It’s no secret that cleaning our teeth is one of the most important factors for preventing tooth decay and gum disease.  And since it’s generally recommended that this task should be undertaken at least twice a day, it’s essential your toothbrush is both functional and comfortable to use. However, with the plethora of electric and battery operated toothbrushes available it can be difficult knowing which to choose for the best results.



Oral-B are one of the most recognizable names in oral hygiene and can generally be relied upon to produce good quality toothbrushes. Among them is the Oral-B Vitality dual clean rechargeable electric toothbrush.

Description

The Oral-B Vitality is a fairly lightweight toothbrush weighing a little over four ounces or 116 grams.  Its soft-grip rubber handle is waterproof and comfortable to hold with only slight vibrations felt while the toothbrush is in action and there is the option of purchasing interchangeable heads and accessories which fit the handle.

How it works

The toothbrush has just one speed setting which is switched on via a small button on the handle. The brush also has a useful inbuilt timer which emits a short, stuttering vibration to let you know when the recommended two minutes of cleaning are up. The head is made up from two parts, one which rotates while the other vibrates from side to side. Together, these movements create 7,600 pulsations per minute, significantly more than would be achievable with manual brushing. And while these actions remove much of the necessary arm and wrist work associated with manual brushing, take care if you have any loose caps or crowns as the vibrations are quite powerful.

Charging

The toothbrush is supplied with its own charger which consists of a stand with a 3ft cable which can be plugged into the bathroom shaving socket. The instructions recommend charging the toothbrush for 16 hours before use which should provide enough power to last for around one and a half weeks of twice daily brushing. However, the time taken can vary depending on how long and how often you brush your teeth. Unfortunately, there is no indicator on either the charger or the brush to inform you whether charger is working or when it is fully charged.

Cleaning ability

According to independent clinical tests, the Oral-B Vitality oscillating-rotating toothbrushes remove significantly more plaque than ordinary manual toothbrushes. And after switching from a manual toothbrush, the benefits of its cleaning power are immediately noticeable with teeth feeling cleaner and even appearing whiter. The brush head makes light work of cleaning behind the front teeth, while it easily cleans difficult to reach back teeth.

Cleaning the brush

The instructions recommend that after each brushing session the brush head should be removed and both the handle and brush thoroughly rinsed in cold water and the handle dried. At first this seems to be a lot of extra work but in reality it takes barely any time. The head is simple to remove and cleaning and drying the handle takes around ten seconds. If this process isn't followed, it's possible for bacteria to build up in the join between the brush head and the handle, resulting in an unpleasant smell or contamination.

Storing

When not in use, the toothbrush can be stored on the charging stand. However, for environmental reasons, Oral-B recommends only doing this when you are charging the brush. Because it’s quite a slim-line brush, it doesn’t take up too much space when stored with other brushes.

Price

This is a mid range priced electric toothbrush costing around $28 in the US or £30 in the UK. Replacement heads are variable in price depending on where you purchase them, but for a pack of two replacement heads, expect to pay somewhere in the region of $16-20 in the US or £10 in the UK.

After using the Oral-B Vitality dual clean electric toothbrush, it would be difficult reverting back to a manual. It provides exceptional cleaning power for little effort and the automatic timer is a useful feature for ensuring enough time is spent actually cleaning your teeth. While battery power isn’t great, it charges relatively fast for a weeks worth of daily use. And if you fancy using a different brush, there is a good selection of interchangeable brush heads which offer different types of cleaning, thereby eliminating the need to buy a completely new brush.

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