We Tested Every Sonicare Toothbrush To Find Out Which Ones Are Worth the Splurge (2024)

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We Tested Every Sonicare Toothbrush To Find Out Which Ones Are Worth the Splurge (1)

If you feel like you’re doing everything to keep your teeth in top shape but aren’t getting stellar marks from your dentist, it may be worth investing in a better toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes, like Philips Sonicare, can enhance your dental routine with their superior cleaning power compared to regular toothbrushes. A Sonicare toothbrush can be a good way to clean hard-to-reach areas without over-brushing and damaging your gums. Ada S. Cooper, DDS, a spokesperson for the ADA, adds that a good electric toothbrush can also be useful for people who struggle with dexterity issues, such as arthritis.

We tested the top Philips Sonicare toothbrushes to find the best on the market. We evaluated the toothbrushes based on their setup, brushing experience, and overall cleaning ability. From there, we chose the ones we think are a worthy investment. An orthodontist from our Medical Expert Board has also reviewed the content in this article for medical and scientific accuracy.

What to Know About Sonicare Toothbrushes

When it comes to features that are important in a toothbrush, Lisa Creaven, Galway-based dentist and co-founder of Made By Dentists, tells us you should consider vibrations per minute, a lengthy battery life, and a smaller head to be able to reach all of the areas of your mouth. Other features that Sonicare products feature include:

Built-in Timers: Sonicare toothbrushes feature a timer that stops after two minutes of brushing and a pacer that alerts every 30 seconds to switch areas of the mouth. Dr. Cooper recommends that you brush for at least two minutes to clean your teeth thoroughly. Even the most affordable option on our list, the 4100 series, includes a timer feature.
Replacement Alerts: With all of the Sonicare products on our list, you will be alerted with a symbol that lights up to let you know that it is time to replace the head on your toothbrush.Dr. Cooper notes that a worn-out toothbrush won’t clean your teeth well and tells us that replacing it three or four times yearly will be ideal.
Brushing Modes: Our list of Sonicare includes toothbrushes with various modes catering to different mouth sensitivities and specific brushing needs. For example, the ProtectiveClean 6100 enables you to choose between a cleaning, whitening, or gum care setting, while the DiamondClean 9300 features an additional setting for deeper cleaning. Dr. Lilya Horowitz, DDS, fa*gD, founder at Domino Dental, likes Sonicare toothbrushes because they allow users to choose the proper setting for their teeth and gum sensitivity.
Pressure Sensors: If you brush your teeth too hard, the toothbrush will automatically lower the vibrations to avoid damaging your gums, and a pulsing sound will alert you. This feature is important since overbrushing can result in gum sensitivity and recession.
Bluetooth Connectivity: While not all of the Sonicare toothbrushes on our list feature Bluetooth connectivity, a handful do. The DiamondClean Smart 9300 app will highlight areas you missed so you can brush more thoroughly. With the ExpertClean 7300, app connectivity provides progress reports showing how much your brushing habits have improved.
Battery Life: A long-lasting battery accommodates flexibility and enables you to take it on the go without having to sacrifice your hygiene habits. All of the Sonicare products on our list have at least a two-week battery life.
Accessories: All the toothbrushes on our list include a head, body, and charger. Some have a travel case and multiple heads. The ExpertClean 7300 has a replacement head, while the DiamondClean Smart 9300 has a plaque control brush head, a white brush head, and a gum health brush head. Not all heads are compatible with all models, so check compatibility before buying replacements.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Electric Toothbrush at Amazon ($110)

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Best Budget:

Philips Sonicare 4100 Electric Toothbrush at Amazon ($47)

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Best for a Deep Clean:

Philips Electric Toothbrush at Amazon ($150)

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Best with App:

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Toothbrush at Amazon ($210)

Best Overall

Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Electric Toothbrush

View On Amazon$110 View On Target$130 View On Walmart$110

Why We Like It

The combination of features and the reasonable price point help to solidify Philips’ Sonicare ProtectiveClean 6100 as our best overall pick. It features three modes: cleaning, whitening, and gum care. The clean mode is ideal for a standard cleaning process, while the whitening mode is focused on removing stains. With gum care mode, the toothbrush provides an extra minute of cleaning at a lower power to enable you to massage your gums. Our testing found that this option is ideal for individuals with sensitive gums.

Other features that help to elevate this option include head recognition. When you put a different style of head on the base, it will automatically adjust and select the proper intensity. Additionally, if you apply too much pressure, a gentle pulsing sound will alert you so you don’t damage your teeth and gums.This option does not include a replacement head, but we loved that it features multiple intensity choices at a fraction of the price of competitors.

Product Details:

Features: Pressure sensor, three intensity modes, multiple head compatibility, alerts when it’s time to change heads
What’s Included: One head, handle, travel case, charger
Battery Life: Up to two weeks
Modes: Clean, whitening, gum care

Best Budget

Philips Sonicare 4100 Electric Toothbrush

View On Amazon$47 View On Philips.com View On Kohls.com$40

Why We Like It

The Philips Sonicare 4100 Series offers an excellent clean without breaking the bank. It’s more compact than other choices, so it won’t take up much space on the sink. During testing, we discovered that it effectively cleans with very little effort required. This option includes fewer bells and whistles than more pricey ones. You’ll get two intensity settings and a two-minute timer with 30-second pulses to alert you to move on to the other sections of your mouth. It also includes Sonicare’s pressure sensor and a replacement reminder.

The battery lasts 14 days, which, combined with the sleek design, makes the toothbrush a great choice for taking on the go. It also provides 31,000 brush strokes per minute for proper cleaning to remove plaque.While simpler and more affordable than other brushes on our list, we felt the toothbrush should include an additional head for the price when testing. It also doesn’t come with a wall adapter.

Product Details:

Features: Two intensity settings, pressure sensor, head replacement reminder, smart timer
What’s Included: One head, handle, USB charger
Battery Life: 14 days
Modes: Low and high intensity

Best for a Deep Clean

Philips Electric Toothbrush

View On Amazon$150 View On Target$170 View On Walmart$160

Why We Like It

We found the ExpertClean 7300 to provide an incredibly thorough cleaning, but not at the expense of protecting people with sensitive teeth and gums. The C3 Premium Plaque Control Head has soft bristles that contour around your teeth for added surface contact, enabling you to remove plaque from even the toughest-to-reach spots. The head also features targeted gumline bristles to aid in keeping your gums healthy and inflammation-free. Dr. Cooper recommends soft bristles; he tells us that harsher ones can damage your gums and enamel.

Like other Sonicare products, this toothbrush features smart sensors to tell you if you’re applying too much pressure. It also links with the Sonicare app to provide personalized progress reports. It comes with three cleaning modes: clean, gum health, and deep clean. For the lazy brusher, we found the two-minute timer helped ensure proper cleaning. One mild drawback we found during our testing was that the toothbrush is a bit noisier than other choices available.

Product Details:

Features: Three intensity settings, Bluetooth, head replacement reminder, timer
What’s Included: Two heads, handle, travel case, charger
Battery Life: 14 days
Modes: Clean, gum health, deep clean

Best with App

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Toothbrush

View On Amazon$210 View On Target$200 View On Walmart$210

Why We Like It

The DiamondClean Smart 9300 is a great choice for anyone looking to use data to improve their oral care routine. It comes with access to Sonicare’s app, which tells you where you missed when brushing and offers progress reports and coaching.

The toothbrush provides excellent features even if you don’t use the app. It has four modes with three different intensities. You can choose between clean, white, gum health, and deep clean. It also comes with three different heads: the premium plaque control head, white brush head, and gum health brush head. These options allow you to tailor the experience to your particular needs. The DiamondClean Smart 9300 also features brush head recognition, which will sync to the optimal mode when you switch heads. We also appreciate that this option has a two-year limited warranty. During our testing, we found this toothbrush to be a bit cumbersome to hold compared to other choices. Additionally, if you don’t want to be inundated with data, this won’t be right for you.

Product Details:

Features: Bluetooth app connectivity, smart sensor technology, smart timer, pressure feedback, three intensities, timer
What’s Included: Handle, three heads, charging glass, travel case
Battery Life: 14 days
Modes: Clean, white, gum health, deep clean

Our Testing Process

To find the best Sonicare toothbrushes, we tested over 10 of Sonicare's top-rated electric toothbrushes. We followed a uniform brushing pattern and used the same technique with each toothbrush. During our tests, we rated each brush based on the following attributes:

Setup: When we received each toothbrush, we first noted if it came pre-charged or required a charge. We also paid attention to how easy the handle was to hold, where the controls were located, how easy the buttons were to access, and if they included timers.
Brushing Experience: We noted how the cleaning experience went, paying attention to how clean our teeth felt and whether or not we were alerted after two minutes of brushing. We also noted the noise level of each toothbrush we tested.
Results: After each test, we documented how clean our teeth felt and how effectively the brush cleaned the spaces between our teeth.

The Experts

We spoke with experts to understand the benefits of Sonicare toothbrushes and how they can be implemented into a proper dental hygiene routine. The experts we spoke with include:

Lisa Creaven, Galway-based dentist, co-founder of Made By Dentists
Lilya Horowitz, DDS, fa*gD, founder at Domino Dental
Ada S. Cooper, DDS, ADA Spokesperson
Marc Schlenoff, DDS, fa*gD, Dentist and VP of Clinical Development at Tend

More Sonicare Toothbrushes to Consider

In addition to the four products we recommended, we tested two other Sonicare toothbrushes that didn’t end up on our list for a few reasons, but we still think they are worth mentioning.

Sonicare 9900 Prestige Power Toothbrush: While this option offers excellent cleaning abilities to get between every crevice of your teeth and provides access to the Sonicare app, we felt it was a bit too expensive. We also thought connecting to the app could be slightly more intuitive and easier.
Philips One by Sonicare Power Toothbrush: This option is a good starting point for those new to electric toothbrushes. It's affordable and has features like a built-in timer and 13,000 micro-vibrations per minute. However, it lacks advanced features and has room for improvement.

Who We Are

Jack Byram is a freelance writer who covers all things health and wellness related. He has written published works for numerous outlets and has interviewed dozens of experts. As a health fanatic, he is always researching and trying new products to upgrade his teeth care regimen.