Sonicare Toothbrush feature evaluation :
The Sonicare HealthyWhite brushing routine.

The higher-end, higher-priced Sonicare models typically feature more elaborate brushing actions. With the Sonicare HealthyWhite toothbrush line (models R710 and R732) the hallmark brushing action that is featured is the Clean and White brushing routine. Philips Sonicare suggests that using the HealthyWhite in this mode can produce a noticeable ("2 shades whiter") difference in the color of the user's teeth.

Those shoppers evaluating a HealthyWhite toothbrush will no doubt find themselves with the same question; do the benefits of the Clean and White routine justify the toothbrush's higher cost? Hopefully the information found on this page can help you to arrive at a conclusion as it pertains to your situation and needs.

The HealthyWhite Clean and White routine.

Here's a description of the action produced by the HealthyWhite's Clean and White setting. When this option is selected a HealthyWhite toothbrush will begin a routine where it will first run for two minutes in its Clean mode (this is the brush's full-power, 31,000-brush-strokes-per-minute cleaning mode). Then, after two minutes, the brush will switch to "White" mode (a brushing mode that is otherwise non-selectable) for thirty seconds.

Sonicare's intentions are that the user will use the initial two minutes of Clean-mode operation for brushing all of their teeth (just as they would with any Sonicare toothbrush set to its equivalent mode). For the last thirty seconds, while the brush is running in White mode, the user is supposed to brush the front side of their upper and lower teeth for an extra fifteen seconds each.

How does the Clean and White create whiter teeth?

So, what's going on here? What is so special about the HealthyWhite's Clean and White setting? Is it true that it can produce a significant whitening effect, as compared to other Sonicare toothbrush models?

In answering this question, let us first explain the following. In dental product advertising it is considered legitimate to refer to both of the following (very different) methods of producing a color change in teeth simply as "whitening."

One of these whitening techniques has to do with that phenomenon where the true intrinsic color of a tooth is changed by way of the use of a whitening compound (usually some type of peroxide). This type of whitening has nothing to do with the brushing action of a toothbrush and is not the type of whitening that Philips Sonicare is referring to in regards to the use of the HealthyWhite.

The other type of "whitening" referred to in dental products advertising is that whitening effect that takes place when a tooth's surface stain is removed. Our personal opinion would be that this effect should be referred to as the more forthright term "tooth cleaning" instead of "tooth whitening." (When a dental hygienist does their work with your teeth they don't call it "teeth whitening" they refer to it as what it is, "teeth cleaning.") But in most cases it is not.

Anyway, the idea here is that when the HealthyWhite switches to White mode two things happen. The vibratory motion of the brush changes to what Sonicare feels is a brushing action that is better at removing tooth surface staining. The other thing that occurs is the user is instructed to brush their teeth longer, precisely where surfacing staining will be most visible to others.

How we see things.

It would be our opinion that between the two dominant actions that the Clean and White routine produces (a special brushing motion and a longer brushing session) that the increased amount of time focused on brushing the front teeth is the salient factor in producing superior stain removal. And be cause of this, we'd suggest that the use of any Sonicare toothbrush in its full-power brushing mode for a similar extra thirty seconds of brushing should produce a very similar "whitening" effect (increased stain removal).

As evidence of this opinion we refer to the findings of two of Philips Sonicare's "data on file" research papers that can be accessed on their website. One of these is titled "Evaluation of tooth shade change following stain induction and Sonicare HealthyWhite use. - Putt M, Milleman J, Jenkins W, Wei J, Schmitt P, Strate J. Data on file, 2007." The other is "Evaluation of tooth shade change following stain induction and Sonicare FlexCare use. - Putt M, Milleman J, Jenkins W, Wei J, Schmitt P, Strate J. Data on file, 2007."

The synopsis of each of these studies (each of which have evaluated different Sonicare toothbrushes) contains the exact same conclusion: ...the Sonicare FlexCare / Sonicare HealthyWhite, depending on which study's conclusion you are reading, "was shown to be effective in removing commonly observed extrinsic stain-forming pigments from tooth surfaces. An improvement of 2 Vitapan Classical shades was seen following 2, 3 and 6 weeks product use."

Our point would be, since both of these toothbrushes (the FlexCare and HealthyWhite) were documented as producing the same whitening improvement, yet the FlexCare series of brushes does not offer the Clean and White mode (its "top" speed is simply Sonicare's full-power brushing mode of 31,000 brush strokes per minute, just like other Sonicare toothbrushes), what is special so special about the HealthyWhite's Clean and White mode?

We can't really answer this question. We don't doubt that it does provide some whitening (surface stain removal) advantage but we would also suggest that it doesn't seem to be documented as producing a giant benefit over the use of some other Sonicare models in their standard full-power brushing mode.

There is an aspect of the HealthyWhite Clean and White routine that we like.

This might come as a surprise, but for those people who happen to own a Sonicare HealthyWhite toothbrush we would suggest to them that they use it in its Clean and White mode. (And there are plenty of good reasons to buy a HealthyWhite series brush. It pretty much represents the state of the art in Sonicare sonic toothbrushes. Many of its features are more evolved and offer more convenience than those found on previous generations of Sonicares.)

So why, if you do own a HealthyWhite Sonicare, would we suggest that you use it in its Clean and White setting when just above we presented a case that concluded in our stating that we didn't see the giant benefit that this routine offered? The answer lies in the fact that the Clean and White routine runs the HealthyWhite for two and a half minutes where otherwise (when set to Clean mode) the brush would only run for two.

We think that most people are influenced by the timing mechanism of a toothbrush in the sense that they think that if their toothbrush has turned off they must be finished brushing. For a lot of people this simply will not be the case (in regards to thoroughly removing dental plaque). And if a toothbrush setting encourages a person to brush any longer at all, even just thirty seconds, we think that that's a good thing.