Guide
«Ultimately, you’ll end up with more teeth in your mouth!»
by Stephan Lamprecht
How to find the electric toothbrush that suits you
3.3.2025
Translation: machine translated
Oscillating, sonic or rather ultrasonic toothbrush? The choice is huge and each one is supposed to be the best. Use this guide to find out which electric toothbrush really suits you.
Most people around me have now switched to electronic toothbrushes because they are supposed to clean teeth better and be gentler on the gums. "I clean my teeth at least as well and the attachments are just a rip-off anyway," I thought to myself for a long time.
I realised a few months ago that this wasn't true when I came across the Philips Sonicare Series 3100. It's an affordable model that came third in last year's Stiftung Warentest ranking with a "good" rating.
"It's worth a try," I thought to myself. I can now confidently say that switching from a manual toothbrush to an electric one is one of the best decisions I've made in the last year. Since then, I not only have less plaque on my teeth, but I clean them more carefully and therefore more thoroughly. Yes, I'm now one of those electric toothbrush zombies too - and with a bright white smile.
If you want to join the horde but don't yet know which brush suits you best, you've come to the right place. So tell me who you are and I'll show you the right toothbrush.
Rotating-oscillating toothbrush
You can recognise the oscillating toothbrush by its characteristic round brush head. This rotates in semicircles and cleans the teeth mechanically. In contrast to the sonic toothbrush, the brush head is slightly smaller, which makes it easier to brush individual teeth. Many of the oscillating brush heads pulsate alongside the circular movements, which should help with discolouration.
Advantages:
The rotating-oscillating movement of the brush enables thorough cleaning of your teeth. With the small and manoeuvrable brush head, you scrub each tooth individually and have control over which areas are already clean.
Disadvantages:
This is also the disadvantage. With careless cleaning, some areas can easily be overlooked and forgotten. This toothbrush is therefore suitable for people with a disciplined dental care routine who keep track of their teeth while brushing. The models can also be louder than sonic toothbrushes.
Sonic toothbrush
The sonic toothbrush basically looks like a manual toothbrush and also removes the biofilm on the teeth mechanically. In addition, the mixture of water, toothpaste and saliva creates waves of liquid that flush bacteria and food debris out of the interdental spaces.
Advantages:
Because this method requires very little contact, cleaning with a sonic toothbrush is gentle on the gums. The sonic toothbrush also cleans several teeth at once thanks to the wide brush heads.
Disadvantages:
Due to its similarity to a manual toothbrush, it can be moved back and forth during use out of habit like a manual toothbrush, which impairs the functioning of the sonic toothbrush and leads to a poorer result.
Ultrasonic toothbrush
There is a second, lesser-known sub-category of sonic toothbrushes - the ultrasonic toothbrush. In contrast to the conventional sonic toothbrush, it does not clean the tooth surface mechanically, but solely with the high frequency generated by the device. Depending on the model, a special ultrasonic toothpaste is applied, which creates tiny microbubbles on the tooth surface. These burst due to the sound waves and blast away the biofilm at the same time.
Advantages:
According to the manufacturers, this toothbrush cleans without any mechanical effort and is therefore particularly gentle. This makes it ideal for people with very sensitive gums or tooth enamel who like to experiment. This type of toothbrush is also recommended for wearers of hard-to-clean braces or implants.
Disadvantages:
Depending on the model, this method only works in combination with a special toothpaste. In addition, ultrasonic toothbrushes have not yet really established themselves. As a result, the selection of devices, special toothpastes and attachments is limited. In the Stiftung Warentest test report, the only model tested only achieved a "satisfactory" rating.
Nothing stands above correct cleaning
This is why you should pay attention to the following points when brushing your teeth:
Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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