[Anupam]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

I went through a bunch of reviews of Oral B and Philips, but none of them gave me any confidence, so I eventually ended up plonking my money on something which doesn't cost a bomb.

thanks for sharing the link, it sure is worth a try, using your link, I just picked up a piece with additional 2 replacement head, total costing me around 430/- (btw, seems an Indian owned company in the US)

this will be my first, so wanted to try with the cheapest option. how long have you been using it for? my worry is, if it will keep eating batteries and how long will the head last

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by Anupam

thanks for sharing the link, it sure is worth a try, using your link, I just picked up a piece with additional 2 replacement head, total costing me around 430/- (btw, seems an Indian owned company in the US)

this will be my first, so wanted to try with the cheapest option. how long have you been using it for? my worry is, if it will keep eating batteries and how long will the head last

That was quick, I just hope it lives up to your expectations. I have been using mine for only a week now.

If the toothbrush works for 6 months, I will think of it as money well spent. I doubt the battery will last that long as it seems to be a generic Chinese one. That said, I am already impressed by the quality of the brushing. My mouth feels a lot cleaner than an ordinary toothbrush and I used to brush thrice a day. I am not entirely sure, but it seems to work at 30,000 vibrations per minute which is the same as Philips Sonicare and more than the Panasonic.

Didn't know the CEO was of Indian origin. Interesting.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

That was quick, I just hope it lives up to your expectations. I have been using mine for only a week now.

Yes, I checked the company website, seems they are serious about business and not just a shipment trader, surely they can't be compared with the oral-b and Philips of the world but what the heck with this price it's well worth an attempt

I had seen this product on Amazon earlier but did not drill deep, but after your input I went in and since the risk is low, did not see any harm

Funnily no reviews on Amazon India at all




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[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Anupam

which oral-b model are you using? and where do you source your heads from, a detailed review would help

I don't really know. Being Braun, there will be a small model number on it somewhere.

I bought it in a boxed pair, from UK. I had a fancy thing with an aerated mouth spray, and the brush stopped working. Then the unit stopped working after a power surge, so now I only have the brushes. I try to remember to change every six months so that the battery doesn't completely die in one: it will be flat, but seems to recover!

It says "professional care" on it. No ultrasonics, but "3D" motion. How to review it: I've been using these things so long it is just... brushing my teeth! But I hate using an ordinary toothbrush when I have to.

[Jaguar]

I had picked up a basic Oral B electric tooth brush and a pair of heads from the US. With Eneloop AA batteries, I could get about 1 month useage. After exhausting the heads, I had to trow away the brush since I couldn't source the replacement locally. My local chemist and nearby supermarket sell the same model brush but not the replacement heads.

Last month, saw the same model and replacement head available with the chemist and picked it up. So I am set for one year I happened to see the replacements available at a nearby Health & Glow store as well. So probably they are now available in India.

The brush and heads are imported from Malaysia/Thailand and I paid less than the $10 I intially paid in the US. Will update the model number once I go home.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

My local chemist and nearby supermarket sell the same model brush but not the replacement heads.

Last month, saw the same model and replacement head available with the chemist and picked it up. home.

Thanks, few days back I called up the customer care number of Ora-B, they could not answer my 3 basic questions (1) recommended life of the head (2) recommended life of the battery (3) when will the replacement head be available in the market.

on escalation, I got a call back from them today but unfortunately they again had no clue

so my take is that they are not serious about this product in India, and some other country is dumping this here if they have excess or non-moving stock at their end

that's the reason, I rather thought of giving brush-buddy a try, not only they have the cheapest product and equally cheap replacement head, they are also using Sonic technology instead of rotary

[Thad E Ginathom]

I forgot to answer about the batteries: mine has built-in, non-replacable rechargeable. It is kept permanently on a wall mounted charger. I can get a week or ten days of once-a-day-brushing if I go away without the charger.

Life of the heads? they have coloured bristles which, when they loose their colour, "indicate" that the head should be changed. As stated, I take that with a large pinch of salt: I cannot afford to spend hundreds of rupees on toothbrushes every few months. I use them until I feel they are no longer brushing properly.

Given the cost, I don't feel this can be a successful product in India, although that might change as the younger generation increasingly adopt higher-price-must-be-better spending habits.

I buy the heads when I go abroad, in Singapore or London. If I got desparate, I'm sure they could be sourced from Amazon-dot-not-in. Or I'd ask a friend to post me a pack.

Even though I am a dedicated shopoholic gadgetphile, I am not inclined to upgrade. I wonder if the "sonic technology" really is ultrasonic? Ultrasonic tech has been used for cleaning for decades. Ultrasonic cleaning baths have been used by jewellers and watch makers for a long time: I wanted one back in the 80s when I had a jewellery-making hobby, but could not afford.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I wonder if the "sonic technology" really is ultrasonic?

Ultrasonic would mean 96,000,000 brush strokes per minute or higher. AFAIK most of the electric toothbrushes I have seen including Philips Sonicare work in the sonic range (voice range of an adult female) at around 30,000 brush strokes per minute.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Will update the model number once I go home.

The model I have seems to be "CrossAction Power Dual Clean". That is what the replacement head box says.

Originally Posted by Anupam

Thanks, few days back I called up the customer care number of Ora-B, they could not answer my 3 basic questions

As per the sticker on the box, it is imported and distributed by Gillette. So probably Oral-B themselves have no clue . You can try contacting the number in the pic below

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Some of the Oral-B handsets are very expensive! Dentists have confirmed to me that using an electric toothbrush is indeed more effective than the traditional kind, and it certainly feels that way to me.

Electric toothbrushes are indeed expensive, but there are enough studies which show that these tooth brushes remove more plaque and do a better job of cleaning teeth than the manual method of brushing. You will not hurt your teeth or gums as long as your are using one as intended to. As long as you use a fluoridated toothpaste, an alchohol free mouthwash with your electric tooth brush, you should be fine. Just make sure you get the ones with the soft bristles.

You can also use a waterpik, but I don't find it as effective as flossing to keep the areas b/w your teeth clean.

Cheers,
Aniketh
P.S:- I'm a dentist


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[comfortablynumb]

Is Spirulina really as beneficial as claimed? If yes, can it be taken by someone recovering from surgery?

Cheers,
Vikram

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Here's a bit of technical jargon:

Why do we ask you to replace brushes frequently?

Before that, when i ask patients when and why do they replace brushes, these are the answers:

- the bristles are bend out of shape
- i'm bored with the same brush

If you answer any of the two above, you are using the wrong reasons.

Ideal brush:
- small head - so it can reach the posterior most areas
- pointed / arrow head - same reason
- criss cross, etc bristles - marketing by companies - no independent verification available
- soft bristles (hard bristles to clean shoes and medium ones to clean car niches)
- you can use sensitive / super soft bristles as well (softer the better)
- a flexible neck is recommended

Why softer the better?

Hard brushing is the biggest cause of sensitivity due to enamel loss and gingival (gum) recession. You can google mechanism of action of these at your own time.

A lot of patients tell me that they don't get the satisfaction of brushing with soft bristles or that they feel that soft bristles won't clean well.

So this is the example i give them: take a pen and make a line on your wall. You can use a hard / medium / soft brush to scrub the wall but the stain will not go. The more you scrub, you will loose paint. So you need to call a specialist to use a solvent / chemical to clean the wall.
Similarly, stains on your teeth need to be removed by a dentist and not by aggressive brushing.

So why do we brush our teeth?

Yes, to remove food. But more importantly, to disrupt a fine meshwork of plaque that forms around teeth. All you need to do is to disrupt this meshwork by brushing twice a day. If you don't and let it organise, it will calcify to form calculus or trap food and bacteria to form caries. This mesh is easily disrupted by any softness of bristles.

Additionally,

Bristles are made of Nylon usually which is a very stable and resistant material.

But with constant use and exposure to water and light it starts becoming hard. So even if your bristles don't show bending after a few months, they are now at least twice as hard as when you first started using it.

Lastly,
Your toothbrush acts as a petri dish with a growth medium. You brush and then rinse your brush under running water. Some amount of food particles remain on your brush. Then you store this moist brush in a dark cabinet. There will also be bacteria from your mouth on it. Also, every time you flush, a million bacteria get circulated in the bathroom and many will latch onto the most fertile media in your bathroom, the brush.

Studies have shown that bacterial counts peak in 2 months on a brush. There were claims that the triclosan in the paste would combat it but that claim has been widely trashed now.

What you can do is to either buy a commercial UV light toothbrush holder or once a week dip the heads of the brushes in a small bowl of Listerine for 2 hours (do not reuse the listerine for the next cycle)

So, my friends, as i tell my patients: don't treat your toothbrush as a family heirloom. Buy a cheap soft brush (12 at a time) and replace it at the start of every month. Thats the best practice you and your family should follow.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

What you can do is to either buy a commercial UV light toothbrush holder or once a week dip the heads of the brushes in a small bowl of Listerine for 2 hours (do not reuse the listerine for the next cycle)

Actually, I keep meaning to do the latter. but am lacking in round tuits.

Advice once received, which makes sense to me: change your toothbrush when you have had a bout of flu, tummy upset, etc, as it will make a good home for those microbes with the possibility of re-infection.

I didn't know about the UV gadget.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Advice once received, which makes sense to me: change your toothbrush when you have had a bout of flu, tummy upset, etc, as it will make a good home for those microbes with the possibility of re-infection.

I think i had mentioned that here myself a while ago

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Is Spirulina really as beneficial as claimed? If yes, can it be taken by someone recovering from surgery?

Cheers,
Vikram

Spirulina is a filamentous cyanobacterium, which possesses diverse biological activities and nutritional significance due to high concentration of natural nutrients. It is said to have bio-modulatory and immuno-modulatory functions. Many formulations are available as syrups, tablets juices etc and many a doctors do prescribe it. Although much is said and published this is not a formulatory drug that we know the pharmacokinetics & pharmacodynamics (i.e. what it does to the body & what body does to it). It is not a Schedule H Prescription Drug. Hence discretion is advised. I personally have not prescribed it for the same.