Hey, it’s Jon from Electric Teeth here.
The best electric toothbrush to choose if you have sensitive teeth and or receding gums is
The Oral-B Smart 1500 for those in the USA.
The Oral-B Smart 2000 for those in Canada.
The Oral-B Pro 3 3500 for those in the UK and other central European countries.
And for those in Australia, the Oral-B Pro 2 2000.
Our in-house medical professionals have consulted the clinical evidence, their experience and taken
on board the feedback and opinions of people just like you to inform our top choices.
With any of these brushes, you can be assured of fantastic cleaning results,
that are clinically proven.
Each brush has at least 2 cleaning modes, including a slower and more
gentle or sensitive mode, in addition to the standard daily clean mode.
You get a 2 week battery life on a single charge,
as well as a water resistant brush handle supported by a 2 year warranty.
They all have a 2 minute timer, 30 second pacer and a visible pressure sensor.
This encourages brushing for the right amount of time and
helps avoid the likelihood of damaging the teeth or gums by applying too much force.
Replacement brush heads are easily accessible and both the bristles and the handle are affordable.
Ultimately these brushes are in our opinion the best overall choice.
One key thing to bear in mind is potentially swapping out the supplied brush head.
Often these Oral-B models come with firmer CrossAction bristles. Buy the
Sensi UltraThin or Pro GumCare heads. These are a better option if you have
sensitive teeth or receding gums because the bristles are ultra soft
and the bristle formation optimized to be soft, whilst achieving a great clean.
Whilst each case can be different,
sensitive teeth and receding gums are often linked to having or having had gum disease.
To be totally honest, there isn’t a brush that is
definitively “the best for gum disease” or any other condition.
The most important thing is that you choose a brush, and do the following:
Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
Brush for 2 minutes each time Use the correct brushing technique
Spit after brushing, don’t rinse with mouthwash or water
Clean between the teeth once a day, with floss or interdental brushes
Creating a regular cleaning habit by following these steps will have the biggest impact,
over and above the toothbrush you choose.
That said, electric toothbrushes are proven to help with gum disease.
Reviews are the highest level of evidence,
and look at all the studies that have been done. The Cochrane Library are leaders in
producing these reviews. Their 2014 review states “Powered toothbrushes
reduce plaque and gingivitis more than manual toothbrushing in the short and long term”.
More recently, an 11 year long study by Pitchika et al found that:
Eelectric toothbrushes remove more plaque than manual toothbrushes,
in both the short and long term. They provide a benefit in reducing levels of
gum disease (compared to manual toothbrushes) both in the short term and long term.
They reduce the progression of advanced gum disease, with users having less bone loss.
And users of electric brushes and who have gum disease, are less likely to lose teeth.
Whilst we feel that the previously mentioned brushes are best for most people,
there may well be models that are better suited to
you. It is going to depend on your personal circumstances and location.
Oral-B’s iO6 is a good choice for those that want a brush with additional features and
don’t mind paying a little more, whilst the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige is
the ultimate choice if you want all the bells and whistles and are prepared to pay for it.
We don’t anticipate our recommendations to change any time soon, but product ranges and prices can
change, impacting our recommendations. Linked in the top right corner is a page with our most
current choices along with extensive explanation and supporting evidence.
Links to buy each brush are available in the video description.