The best electric toothbrushes - recommended by a dentist, tested by us

The best electric toothbrushes are a worthwhile buy if you're looking to revamp your brushing routine, with heads that offer a superior clean and additional features, like cleaning modes, timers, pressure sensors, and more. 

In the past, sticking with a manual toothbrush was just fine. But over the last ten years, technological advancements in dental care have meant that any of the best electric toothbrushes will offer a significantly better clean than a standard brush. 

So whether you're looking for the best electric toothbrush deals or want to invest in the perfect model, we've got a pick for you. We tested a range of top electric toothbrushes from brands such as Oral-B, Phillips, and Colgate, as recommended by Helen Tippett, an orthodontist from King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and we chose the best ones with advice from celebrity dentist Dr Richard Marques.

How we tested the best electric toothbrushes 

We tested all the dentist-recommended toothbrushes in this guide for two weeks, both in the morning and in the evening. As well as assessing how well they cleaned our teeth, how easy they were to set up and use, and whether they were worth the price tag, we also considered: 

• Speed - Some electric toothbrushes feature different speed modes. These modes are great if you're sharing an electric toothbrush with others (each with your own brush heads, of course) and you're each after different things. Different modes include everything from sensitive to white, deep clean, and more.
• Brush head - Electric toothbrushes can be either oscillating (rotating brush heads) or sonic (vibrating brush heads). "Look for a rotating and oscillating brush, meaning that the head will move side to side and pulses up and down, covering a wider range and brushing over an area several times to ensure no dirt has been missed," Dr Marques says.
• Timer control - If you’re never sure how long you clean your teeth for and if you’re doing it for long enough, an electric toothbrush that comes with a built-in timer is great. "This will make sure that you're cleaning for the correct amount of time and ensure your teeth are as clean as possible," he says. 
• Replaceable brush heads - No matter what electric toothbrush you choose, you will need to change the brush head when the current one’s bristles are worn down. Replacements can cost a lot, so it’s worth checking how much these are before you invest in a certain model and manufacturer.
• Pressure sensor - "This will make sure you’re not pressing too hard on the teeth during cleaning and therefore not leading to any damage," Dr Marques says. However, we want to provide a range of the best electric toothbrushes at various price points so some do not include this.
• Battery life - It’s not worth spending a lot of money on an electric toothbrush that has a poor battery life and needs constant charging. This is especially worth noting if you travel a lot and don’t want the hassle of taking charging stations with you. Some designs are advertised as having two or three weeks of use on a single charge, while others will need charging up after only a week.

The best electric toothbrushes as chosen by our experts

Oral-B'S iO9 Ultimate Clean Electric Toothbrush is one of the best Oral-B electric toothbrushes you can buy right now and overall the best electric toothbrush on the market in our opinion. With built-in magnetic iO technology for a professional clean, this toothbrush comes with a round brush head that claims to give you 100 percent healthier gums within just one week of use. 

It has seven smart modes including one to whiten, a daily clean mode, and one for sensitive teeth. It also boasts a sensor that signals white, red, or green to alert you on how much pressure you're applying.

With a timer (and a smiley or disappointed face icon) to ensure you brush for the right amount of time, twice a day, this electric toothbrush has an interactive screen to make it even easier to use. We've not even got to the best part yet - artificial intelligence on the app recognizes your brushing style and guides you so you never miss a tooth. While this might be an additional feature, we found it to be a real plus point for the model. 

In terms of charging, the brand says this brush has a three-hour quick charge mode and 10 - 14 day battery life. During out test, this checked out as the brush lasted for 12 days on average. It also comes with one brush head, a charging travel case, a charger, and a refill holder.

It's an expensive toothbrush, but worth the investment if you're ready to get serious about your dental hygiene. 

The Ordo Sonic+ is not only affordable, but it's convenient too - thanks to the auto-refill program for the toothbrush heads. You can pay £10 every two months for a new head and two tubes of toothpaste (one travel-friendly), or £15 for that and 18 interdental brushes and dental floss, as well as mouthwash. 

With a choice of four brushing modes including clean, white, massage, and sensitive, this toothbrush has a two-minute timer with a quad-pacer to encourage brushing movement. Sonic Pulse Technology cleans the surface of your teeth and between them, while this toothbrush was actually designed and approved by dentists to improve gum health, reduce plaque. You can even use it on braces, we discovered. It comes with a brush, one head, a travel cap, and a charging base.

It's a great choice for those on a budget, but it's worth noting it you'll have to charge it for 16-hours before you use it - but that really is the only downside. 

The Oral-B Genius 9000 is a great option for those with sensitive teeth and gums. It actually coaches you when brushing to ensure you're being neither too vigorous nor too soft. Thanks to the built-in automatic speed reduction function, it will alert you to slow down if it detects that you're brushing too fast or hard. While Oral-B'S iO9 has this feature in-built, another plus point for our top pick, this model still offers a guide on where to brush in order to avoid cavities and gum disease - but it must be connected via Bluetooth with your smartphone to do so. 

It features six different cleaning modes to choose from, offering the most choice out of most electric toothbrushes we tried. There's Pro Clean, Daily Clean, Sensitive,  Tongue Cleaning, Whitening, and Gum Care. Naturally though, you'll need to pair the Whitening mode with your pick of the best whitening toothpaste if you want to make a real difference, rather than just using the brush on its own.

If you want a simple electric toothbrush, it might not be the one for you though as it comes with lots of extras and accessories. Inside the box, you'll also find four replacement brush heads, a smart travel case (which, by the way, can charge your toothbrush AND your smartphone) as well as an upgraded charger, a refill holder, and a smartphone holder. Everything you need to keep up a good oral hygiene routine and more. 

The Curaprox Hydrosonic Easy electric toothbrush cleans those interdental spaces thanks to its hydrodynamics. With up to 42,000 strokes per minute, this brush keeps teeth and gums healthy, cleaning them thoroughly but gently too. 

It works by removing biofilm bacteria efficiently in places where bristles can’t reach, such as the spaces in between your teeth. Choose from three modes: Start, Clean, and Smile, with 22,000, 32,000, and 42,000 movements per minute, to suit your needs. Compared to other models we tested, the Curapox Hydrosonic Easy has one of the longest battery lives at two-weeks between charges. Even when it's running on a low battery, it works just the same as when fully charged, unlike some designs.

It does, however, come with polyester bristles rather than nylon which might take some time getting used to if you usually use brushes with nylon bristles. 

The super high-tech Oral-B Genius Pro 8000 offers superior cleaning with three toothbrush heads: 3D White, Sensitive, and Cross-action. It also features Bluetooth connectivity and app control, making it an ideal choice for gadget lovers who want to get geeky about their dental care.

The round 3D brush action is great for getting around each individual tooth, with an oscillating, rotating, and pulsing motion to break up and remove plaque. It also has a polishing cup to help get rid of surface stains for anyone who is dealing with the staining after effects of teeth whitening and coffee, for instance.

There’s also a two-minute timer as well as a triple pressure sensor to protect gums from over-brushing. The Oral-B Genius Pro 8000 has a battery life of 12 days, which is fairly standard for the brand. 

The Waterpik Complete Care 9.5 Oscillating Electric Toothbrush Plus Water Flosser is a smart investment if you're concerned about gum disease. The electric toothbrush-flosser can remove up to 99.9 percent of plaque - putting you in control of your oral care to prevent tooth decay and costly dental work in the future.

Packed in a compact stand, the flosser needs to be plugged in for use, while the toothbrush sits on a charging dock. The electric toothbrush comes with two triple clean brush heads, both of which have soft, high-low bristles in order to be safe and gentle on your teeth and gums. With a two-minute timer to stop you from over-brushing and a 30-second pacer to avoid damaging your gums further. It has three modes - high, low, massage - and it comes with a travel case, too.

The flosser is easy to use and you be adjusted from water flow mode one to 10 to suit your needs. The swivel base on the handle allows for easy access to all areas of the mouth, particularly below the gumline. It comes with five water flossing tips that is said to be 50 percent more effective at improving gum health in comparison to string floss. It's also a great buy if you have braces or implants, crowns, bridges, or veneers. 

This is one of Oral-B's most popular models for a reason. The best travel-friendly electric toothbrush has all the basic features you need to keep your smile happy and healthy on the go. 

Although the features are limited when compared to other models on the list, the Oral-B Pro 680 has a Daily Clean mode which is all you need to feel fresh and look after your teeth as you travel. The battery lasts up to seven days, while the 3D white brush head has a special cup feature to make teeth look whiter and more polished. The round head also oscillates, rotates, and pulsates to remove more plaque than a manual brush. Plus, even though it's on the lower end of the price spectrum, it has a two-minute timer to ensure you're brushing thoroughly for the recommended time. 

It's affordable and comes with a travel case to make it easy to pack for city breaks or beach holidays. However, it's worth noting this electricity toothbrush comes with a two-pin plug that requires an adaptor to charge. 

Looking for the best electric toothbrush to buy for your child? The Philips Sonicare for Kids can be used in conjunction with an app to make brush time slightly more enjoyable.

Using a tablet or smartphone, the toothbrush connects via Bluetooth to your device so that your child can play games and watch tutorials on how to brush your teeth properly and will be rewarded after every brush. 

Much like other toothbrushes, this one has a timer too, which works to extend brush time every day until your child is brushing for the recommended two minutes per day. It also has two child-friendly brush modes. With two-week battery life, it's great for taking on holiday. It even comes with stickers so they can customize their new electric toothbrush, too.

Not ready to invest in an expensive electric toothbrush and just want to get a feel for the device? The Colgate ProClinical 250R Whitening has many of the same features as the Ordo Sonic+ Toothbrush but offers an exclusively whitening focus, with spiral bristles and a soft rubber tip to polish teeth.  

This electric toothbrush is easy on the wallet, gentle on the gums but tough on plaque. So much so that this Colgate electric toothbrush is said to remove five times more plaque than a manual toothbrush. We only tested the brush for two weeks, so couldn't vouch for this in the long term but its soft bristles certainly felt like they were having an impact. 

This model is slim and lightweight and travel-friendly. It's easy to hold so compared to other models in our guide, this is  the one to go for if you're used to using a manual toothbrush and want a similar size, shape, weight in an electric model. 

It's a great brush on the whole, especially if you're keen on learning how to whiten your teeth at home. The only downside to this buy is the short battery life, which lasts for only five to seven days. 

The Brush Baby BabySonic Electric Toothbrush for your toddler will ensure their growing teeth are just as clean as yours. 

This electric toothbrush can be used with two different heads - one for babies who are 0-18 months old and another for when they're 18-36 months old. These brush heads have BPA-free soft bristles that can soothe sore gums while removing bacteria, and the head itself lights up so that you can see the inside of your child's mouth with ease, and, of course, to add a little fun to brush time for them. 

An easy to hold electric toothbrush that's great for smaller hands, the Brush Baby electric toothbrush offers easy grip and an easy to press on and off button. Other features include a two-minute timer and a pulse function to encourage brushing all around the mouth. 

The waterproof, compact design is easily stored thanks to its suction-cupped base. You can also use this toothbrush without vibration if preferred - press the power button once. It's battery-operated so there's no need to constantly recharge this electric toothbrush, but it does mean you'll need to stock up on batteries before it runs out. 

The Oral-B Teen White is great for cleaning braces, whatever your age. The electric toothbrush comes with a special rounded brush head that features contours to surround each tooth and brace bracket. The same head helps remove more plaque on each tooth, too.

It features a two-minute timer function to ensure you brush for the correct amount of time and a pressure control function to reduce brushing speed if you're applying too much force on your gums. Not only that but it's also compatible with the Oral-B smart app and all Oral-B brush heads. 

Much like many of the great Oral-B brushes we tried, this one has a two-week battery life and comes with a stand for easy storing. 

Are electric toothbrushes better?

Absolutely, people who use an electric toothbrush often have healthier gums and experience less tooth decay compared to those that use a manual brush, explains dentist Dr Richard Marques. "Especially brushes with rotating heads, these are super effective at removing plaque and keep your teeth fresh and healthy."

Knowing how to brush your teeth properly and cleaning your teeth twice a day is the best way to practice good dental hygiene, as we all know, but electric toothbrushes have a special advantage. 

"With the range of motion you get with an electric toothbrush you’re more likely to get into spots that have a build-up of plaque," he says. "The built-in-timers the electric versions come with will help you brush long enough to sufficiently remove the plaque from your teeth and gums." 

Also, people often forget about the waste advantage of using and electric toothbrush. "You’re able to keep these for a lot longer than a manual, just swapping out the heads every few months," Dr Marques adds. 

How long do electric toothbrushes last?

Your electric toothbrush should last for 3-5 years on average, Dr Marques says. "And you should change your brush head every 2-3 months. "Changing your brush will prevent a build-up of plague in the bristles and keep the brush from damaging and becoming less effective."

How long your brush will last naturally depends on other factors too, like how well you care for your toothbrush by storing it, cleaning it correctly and making sure to use the best toothpaste with it where possible.

"Most brushes should come with a two-year warranty and so any issues you have during this time should be covered," he adds.

How to use an electric toothbrush properly 

Electric toothbrushes are similar to manual brushes, expect they do most of the work for you - all you have to do is move the device around your mouth from tooth to tooth. 

Oral-B suggest: 

1. Put your toothpaste on your brush as usual.
2. Place the toothbrush inside your mouth and turn it on. 
3. Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and move it around each tooth holding for a few seconds before moving onto the next.
4. Focus on the front of the teeth first, before moving onto the back and the top of the teeth.
5. Brush for two minutes until the timer is up or until you have placed the brush head over each tooth.

How to clean an electric toothbrush 

There are a few good habits to stick to, when it comes to keeping your electric toothbrush clean and hygienic according to Helen. 

• Rinse your toothbrush and brush head thoroughly after every use.
• Use a cotton bud to clean out any built-up dirt.
• Wipe your toothbrush with a damp cloth. 
• Stand your toothbrush upright and let it air dry. 
• Place your toothbrush back in the stand or charging holder after use.