Excuse me, while I rip my gums apart
Written: Apr 29 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: reeeeeeeeeeeally cleans your teeth
Cons: hurts a lot with overuse; $$$$
The Bottom Line: I definitely recommend a Sonicare - but use it with caution!
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| whitty's Full Review: Sonicare Plus Model Pl 3 Sonic Electric Toothbrush |
It's been the same story for years at the dentist's office. "Are you flossing every day?" "Are you paying attention to your gums, because the last thing you want is to lose your teeth before you are 30!"
No matter how many times I brush a day, I always seem to get "the lecture." Everyone else I know gets it too, which is why I never paid much attention to it.
The past few years, they have be giving me the lecture and then sending me home with a request, "please buy yourself an electric toothbrush." They told me that the electric toothbrush moves the bristles efficiently enough to remove hidden plaque in hard to reach places.
They recommended a Sonicare over a Braun, so I thought I might as well buy one and try it out. Only, I went into a Target to buy it one day and saw the price. $100 for a unit with two brush heads! I decided that my regular old toothbrush was fine.
But then, as luck would have it
A few months later, I was given a credit to Target. I went back to the electric toothbrush aisle and decided to purchase the Sonicare Plus Toothbrush (with 3 Brush Heads). The cost was $120. It came with a pink and green brush head at normal "standard" sizes, and then an additional third head for hard to reach places, and people who prefer the smaller head.
I brought the toothbrush home and set it up. Set up is fairly easy and self-explanatory, although they do provide ample instructions in case you can't figure it out. They even provide information on how you should be brushing your teeth. I laughed this off as I always do with directions, and jumped right into brushing my teeth.
Fun little features
The only information I took away from the booklet from reading it at a glance, that I was glad to read, was that the toothbrush would make a beeping noise every thirty seconds. This is to indicate that you should move on from the spot you are on to the next spot. (It is intended to mean 30 seconds for each quarter section of your mouth -- the four sections being: top right, top left, bottom right and bottom left.)
The toothbrush then shuts off completely after 2 minutes time to prevent over-brushing.
Also, the brush vibrates at 31,000 strokes a minute. I can't really feel it, and to me it feels like using a normal toothbrush. And since no human can move their toothbrush at 31K strokes a minute, the technology beats any human's ability to brush anywhere near as fast.
But as I soon found it, it's not your "normal" toothbrush
First off, it took me several days of brushing with the Sonicare to master the art of not drooling all over my chin. The handle is so much wider than what you are used to in a normal toothbrush, that it is a bit awkward. Plus, brushing for two full minutes was more than I was used to.
Also, I found that after about a week of use, my gums started to get sore. As days went by, they went from sore to *painful*. I had been using the Sonicare twice a day -- in the morning and at night. I spoke with a few people who use the toothbrush and most of them only use the brush once a day (regular toothbrush the other time.)
I ended up going back to my regular toothbrush for a few days and my gums improved. Now, I only use the Sonicare at night, and in the morning I use a normal toothbrush.
It seems to have balanced out the soreness in my mouth, but I wish that someone had warned me! Because, for awhile, I was wondering if it was really worth it. My gums were hurting for days and I knew that couldn't be right. Apparently the brush is also "softer" the first two weeks of brushing. It works up to full-speed as your mouth gets used to it. I might have already had sensitive gums, but my advice to everyone here is to take your time and wean yourself onto using the Sonicare.
I have not yet been back to the dentist, but once I do, I will update this review to let you all know what the official conclusion is from my dentist! (i.e. if it's *really* making a difference or not.) I have a feeling it already is though...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
whitty
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 142
Trusted by: 126 members
About Me:
is d'eirinn me
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