Philips Sonicare Essence 5300 Power Toothbrush

My teeth feel really clean when I use Sonicare. The problem lies with the hassle associated with trying to recycle the base unit.

I bought this toothbrush on the recommendation of my dentist. I've been using it for almost 5 months now, and I have to say, I'm not sure it's working as well as it should be. I seem to be getting more plaque, and in spots I didn't get plaque before. Plus, I can feel that my teeth aren't as "clean" and smooth as they should be in the back. I've started using a regular toothbrush on them afterwards, which solves the problem, but I thought the Sonicare was supposed to be a super cleaner. Also, I agree with other reviewers about the brush heads. Mine looks very worn at this point--in fact, it began looking that way after just a couple of months. I bought one for my kid as well, and his teeth are also showing more plaque (and the brush head looks even worse than mine, though he's been using it for about 4 months instead of 5). So I'm not sure this is worth it--I'm going to talk to our dentist and dental hygienist at our next checkups. (No problems other than that, by the way--the vibration/pressure takes a little getting used to, but the "easy start" feature helps a lot. If you don't keep the toothbrush constantly in its charger, the recharging takes a very long time--too long, for instance, if you're on vacation, so bring an extra brush along.)

Really helps to keep my teeth clean, and the travel case makes it easy to travel with.

My old Sonicare finally bit the bullet after 10 years of use. I tried going back to a brush for a couple of weeks, but they are so lame. I read the reviews on all of the Sonicare models and decided to go with this less expensive model. It works just great. Don't waste your cash on the higher end ones. This one is all you need. Great value for the money.

I had never used a power toothbrush before so I could only go by others' recommendations to pick one out. My dentist warned me of my receding gum line and recommended Sonicare to be gentler on my gums and to help slow down any more loss of gum tissue. I debated for awhile about getting one of the higher up models, but then cost won out, and I got this one.

Actually, I don't think you really need the extra features of the higher models. I thought the quad timer would be nice, but that's based on brushing your teeth 4 sections at a time. Actually, the 4 they recommend is awkward, I would prefer 6, so I'm glad I didn't pay for that option.

And I thought getting more ergonomic might be better, but I have no problems with this one. In fact, I'm very impressed with the angled head and how much better I can reach around the back of the back molars.

A better battery indicator might have been nice, because I don't want to just keep it plugged in all the time - we only have one outlet in that bathroom. But it says it is supposed to stay charged for a full 2 weeks. So I've just been planning to plug it in every weekend (that way if I forget one weekend, it should still stay charged well enough for me). So like I said, I don't think I really needed any of the extra features of the higher models.

The brush head seems kind of small after having used regular toothbrushes for so long, but you don't actually have to brush with this tooth brush. Just gently move the brush across your teeth. So I'm happy with how it works.

My only complaints have nothing to do with how it works. But it does sound a bit like a giant mosquito! And you learn quickly to not bump your teeth with the brush handle - it sounds really loud, and the vibration can be startling if you bump your teeth.

But I've only had it for a few weeks. We'll see how it lasts.