Sonicare Toothbrush feature evaluation :
The Sonicare full-power, 31,000-brush-strokes-per-minute brushing setting.

Sonicare's hallmark sonic brushing action.

If you are interested in purchasing a sonic toothbrush it's probably because you have 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 such as setting.

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 will represent 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 selections we typically feel that for the vast majority of Sonicare owners their brush's standard full-power mode offers the best brushing choice.

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 preferentially biased towards lower-end, less-expensive Sonicare models. This is because we think they offer the best sonic toothbrush value.

As evidence of this, as you read though our Sonicare toothbrush evaluations and reviews you will typically see that we will make some type of comment stating that we feel the best brushing setting for most people, despite what other brushing options are available on their Sonicare, is its full-power, 31,000-brush-strokes-per-minute setting (we really do believe this). Then, afterwards, we will make a comment about how other (all) Sonicare toothbrush models feature this same brushing setting, thus implying that you might equally well be served by a lower-end model. This latter statement is true but it needs some explaining and clarification.

As you would expect, Sonicare products have undergone a number of evolutionary steps over the course of their history. Among these are brush head design changes as well as improvements in the characteristics of 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, this point too needs some clarification.

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 reduction, on the order of about four percent. So, evidently the newer-design brush is the more efficient brusher.

A finding of efficiency, however, is different than a finding of 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 even less yet. The older-style brush would 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 that's our line of thinking on our pages. We equate all Sonicare models 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.