonicare research involves the use of this setting.

To support this opinion, we will state that this full-power, 31,0000-brush-strokes-per-minute mode is the setting that has been used for the bulk of the scientific studies on which Philips Sonicare has founded their claims about the benefits of using their sonic toothbrushes.

The owner's manuals of the higher-end FlexCare and HealthyWhite line of Sonicare toothbrushes (toothbrushes that feature other, more elaborate, brushing routines) both specifically state that when clinical studies are performed that these brushes should be set to their standard (full-power, 31,0000-brush-strokes-per-minute) setting. This is a very effective tooth-cleansing mode.

Our bias in regards to low-end, less-expensive Sonicare models.

We will readily admit that we are generally favorably biased towards lower-end, less-expensive Sonicare models. This is because we think they offer the best sonic-toothbrush value.

Clearly, Sonicare products have undergone a number of evolutionary steps over the course of their history. These include advancements in brush head design and improvements in the stroke action that the toothbrush's vibratory mechanism creates. The net result of these changes is that those Sonicare brushes that have these newer design features (FlexCare, HealthyWhite) probably are more efficient tooth-cleaning devices. However, our opinion of this point needs some clarification.

Sonicare research about the effectiveness of different models.

Philips Sonicare sponsored a study (Milleman, 2007) that compared the dental plaque removal ability of the Sonicare FlexCare and the Elite (an older-design Sonicare). The conclusions of this study were that when these toothbrushes were used for a standard two-minute time period (both set to their full-power settings), the newer-design Sonicare provided for more plaque removal, on the order of about 4%. So, technically, the newer-design brush is the more efficient brusher.

A finding of efficiency, however, is different than a finding of practical effectiveness. It would be our assumption that, if the two-minute time limit were removed, the difference between the performance of these two sonic toothbrushes would be less evident. The older-style brush could likely reach the same end point of cleanliness, it would just require brushing for a few moments longer. To support this opinion, there is over a decade and a half of research documenting that Sonicare products are effective tooth cleansers.

So which do you need, a high or low-end Sonicare?

So, that's basically our line of thinking on our pages. We consider all Sonicare models as being similar, in the sense that when used in their full-power mode they all can be effective plaque removers. The tradeoff, however, is that reaching this endpoint may take moments longer with the older-technology toothbrush.

For the conscientious tooth brusher who is on a budget, we think that the lower-end Sonicare toothbrushes offer a great value and are a best choice. However, for the undisciplined or uncooperative brusher, the more efficient brushing action of a newer-design Sonicare might provide a slight advantage.