Electric Toothbrushing

I had been using an electric toothbrush--an Oral B--but got to the point where I couldn't easily find replacement brushes.  I bought the original electric toothbrush--my first ever--in Jan. 2003.  I know that because i was in the drugstore purchasing the toothbrush when word came that the Columbia shuttle had crashed.  (I didn't actually remember the date, but the incident, so I just looked up the date.)  Anyway, I tossed the electric over a year ago, and went back to manual brushing.  I had read somewhere that good manual brushing was just as effective as electric, and I was trying to save money.  But in my case I must not be an effective manual brusher.  When i went to the dentist recently for my 6-month checkup, the hygienest said my teeth were hard to clean, and that next time they might need to use a water treatnement (?)

I didn't like the sound of that, and I noticed that the backs of my teeth upper teeth were feeling a bit gritty after brushing, soon after my checkup.  So I researched electric toothbrushes.  I had bought the original Oral B because it was rated highest by Consumer something.  That's still the case--Oral B still wins out over Sonicare.  Something called Consumersearch rated the Oral B Professional Series Smartcare 4000 the best electric toothbrush.  Consumer Reports mentions a "top-rated Oral B" in its (free) overview, but makes people subscribe to see the ratings.

My local CVS and Walgreens both had the Oral B Pro series 4000 (aka the Triumph--can they be more confusing); both were selling for about $140.  I also checked the Oral B website and found that they have a 5000--one has to assume the 5000 is newer and/or fancier or both.  I checked Amazon, which sells both the 4000 and 5000--the 5000 sells for $103.99; the 4000 for $4 less ($99.99).  According to a chart Oral B developed that's on the Amazon site, the only difference between the two models is that the 5000 has something called the "Wireless Smartguide" which helps "maximize your routine".  Whatever that means, right?  Luckily, one 5000 product review was very helpful. Here's what B. Johnson from Cleveland OH said about the 5000 vs 4000 that swayed me on the 5000:

  When I was making the decision to buy this model, I went back and forth as to whether to go with the SmartSeries 5000 with its separate "Smart Guide," (as opposed to the only slightly-cheaper 4000) but I'm glad I opted to pay the extra money for this additional gizmo. Aside from the fact that it doubles as an unobtrusive bathroom clock, I actually find that the visual guidance on brushing times, brushing mode, and brushing pressure help me to use this product to its full potential.

With a difference of only $4, and priced well below CVS and Walgreens, the 5000 on Amazon seemed like the best bet.  And it was over the price threshold for free shipping, so I didn't pay for shipping.  Amazon.com is clearly the winner for purchasing items like this--what a huge difference!

I've just started using the toothbrush--it is a bit complicated and took some reading and re-reading to figure out how to use the Wireless Smartguide.  But my teeth do feel cleaner, and it has a separate "whitening" mode with different brush head.  Not sure how well it works, but it sounds good.  I haven't tried some of the other modes, like deep cleaning.  Who know brushing teeth could be so complicated?