By: Mitch | Last updated March 10, 2021 
Electric toothbrushes are the more preferred cleaning tools for some. This is because of its ease in brushing the teeth, with users only needing to guide while they vibrate. Along with this is its very reliable cleaning performance that is capable of thousands of strokes per minute which is incomparable to manual brushes. These units also come with a lot of features that are too good to miss out on such as cleaning for sensitive teeth, for whitening it, and more.
Sonicare is made by popular electronics company Philips. They have one of the best cleaning performances in the market that is capable of up to 62,000 movements per minute. This is made possible by its very fast vibrations which can break down tooth plaque and debris. This technology uses sonic vibrations in the tips of the brushes which apply adequate force for cleaning teeth. It uses inductive charging for its energy which is known to be good for the performance of the unit. The brand has a lot of standout products which include Essence, DailyClean, and DiamondClean which caters to different budget plans and needed features.
Oral B is a known product in the dental hygiene industry. Their electric toothbrushes are made with Braun which is a German electronics company. They are most known for their trademark round brush heads that cleans the teeth by a mix of oscillating and rotating. This is also good for cleaning around the edges of the gum without damaging it. Included in their most popular product lines are the Pro series, Genius, and Smart. They are also known for having an abundant set of brush heads which you can use depending on your specific needs.
When it comes to cleaning, both brushes are very reliable. As stated above, they both have very different cleaning techniques, but in the end, most users will find their cleaning to be very sufficient for everyday use.
Oral B’s round brush is especially good for cleaning most of the surface of the teeth and allows easy access for cleaning the edges of the gum without damaging it. On the other hand, Sonicare has a more powerful brush capable of breaking down plaque and removing stains. In the end, they are capable of providing maximum cleaning even with different vibrations and cleaning styles.
So overall we would go with Oral B if you are looking for a nice smooth and relaxing clean, while Sonicare might give you a bit better of a clean but with a bit rougher/stronger vibration feeling.
Brush heads are the replaceable component of the electric toothbrush. Because of this, it can easily adapt to any preferred cleaning method of the user as some may need regular cleaning for a month but then need whitening for the next. This is also good for ensuring that it will give its best cleaning as most brush heads only last for 3 to 4 months.
Between the two brands, the brush heads are basically just equivalents of each other. Both have the important brush heads like Whitening, Sensitive Teeth Cleaning, and Gum Care. So really the decision between the two is whatever you want it to be as they both work well and one brush head wasn't really more impressive than the other.
For this, we preferred Sonicare’s design for their brushes. They are known for their cleaner and professional look that can be seen with their color choices that prefer mild shades that make it look sleek. They also come with rubber grips that make it easier to hold the handle. For their most expensive options, they even have very good color options like rose gold and black.
On the other hand, Oral B tends to have a more plastic design that makes it lighter but look cheaper. Some brushes also have a rubber grip. Their higher priced products generally have better designs too.
The one thing that did give Oral B the edge in impact of design, was that in our tests the Sonicare ended up having issues with the replacment heads after a while. The post that held the head on actually came out of the body, which is a common complaint. So, although not the visual design but the actual design of the system we have to give the edge to Oral B , as their design lasted longer ; even if it wasn't as pretty as its competitors nice paint jobs.
The features of electric toothbrushes are integral for users to gain more access to better cleaning. This also makes it more convenient to use. For this, both brands are very recommended.
A very good feature of Oral B is their pressure sensor that is very easy to use compared to Sonicare. With them, brushes can light up when too much pressure is applied to the teeth which is more helpful compared to Sonicare’s vibration pressure sensor which is harder to notice. This is an important tool that prevents damaging the teeth.
On the other hand, the BrushSync technology of Sonicare for its more expensive products are very good for ensuring the best cleaning for users. First, this tool uses an RFID chip which connects to the brush head that you put in the unit. It will then choose the best cleaning mode for this brush head which removes the hassle of having to remember it every day. Next, it also advises users in case the brush head needs to be replaced which is usually done every 3 or 4 months. This is because some users may completely forget about this as it is easy to do so.
This head to head battle really does depend on what you would like. If you think the ligh of Oral B might be a bit better as a visual reminder vs Sonicares technology. We preferred Oral B in this aspect again.
Although not very important, some will prefer their electric toothbrushes to come with a lot of tools which can help them with cleaning the teeth. For this factor, we preferred Oral B because of the abundance of its box inclusions that gives more value for the user’s money. Included in the accessories they provide are charging stands, holders, and a smartphone stand. A particular accessory we really recommend is the travel case which secures the electric brush units and components in a safe case which makes it very handy.
A handy accessory from Sonicare is the UV sanitizer which is also handy for ensuring sanitization.
Overall you can't lose when choosing between these two industry leaders. They both get the job done very well, but in different ways; and at the end of the day the reality is that even if we liked Oral B better it might not work for you.
The reasons we liked Oral B was that the cleaning was a gentler feeling on our teeth and gums, versus the high rate of cleaning and speed that the Sonicare offered.
The cost of that increased speed seemed to be the longevity of the device, and if we are spending over $150 we expect it to last more than 4 months, which is why at the end of the day ORAL B is the winner in this test.
