Showing posts with label sonicare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sonicare. Show all posts

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Sonicare Brush Heads - oral hygiene, sonicare


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My best friend has been raving about his Sonicare Elite for over a year now-- encouraging me to try it. I did a little research and saw that OralB had a similar product and wondered which had a better product-- Sonicare or Oral B. My friend finally convinced me that the Sonicare product is superior, and then I read a review on Amazon from a hygenist who said that she went to a continuing education seminar and learned that Oral B was found to be superior...



At that point, I decided to do some research. I found a Northwestern University study conducted over a 6 month period. Patients with the Sonicare did much better, but don't take my word for it. Read the study results for yourself on the National Institute of Health web site:

[...]

"Overall, this study demonstrates that long-term use of these two electric toothbrushes improves periodontal health in adult periodontitis patients, and that the Sonicare brush is superior to the Braun [Oral B] brush in reducing gingival inflammation and probing depth. Moreover, 6 months' use of Sonicare led to actual improvement in probing attachment levels of periodontal pockets."

Spend $22.50 a year and save $10,000? How does that work? Well, a couple of my close relatives have spent well over $10,000 each having their teeth and gums repaired. If you've had periodontal work or had root canal, implants, crowns or bridges done, you know that figure is not an exaggeration, and you're lucky if your insurance covers even a little bit of it. Having seen my relatives go through that, I've decided that as I get older, I want to spend my money on vacations and real estate, and not on painful dental procedures.



That's why the Sonicare is the most frugal product I've bought. I too have had some costly dental work, and I'm determined to keep my fixed-up choppers in tip-top condition. This toothbrush is amazing. One thing very few people note about the Sonicare is that it not only cleans your teeth beautifully, it also keeps your gums in great shape, and that may be even more valuable. Here's the best testimonial to the Sonicare: I recently had braces for a few years. I mentioned to my orthodontist that I'd graduated from high school in 1983, and she said, "You're not that old." "Yes, I'm 40," I said. She actually checked my chart! "Well, your teeth and gums look like they belong to someone in their 20s!" she concluded.



Please invest wisely and don't skimp on dental care. I've had other electric toothbrushes (Oral B) and tried every kind of tooth cleaning brush, powder, and gimmick you can imagine. This is the one I've used for the last 5 years (I used the earlier Sonicare model for about 5 years before that), and this is the one I'm sticking with. My annual checkups confirm I've been making the right choice.



Incidentally (inci "dental" ly?), Amazon's price on these heads is excellent -- much cheaper than my local pharmacies. A two-pack will last a year, since these heads wear out like clockwork at about 6 months. That works out to a little over $1.85 a month. Heck, you could spend that on regular toothbrushes!

Replacement heads ARE expensive, but compared to dental visits and cavity repairs they're a drop in the proverbial bucket. The first few times you use an electric brush with these heads your mouth will likely feel as if it's all a-buzz. Don't panic and don't give up. Keep using the brush and it'll pass in few short days. My dentist praises my teeth now that I've been using this system for several years. My gums and teeth are cleaner, brighter, and cavity-free.

Sonicare Elites are better than average electronic toothbrushes, but you should know what you're getting into before you buy a kit. Electronic toothbrushes use the the Gilette model: sell the shavers for cheap, get them on the razor blades. Inkjet printers also use this model.All marketing hype aside, the truth of the matter is the actual cost of the consumables should be a fraction of what you're paying. For example, it is technically possible to create an inkhead that refills like a gas tank, but the printer companies would tell you otherwise because such a design would cut into their fat margins. So instead of paying less for ink bottles in bulk, you (the consumer) have to pay up the wazoo for relatively little amounts of ink in proprietary plastic boxes.Same with Sonicare replacement brushes: instead of paying a couple bucks for just a new brush head with bristles (costing about the same as a new manual toothbrush), you have to pay $10 for a toothbrush head that comes in its own cartridge. There is really no good reason why the manufacturer didn't integrate the brush cartridge and neck into the handle itself so that you'd just have to replace the tip, but there is a good reason why they chose not to.Always know what your money is going towards before you shop -- your wallet will thank you for it.

For 40 years I have had periodontal problems (gums receding). Recently I had to have surgery for the problem. At the same time both my dentist and periodontist suggested that I use the Sonicare tooth brush. I did and that has made all the difference in the world. In my last two visits to the periodontist, both complimented how much improvement I had made with my gums. Both encouraged me to do whatever I have been doing-which was brush with the Sonicare brushes. I find for myself that the compact brush head allows me to better reach all parts of my mouth. - Oral Hygiene - Sonicare - Accessories - Power Toothbrush
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Sunday, 19 June 2011

Power Toothbrushes - sonicare, philips sonicare


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A few years ago - in my quest to find an electric toothbrush per my dentist's instructions led me to stand in front of the products meticulously comparing one vs. another, did it do this that and the other, price point, etc. Oral B won for 1 reason, price and I had a coupon at Costco and their replacement heads were cheaper. That was a few years ago. I was under the impression that all electric toothbrushes were created equally. Although my teeth's health improved, there are still issues. My last cleaning was very intense at the dentist.



My Oral B is almost dead - it's been 2 years, the battery will hold for a couple of days, but not over a week like it used to. The search for the next toothbrush started.



Surprisingly, I didn't have a hard choice with picking Sonicare. I see the demo/advertising whatever at my dentist. I also knew I wasn't happy with OralB - because my teeth didn't feel clean, and I knew that it was definitely not getting into all the contours of my mouth.



My first use with my Sonicare

I felt like a light bulb exploded in my head. It was ridiculous how clean my teeth felt, as if I just had them cleaned and polished at my dentist. How is that possible with only 1 session? Was my Oral B that bad? Maybe this was a fluke. A few more days went by, my teeth stayed with that smooth clean feeling. It's been a few weeks and I'm hooked.



What's so different about it - the brush head for one. Oral B has a circular head, it spins with use. With the Sonicare, it oscillates back and forth, mimicking real tooth brushing motion. There are contours of the brush so it gets between the teeth. The bristles are stiff to clean my teeth but gentle enough to get into the gums w/o causing bleeding. Oral B brush heads were rough and painful.



This product is great for small mouths, hard to reach areas/crevices and for sensitive teeth.



I like that it has options for sensitive and regular or whitening. I like that it's timed so I know I'm doing the right amount. The toothbrush will shut itself off after 2 minutes. It'll be good for kids too, so they're not doing a swipe and say they're done.



I'm very impressed with this product, very glad I got it and can't wait until my next dentist appointment. I've had it for a few weeks and notice not only are my teeth cleaner, but they are truly whiter.



UPDATE:

I've had it for a few months - went for my cleaning and my dental hygienist noticed my teeth/gums were improving. She asked me what I did differently and told her I switched toothbrushes. HA!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE my toothbrush!



UPDATE 10/6/2010:

Went for my cleaning yesterday - OMG! Can we say miracle? The dental hygienist was super happy to see my gums are getting healthier, when they do the measurements I've been getting mostly 4's (1's are ideal, 5's are no good), but this time, they were at mostly 2's with a couple of 3's!! My gums/teeth and mouth are overall getting better with each visit. My dentist is happy with my progress - so am I!! the least amount of dental work, the happier I'll be.

I've written multiple Amazon reviews for Sonicare toothbrushes that I've purchased (been a user for almost 20 years) and I've had nothing but good results and solid service from Phillips.



My only caution is to check the price before purchasing. You can do better than the $169 price currently listed.

We (our family of six) have had sonicare tooth brushes for over the past 5 years. My husband and I usually buy the new model for us and give our four boys the old one with a new tooth brush head. What I especially love about this new model is that you can sanitize it. Also even if you don't get the sanitizer it will not get as dicustingly gunky like the old ones. The old ones have places for bacteria to hide up inside the tooth brush head. This new model does not! I am usually the one cleaning the tooth brushes and it can be gross when you turn the old tooth brushes upside down & run hot water in them. All kinds of snot comes out! Also my dentist always recommends sonicare. We hope to buy four more new tooth brushes for our four boys when we can afford it!

I never gave much thought to owning a toothbrush that cost more than $7. I'd always used manual brushes until about 10 years ago when a cousin recommended a Crest SpinBrush Pro, Soft Bristles (Colors May Vary). I remember the difference being night and day from the manual to the mechanical; my teeth felt twice as clean as they ever had. Well, if the SpinBrush made my teeth feel twice as clean, the Sonicare makes them feel almost brand new.



As stated above, normally I'm not spending more than $7, thus it would take some extraordinary circumstances. Well, while on vacation and staying at my mother-in-law's place (you read that correctly, a vacation and staying at the in-laws while they were there! They're awesome people! I'm lucky that way.), my mother in law informed us about the Philips Sonicare Essence Power Toothbrush that she purchased. She raved about it but I'd heard plenty of people (dentists included) rave about various pricey products that I made do without. Then she let us use her travel set with our own brand new heads (Obviously!). Well, folks, the proof is in the pudding or brushing, I should say. 10 minutes after I'd brushed that first time I was on Amazon here looking up prices! It was/is the most amazing feeling when you finish brushing with these Sonicares. My teeth felt like they do when I leave the dentist after a cleaning! And that's how they feel every day now! For a month straight my teeth have felt continually cleaner and have been getting whiter! I love this thing and will never be without a Sonicare!



Concerns & Why I ordered the Healthy White version over the Essence:



I'm environmentally conscious. Thus the size of the replacement heads for the Essence seemed like a waste to me. There was way too much plastic in the heads that I didn't feel good about. The heads for the newer models (Healthy White included) are significantly smaller; see also planet friendlier.



My other concern was/is the gap between the head and the actual handle of the brush. Yes, there is a gap where things (bacteria etc) may "grow". This system comes with a built in UV Sanitizer that takes only minutes. I honestly don't know how long it takes (except to say that it's under 10 minutes) because I simply start it when I'm done and it's ready for the next time.



The Advanced Features were the other reasons I ordered this version. This product, in whitening mode, gives you Four 30-second intervals and at the end of the fourth interval it gives you two 15-second intervals to concentrate on the teeth you want whitened (usually everything that can be seen during your smile). I LOVE THE TIMER! The intervals make me 100% more efficient than I was.



Money is tight and we had to make some serious adjustments to be able to afford such a device (including cutting a few extras out of our vacation) but we have not regretted it once! This device has already saved us a couple whitening treatments and will probably save us a few extra dentist bills down the line. Do yourself a favor and make room for this in your budget. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! - Sonicare - Philips Sonicare - Toothbrush - Power Toothbrushes
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Friday, 17 June 2011

2009 Amazon Frustration-fre - sonicare, brush heads


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Amazon was best price and free shipping when I got them. Sam's Club did not even stock these (Dec 2007). I love the Sonicare Flexcare these go with. Be careful to order brush that fits your unit. The brushes are good for six months..3 months is just the recommended change date.



Philips Sonicare ProResults HX6013 Brush Head Standard 3pk go with 900 series sonicare flexcare toothbrush. Not good for Elite, or other ones.

I really love my Sonicare

But there was just one flaw

There were no extra compact heads

To fit my little jaw



According to the trusty guide

In 3 months you must change

So when I couldn't get a spare

I thought it rather strange



I had to use the standard head

To maintain my hygiene

I couldn't trust a worn-out brush

To keep my molars clean



The bigger brush just didn't fit

My mouth must be too small

Thank goodness they now stock this one

So I can reach them all



This smaller brush gets to the back

Back where it's hard to reach

It really helps me to avoid

My dentist's irate speech



This fits the Philips FlexCare brush

It's not for the Elite

So stock up now, in packs of three

And now this rhyme's complete







Amanda Richards, March 24, 2008

This is the replacement brush head to use with the Philips Sonicare FlexCare Rechargeable Sonic Toothbrush with Sanitizer. It's a snap to use (literally): Just pull off the old brush and push on the new one until it snaps and you're ready to enjoy your FlexCare. Phillips recommends a new brush head every three months. You'll know it's time to replace the brush when the old bristles start to spread out, but just to be sure, the replacements come with handy little month stickers that you can put on your charger base.



The FlexCare is a great toothbrush, and these replacement brushes will keep you and your dentist happy for nine months. At less than ten dollars each, they are well worth the price.

What can you say about a toothbrush? Only that these replacement brush heads cost about ten times what they should cost. Philips is evidently taking its cue from the inkjet printer manufacturers -- lowball the main product, then charge all outdoors for the replacement parts.

These brush heads are vastly superior to Sonicare's Advance series:



I was amazed at how well the sculpted contoured bristles fit the curves of my gumline and teeth. I felt as if the brush head was custom made for my mouth. They also have a dark blue raised bristle tip at one end that gets right inside hard to reach areas.



Further, these are completely sealed units; so, they don't trap liquid inside like the Advance and probably the Elite. I don't own an Elite, but it looks like it could also trap liquid and toothpaste. I hated having to disassemble and clean out the Advance.



Finally, these brush heads only work with Sonicare's FlexCare series -- which is an amazingly light and manueverable brush handle, but that's another review!

This rechargeable toothbrush is one of the best that I have ever used. I love that it can be put into the dishwasher to be washed as needed. It has made my teeth SO much cleaner (no plaque), my gums are in much better shape and my teeth are whiter. It has a UV sanitizer that also comes with it!

I have the Sonicare ProResults toothbrush but could not find replacement brushes anywhere in stores. I was thankful to find the product at Amazon. I don't know if you aqcuired the product Philips Sonicare ProResults HX6013 Brush Head Standard 3pk as "seconds" from Philips or if it was intended to be perfect.

One of the brushes does not "connect" to the handle at all. The other two brushes are working but the identifier colored ring does not snap into place. It hangs loose and leaves a gap between the brush and the handle. We will continue using the two brushes but already I can see the brushes are not going to last as long as the the original brushes lasted. Is there any way to pass this review on to Phillips? I would appreciate a response. Thank you. Peg Riley - Sonicare - Brush Heads - Flexcare - Oral Hygiene
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Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Sonicare Xtreme - electric toothbrush, sonicare


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When I first heard of Sonicare coming out with a toothbrush with replaceable batteries, I was excited. I upgraded to this from the Sonicare Advance after it failed to hold a charge any longer. With the other Sonicares, you have to throw the whole unit out if the batteries inside die. With these you just change out the batteries. I liked them so much I bought 2. Now after 3 months, both of them have already died. The end cap where you replace the batteries is not water tight. The O-ring that seals the battery compartment is not made very well. There are also 2 holes at the bottom of the toothbrush next to the metal clip on the endcap, which I believe is a design flaw. Although Sonicare sent me replacement units, I believe these replacements will also only last a few months. This is a great toothbrush for brushing, except they need to send it back to the design stage for the water resistant problem.

Yipee, I'm the "first to review this product". I'm doing so to save you time and eyestrain. Put yourself out of web-reading Hell, and just buy this Sonicare Xtreme model now.



It costs less, does the exact same job as the more expensive Sonicare models, and the best part: The Xtreme runs on 2 regular AA batteries, avoiding the one problem you'll see mentioned in many user comments of all the other Sonicares, that of short battery life w/no way to replace the rapidly dying built-in ones.



Sonicare told me this model runs at the same speed etc, and does the job every bit as well as their higher-end ones, but lacks the following non-essential features:

No beeps every 30secs, no battery life indicator, and no soft start (a slower speed that's programmed in for its initial 12 uses).



This model uses the E-series of replacement brush heads, same as the high-end models.



I was told by Sonicare to expect 80-100 uses per set of alkalines.

If you don't want to keep buying batteries, get yourself a set of 4 AA rechargeable batteries and charger, and you'll be set for years. You'll also be able to take advantage of longer run times as longer-lived rechargeables come on the market (this happens about every year).



I have one, and see no negatives to its design at all. -And a bonus- You can store it horizontally (no charging stand to deal with), and it even has a little no-roll ridge on the back of the handle. Nice.

Do not base your purchase decision on any reviewer who has had the product for only a day, two days, or even a week. My Sonicare Xtreme e3000 brush died about 3 weeks after first use. All owners of this brush will, sooner and probably not much later, find that water will invade the battery compartment and corrode the metal contacts and your batteries. That's what happened to mine and, after reading other reviews here and elsewhere, apparently is also happening to all other users of this brush. The O-Ring rubber seal suffers a design flaw and cannot maintain a water-tight seal. It's very obvious from the moment you first install the batteries...the bottom cap just will not seal tight enough! This product needs to be recalled by the manufacturer and Amazon needs to stop selling this garbage. I'm assuming that I'd be better off if I had instead bought one of Sonicare's reachargeable brushes with the sealed battery.

This item worked wonderfully for about 1 month, then water must have gotten into it or the battery connection went bad. I would have to change the battery every week, later, realizing it was not the batteries but the connection.

A cheap replacement for the real thing.

As a former owner of a Sonicare 7500 Elite, I can tell you definitively that this unit is LESS powerful, but in and of itself, plenty sufficient to keep your pearly whites plenty pearly white. It actually (on the surface) has some advantages: My 7500 died after about 3 years. It seemed that it could no longer hold a charge. This unit uses replaceable AA batteries, and being quite fond of rechargeables, this for me is a good match. (Another reviewer mentioned she had problems with 1.2V rechargeables vs. 1.5V standard batteries. I have had no such problems with my 1.2V's. Been running on the same set (same charge) well over 2 weeks now and still going strong. Curious. Hmm...).



That being said, I absolutely CANNOT believe some of the MAJOR design flaws that are absolutely MORONIC and baffling. 1) The battery cap at the bottom of the unit does not seal very tightly. The interior black ring is made of some slick "plastic-y" material instead of a better sealing "rubber-y" material. 2)(And THIS is the incredibly MORONIC part) At the bottom of this orange battery sealing cap, there are 2 HOLES! YES, REALLY! Somebody on the Sonicare/Philips industrial design team thought it was a good ideal to design into this "sealing" cap TWO holes so that water can get into the battery chamber when you rinse the foam off of your electric toothbrush everytime you use it (presumably every single day).



Does water actually leak into this battery chamber? I took my batteries out and tested it. Yes indeed water gets in here. Now, it blows my mind that this can pass the designers, the execs, the production line and everyone in between and after, and reach you and me, the consumers. It blows my mind that someone got paid a goodly amount of money to make this happen. Then again, MORONS in high places seems rather commonplace these days (ha ha). Now, what does this mean to me and you. I'm fairly sure that 1.5 Volts won't ZAP! us into a coma, but I think we all know that batteries and water = NOT GOOD ... or even = RATHER BAD. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, or even a highly paid toothbrush designer ...



My solution so far has been to use some very sticky tape over this area. It makes the otherwise fairly spiffy design a tad less pretty, but I'd rather have that than rusty and leaky (and useless) rechargeable batteries (they aren't cheap! ... and after all, the point is "re-use-ability" and "re-new-ability", is it not?). Even with this precaution, I check this chamber now and then, and water still gets in (and toothpaste foam, too). Not by the buckets full, but enough noticeable traces to make one wonder.



Now, I know it's not a matter of prohibitive cost, because I have used [...]-pola Crest battery toothbrushes that have found a better way of sealing off the batteries. What I suggest is that we all rather politely let Sonicare/Philips know of what we all now know, and ask them to design a new cap, and quietly send them out to all current owners. No need for a Ford or GM major recall type scandal. Just get it done and send us that piece that will cost Sonicare/Philips less than 50 cents to make and ship.



Thanks for reading, and be warned. Also know that with the right precautions, this can be a good little enamel scrubber. Except for this one major issue, it's pretty nifty and nicely priced (about 1/3 of the 7500 Elite).



Cheers!



URGENT UPDATE: FORGET THIS PRODUCT!!! In fact, run the other way! My unit died just very shortly after this review. The water leak problem proved unavoidable and did eventually short out the circuitry. Totally useless and maddening. Horrible. Too bad I can't edit the stars for the review (can I?). It would be a resounding ZERO stars. One positive note: Even though it was briefly past the warranty period, Philips offered a return for refund, which I took. The check arrived in reasonable time. AND the customer service person I spoke with was extremely nice and helpful. - Electric Toothbrush - Sonicare - Battery Powered - Sonic Toothbrushes
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