What's the best toothbrush on the market?

My old man recently paid me a visit , on said visit he told me he was getting charged €9500 for two crowns and two in-lays by his dentist in Ireland.

I said that was preposterous and that I'd have a look see in Munich to find a much more reasonable price - on the net the Munich clinic seems to offer the same thing with all bells and whistles for 4500 - which still seems like a ridiculous sum to me , just less so.

In any case I don't happen to have the colour of that kind of cash on me and was wondering if now might not be an appropriate time to invest in the best brushing , teeth cleaning technology and regimen the modern world has to offer.

So for starters , what's the best toothbrush to use/buy at present? Personal experience and anecdotes welcome.

There are some great manual brushes out there! Most cost between 3-5 euro per. Ones that cost only 1 euro are crap!
Oral B cross action
Colgate Total
Butler 409
Sensodyne brushes are also good

ANY KIND BUT DR. BEST!

As for Elektric brushes- the Oral B Truimph is awesome! but at 160 Euro an investment! But the whole range of Oral B electrics are good- the heads are all interchangeable.
I am a big fan of (also from personal experience and patients experience) of the Sonic Brushes- Oral B Sonic Complete is great as is Phillips SonicCare the newer model. But they run between 100-140 Euro. And replacement brushes are about 3-8 euro per head.

Brushing is important but so is cleaning between the teeth with the dental floss and I mean DAILY! not once a month or when meat is stuck in there!

I currently am using the Oral B Sonic, plus the Truimph at work (when I brush after lunch) and the Oral B Cross Action.... in my travel bag I have both the Oral B Cross Action and the Butler Travel Sonic (battery operated).

But then again, I am extremely picky about my teeth, and think teeth are worth the investment for me.

I either use the Dr.Best Brilliant or the Oral B Classic Care with hard brushes
Plus Dental Floss. Plus regular visits at a Dental Hygienist and/or Dentist.

I have heard that some of these electric brushes can bring a lovely smile to the faces of most women when used incorrectly in the shower...

actually SpiderPig, if you read the package inserts, it says for IntraOral use Only! ;-)

and the sonics are much better for that than the electric!

I use the Sonicare Flexcare by Phillips - it's really an incredible toothbrush. It's a bit expensive at €150 +/-, but it has different settings and built in timer to make sure you brush long enough. I know it sounds cliche and silly, but it really does feel like I just came from the dentist's chair every time I use it.

Yeah I got landed with a savage dental bill a few months ago too for a bridge. I despise going to the dentist and hadn't been in seven years. I try to make up for it by brushing my teeth religiously at least 3 times a day with an Oral B electric toothbrush (don't know which one, but was about €40) I also use Aronal toothpaste in the morning and during the day and Elmex in the evening for my gums (€7.50 for 2 large tubes, one of each).

I had been using waxed floss but recently changed to unwaxed cos my Dad recommended it saying the waxed one can leave residue between your teeth. But I find the unwaxed one breaks and feels bitty and I feel like the waxed on cleaned better... Carm, got any expert advice to impart on that?? Thanks!

unwaxed will rip more and is more frustrating, a good waxed floss like the Johnson and Johnson's is the best, and leaves no residue. I use J+J dental Tape- its thicker, but I find it cleans alot better in the interprox areas.
If you have larger spaces then the Interdental brushes are great! But you have to have different brushes for the different spaces- the brush should go thru with some tension to clean better.

Often its not how often you brush, its how long each time and how complete the brushing is. All my patients have to brush 4-5 min - the time required to clean properly. I am very strict with my patients, but they love me for it, those that don't like it, go to one of the other girls in the office... I must be doing something right, I am booked out til mid Dec!

I've been using an Oral B Triumph electric toothbrush for several years now, and have to agree with Carm that it's a great investment. Also, as long as you use different heads, multiple people can use the same electric brush, so everyone in the family has clean teeth Also, for frequent travellers, brushing twice a day for 1 1/2-2 minutes, I can usually get the battery to last for up to 3 weeks.

Every time I've gone to the dentist since I bought it, I've spent much less time in the chair because my teeth are already extremely clean and barely need any work.

If you do go along the lines of Oral B, I'd recommend using the Floss Action heads.

Overall, I think it's highly worth the investment.

Thanks for the tip Carm, I'll get that J&J waxed one then as the unwaxed one is driving me mad! 5 mins is a lonnnng time. I had always been told a minimum of 2 mins and doubt I ever brush for more than 3. I have used the interdental brushes occassionally but found that in certain parts it made my gums bleed - but I see that is probably cos I using the wrong size; I didn't know there were different sizes... in fact I didn't even know interdental brushes existed til I happened to spot them somewhere one day and bought them to try out. I guess I need to go to the dentist more often to learn these things.

My Sonicare recently died after two years of loyal service, but I think I'm going to get another one. The brush feels more comfortable for some reason than the Brauns do for me.
Amazon cheapest/easiest? Have only ever seen them in Küstermann in Munich.

ok, perhaps a dumb question, but i never floss, but clean and mouth wash. When flossing, is this only the front teeth you can get at? how to floss at the back?

Katrina- SonicCares are also avail at Karstad, Media Markt, Saturn and Die zahnburste (on frauenstr- but they are over priced there).

Carm - do you not use mouth wash as well? Do you recommend it?

god no! Its crap! all of it!
does nothing but dry the mouth out- most have alcohol in it.
We do short term rinses with certain special rinses, but nothing more than 2 weeks after surgery.

Cool - thanks!

The best toothbrush? - The one you use & replace regularly

Is there really no advantage of using a fluoride mouth wash? My dentist advised me a few years back to use one (though I think it's alcohol_free).

We have two Braun Oral B Sonic electric toothbrushes at home. Both nearly 3 years old, both still run for about a week between charges, both running perfectly. The heads are a total rip off but only need changing every 2-3 months, and apart from that minor gripe I would recommend them unreservedly.

PiB- fluoride mouth rinses are okay! but its better if you buy the stronger ones and use it once a week rinsing for 1 minute of time and no rinsing with water out for 30min afterwards. Better yet use either Colgate GelKam or Elmex Fluor Gel once a week, after brushing, smear it on the teeth, floss your teeth then spit out, do not rinse, eat or drink for 30min afterwards- better chance of fighting cavities that way, or decreasing sensivity on the teeth.
Mouth rinses to fight plaque are crap- they do not work, plaque is a biofilm and has to be mechanically removed by brushing and flossing.
Mouth rinses to fight bad breath! well if you clean your teeth properly- go regularily for proper cleanings (not a 10min job at the dentist!) and brush the tongue, you should have no problems with bad breath.

I'm a big fan of my Oral B. My dentist in the States sells them, but I found (a new) one on eBay for considerably less. That was 3 1/2 years ago, and I'm pleasantly surprised that it's still ticking.

Carm, now I'm curious. What's wrong with Dr. Best? I might need to go buy some new toothbrushes.

We have the manual aronal kompakt toothbrush where you just change the bristles instead of buying a new toothbrush. I win the ecocontest.

I need floss for teeth that're awfully close together and quite like Oral-B Ultrafloss unless Carm says it's bad. It seems to tear less than other brands/types.

I second every word of TL's post. I LOVE my sonicare (all are excellent, even the cheapest model). And my dentist says he can tell as well.

My boyfriend loved it so much, he bought himself one too.

Would highly recommend.

And, yes, you do literally feel like you came from the dentist every time!

they are crap- that hinging angle that is suppose to be better for the tissues actually causes the effectivness of the toothbrush to lessen, and the head its self is too big for most mouths, they should be used to brush horses teeth. Dr. Best will never partake in an open clinical study, they do all their own studies and only in labs - so on models of teeth and not real mouths!

I only recently started liking soniccare brushes since they changed the design to the smaller replacable heads, before they had these big bulky heads that had an inner recepticle that harboured nasty bacteria and mould and was next to impossible to clean after use, and they were larger and alot of waste in our landfills.

I have a Oral-B electric "professional" series toothbrush. Works great. My wife uses a Sonicare ad she love it. For me the Sonicare is too buzzy buzzy. The Oral-B is a little more comfortable in my head. It ran me about $90 USD for two in one box.