Combining an electric toothbrush and water flosser sounds like a great idea.
Waterpik first tried this with the original Sonic-Fusion, but it didn’t win me over.
Version 2.0 addresses some of the failings of the last generation,
but for most people I would recommend different products.
Hey, it’s Jon from Electric Teeth here.
The vast majority of dental professionals recommend twice
daily brushing and cleaning between the teeth at least once a day.
You may or may not do this, but the reality is far too few actually do.
Statistics suggest 53% of people brush twice a day. And only 30% of Americans floss daily.
It perhaps isn’t all that surprising then that nearly 50% of the US population
have periodontal disease. Regular brushing and flossing can help prevent this.
I know flossing in particular can be tricky and it is the last thing that many of us want to do.
It is for this reason then that I believe Waterpik created the Sonic-Fusion flossing toothbrush.
They wanted to take away some of the hassle and reluctance.
The Sonic-Fusion is different. It works as a regular electric toothbrush,
but connect the hose and your toothbrush is now a water flosser.
Instead of the water being pushed out of a nozzle, like a regular water flosser, the water is pushed
up through the electric toothbrush handle and out through the bristles of the brush head.
Over the years I have tested lots of electric brushes and water flossers and and for some time
Waterpik products have been my top recommendation for those looking for just a water flosser.
Waterpik is not a brand I would normally recommend for an electric toothbrush. Although
they make them, they don’t sell them separately, they only come bundled with a water flosser.
At Electric Teeth, we believe the essential features you need in your brush are, a 2 minute
timer, 30 second pacer and a pressure sensor. The Sonic-Fusion 2.0 lacks the pressure sensor.
Despite this, the toothbrush in its own right is pretty good.
The cleaning results are impressive. It does a good job of removing plaque
along the gumline and even between the teeth and that’s ignoring the flossing capabilities.
Although it cleans the teeth well, for me, I don’t get the same
just clean feeling as I do with Oral-B and Sonicare toothbrushes.
It is a bit odd, because this brush has the same 31,000 brush strokes per minute
as Sonicare. It might have something to do with the brush head, I’m not entirely sure.
The toothbrush has 2 speed settings, low and high. Low is definitely more
gentle and equivalent to a sensitive or gum care mode you might find on other brushes.
The handle is a bit chunkier than most electric toothbrushes,
and there is little in the way of textured surfaces to help you grip the toothbrush.
That said, it doesn’t actually feel that slippery in hand.
Sealed inside the toothbrush is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery
which is supposed to give 2 weeks use on a full charge. This would be ok if it achieve it. But,
I only got 11 days from it. Many other brushes outperform this by quite some margin.
It is marginally better than the original Sonic-Fusion though.
Another improvement compared to the original is the sound it makes. This is a fairly loud
humming and vibrating sound. The original made a rather irritating whining noise.
There are 2 different versions of the Sonic-Fusion 2.0,
the standard and then the professional. Both come in black and white color options.
The differences are really relatively subtle between them.
One of the differences is that the Professional comes with a compact
and a full sized brush head in the box, compared to the compact only with the standard model.
Both head sizes can be used on the standard or professional variants.
Aside from the size, there isn’t the wide variety of brush head styles
like you get with some other brands. There simply isn’t the need for it.
The heads need to be replaced every 3 months. There is no reminder system built-in for
this. And when you do replace them, they are quite expensive at around $25 for a pack of
2. That is $12.50 each compared to around $5 per head you would expect to pay for an Oral-B head.
The included travel case is a nice touch.
It is good quality and something too many manufacturers overlook.
The 16 ounce water tank gives anywhere between 1 and 4 and half minutes of usage time,
depending on the pressure setting chosen. You have the choice of 10, ranging from 10 to 100 PSI.
10 is pretty powerful with most users likely settling for around
6 or 7. The pressure is easily controlled via the rotating dial on the left side.
Unlike the toothbrush the water flosser has to be connected to the power outlet to work.
It certainly does the job, but it isn’t as good as a more conventional water flosser from Waterpik.
The handle can rotate a full 360 degrees when connected to the 3 foot hose.
But you just don’t get the same accuracy as you do with other handle and tip configurations.
It is more awkward with the brush head. I found getting the accuracy more difficult.
This setup works for many people, but it isn’t ideally suited for more
advanced or specialized situations. For example, someone with periodontal
disease isn’t going to be able to clean as effectively in the periodontal pockets,
as they could with a specialized tip Waterpik offers with their Aquarius flosser for example.
The brushing and flossing at the same time is certainly a different experience
and does provide some good results. I can see this working really well
for those in a rush or the self confessed lazy brusher and flosser. But, flossing at the same
time as brushing washes away any toothpaste and reduces any benefits the paste may bring.
Conceptually the Sonic-Fusion is a great idea.
There is a space in the market for it. Version 2.0 is an improvement on the original.
But, for the majority of people,
we are better served by a separate water flosser and electric toothbrush.
You get the benefit of features missing from the Sonic-Fusion
and they normally work out cheaper too.
The Sonic-Fusion retails at $179.99 or $219.99 for the Professional.
Actual selling prices tend to be around $150 and $170 respectively.
Factor in the replacement brush heads and over a 3 year period you can save $60-80
by opting for different separate products.
My recommendation is the Oral-B Smart 1500 and the Waterpik Aquarius.
Yes, they do take up more countertop space, but I think it is worth it.
In the video description is a link to my comprehensive written review
of the Sonic-Fusion 2.0 along with links to buy my recommended products.
Even if you do pick my recommended products,
it’s worth knowing you that it is no good if you are using them all wrong. Or,
if you are not doing other important tasks to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
This video demonstrates how to master your oral care routine.