I HATE BRUSHING my teeth. I do it because I have to, but it’s a time-consuming, uncomfortable process—two minutes standing in front of the mirror can feel like an eternity. My dentist says I brush too harshly as well. Don’t even get me started on flossing.
Electric toothbrushes make the whole experience easier. Their vibrations and oscillations can more effectively get rid of plaque on your teeth and gums, and most brushes have a timer that encourages you to brush for the full two minutes. We’ve tested many types, from basic models to fancy ones with oscillating brushes and everything in between. A good brush doesn’t need to cost you more than a few Hamiltons. Listed below are the best electric toothbrushes you can buy. We also have eco-friendly non-electric options if you don’t want to own another device that needs charging.
Sonic vs. Oscillating Toothbrushes
There is a seemingly endless array of electric toothbrushes to pick from, but they generally fall into two categories: sonic and oscillating (for U-shaped brushes, see below). The best toothbrush is the one you’ll use twice a day for two minutes. You can buy the most highly rated toothbrush around, but if it feels weird in your mouth or hurts your gums, you might not want to use it.
Ada S. Cooper, a dentist and consumer adviser spokesperson for the American Dental Association, told me that both styles are effective in reducing plaque, according to recent studies. She notes that you should talk to a dentist about which one will work best for you, and she says to look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance Most of our picks have it. (If they don’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad.)
- A sonic toothbrush looks similar to a manual brush, with an oval brush head. It vibrates gently and quietly, using high-speed side-to-side bristle motion to break up plaque. Sonicare was the first brand to introduce a sonic toothbrush and is probably the most well-known name in the category.
- Oscillating toothbrushes rotate and pulsate—oscillate means to move or swing back and forth—around the whole tooth. They tend to be louder than sonic brushes and might make your head vibrate more while you brush. You will get used to this if you’re new to electric brushes. Oral-B is probably the best-known brand for these types of electric toothbrushes.
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PHOTOGRAPH: AMAZON
Best Oscillating Brush
Oral-B Pro 1000Oral-B’s Pro 1000 is a reliable brush for a solid price that you can pick up at most stores. It has been around for a while and continues to outshine more expensive models with fancier features. It’s so powerful that my first few brushes left me feeling dizzy, but I got used to it. Battery life isn’t as long as pricier ones, but you should still get around 10 days. All brushes get grimy from toothpaste, but I felt like this one somehow got a little more gross. Just rinse it thoroughly after every brush.
All the brand’s electric toothbrushes have oscillating brush heads, which are those circular bristles that get right in between all your teeth. Though we haven’t tried all of them, most of the Pro models are probably a good bet if the price is right for you.
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PHOTOGRAPH: PHILIPS
Best Sonic Brush
Philips Sonicare 4100 Electric ToothbrushIf you find oscillating brushes to be too intense, you may prefer a sonic brush. You’ll probably like any of Sonicare’s brushes, but it comes down to features and price. At $50, the 4100 is a good midrange brush with two intensity levels, a pressure sensor, and a two-minute timer. It does what it needs to do without a bunch of unnecessary features, and a charge should last about two weeks.
I’ve tried the very expensive Sonicare brushes listed in the honorable mentions below. They’re also great cleaners, but you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars when good brushes from the brand are this price.
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PHOTOGRAPH: BE LUCENT
This One Auto-Starts
Be Lucent Prism Sonic Electronic ToothbrushThe Prism sonic toothbrush took one feature from manual brushing that other brands haven’t figured out: Just put it in your mouth and brush to start the vibrations automatically. No button pressing needed. It cleans well, and the back of the head has the best tongue cleaner of any brush I’ve tried. It’s rough enough to really scrub.
Don’t worry, there is a button for controlling the modes or manually turning it on and off. It took me a few times to stop the automatic gesture of pushing it that I’d developed from years without an automatic brush. The charging dock is also fun. It reminds me of an ’80s glass block wall. I mean that as a compliment; I want to build one in my house.
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PHOTOGRAPH: BITVAE
A Cheap Electric Toothbrush
Bitvae Sonic Electric ToothbrushI wasn’t sure what to expect from this brand, but Bitvae’s sonic toothbrush was powerful and cleaned my teeth effectively. It also comes with eight (!!) replacement heads and typically costs just $16 to $18—if you’re seeing it for more, consider waiting for the price to drop. There are a bunch of cute colors to choose from, too.
The worst thing about it is its charger. Most electric toothbrushes sit on a charging base, but this one has to be plugged in directly from the bottom of the handle. You either have to lay your brush down sideways on the sink while it charges or stick the included holder to the wall. I don’t particularly like having to do that.
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PHOTOGRAPH: PHILIPS
A Brush for Kids
Philips Sonicare Kids Electric ToothbrushYou don’t necessarily need a kid-specific toothbrush, but this is a well-priced rechargeable option. The companion app is filled with cartoon lessons and rewards, and your kids can monitor progress even when they aren’t viewing the app in real time (so you don’t have to be in the bathroom with them).
WIRED senior writer and reviewer Scott Gilbertson had his 8-year-old give it a try, and the two-minute timer kept her brushing until it was done—no shortcuts. She eventually lost interest in the app, but younger kids may stick with it longer. Even without the app keeping his kid’s attention, he said he would still purchase this brush. Plus, the battery lasted through nearly three months of daily use. It comes with stickers to customize the handle, though in Gilbertson’s experience, they didn’t stick for long.
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PHOTOGRAPH: SURI
A Repairable, Sustainable Brush
Suri Sustainable Electric ToothbrushThe Suri toothbrush’s soft bristles and gentle vibrations clean well, and even the most sensitive gums won’t suffer in the process. I appreciate the slim, lightweight handle. Beyond clean teeth, the company offers a more sustainable approach to electric brushes.
You need to brush your teeth, which means you’re going to throw brushes away eventually. Electric toothbrushes are less wasteful than nonelectric models in the short term since you don’t have to throw away the entire thing every time you’re done with it. But electric brushes have an expiration date too, as their batteries and motors will eventually give out. Suri takes back and recycles used brush heads (made from cornstarch with castor oil bristles that should break down without leaving microplastics behind). The body of the brush isn’t sealed, meaning the company can repair the battery or motor should the need arise. If you decide you don’t want it repaired and simply want to get rid of it, you can send it back to be recycled.
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PHOTOGRAPH: AMAZON
This One Uses LEDs
Snow LED Electric ToothbrushSnow started out with a handful of whitening products and has rounded out its lineup with a toothbrush that has LEDs in the brush head. They typically work in conjunction with a gel. When I spoke to Bill Busch, a dentist at North Kansas City Dental, he explained that LEDs work by warming the toothpaste gel, which makes it more efficient. To get the full effect, you’ll want to use a whitening toothpaste too. Snow sells one, but any should be fine.
My teeth aren’t shining bright after a month of use, but they are clean. The battery lasts a while, so you won’t be caught with a dead battery in the morning. My biggest complaint was the price, which was $149 when we first tried it but has dropped now.
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PHOTOGRAPH: MOON
For Living in a Barbie World
Moon x Barbie Pink Electric ToothbrushWe tried Moon’s toothbrush for our roundup of the best Barbie collabs. Whether you want this pink version or one of the other colors like black or gold, it’s a solid brush that cleans well and is moderately priced. Plus, a charge should give you over a month of battery life.
There are five brushing modes. It’s nice to have options, but I think anything over two or three is overkill, and you won’t notice much of a difference between them. Moon’s brush comes with two brush heads plus a travel case.
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PHOTOGRAPH: MEDEA GIORDANOWhat About Alternative Toothbrushes?
What You Need To KnowThere are many U-shaped toothbrushes available now that use a mouthpiece full of bristles to brush one section of teeth—or sometimes the entire mouth—all at once in around 30 seconds. We’ve tried a few and think they’re fine to use in addition to regular brushing. None of them left us feeling perfectly minty fresh and none can clean your tongue, but for those with mobility difficulties, or those nights when you just want to hit the sheets, they can help.
- SymplBrush for $129: WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar has been using the SymplBrush, which looks like a mix of the Willo and AutoBrush, and she likes it. “I can tell it hits each tooth and each side of it that might be missed with a standard toothbrush,” she says. “It’s a nice, all-around, clean-type feeling.” But she notes that it didn’t always get the buildup around her gums, so she’d have to go in with a brush anyway. As someone who brushes too hard, she felt this offered a gentler experience for her gums. However, Stolyar didn’t like the toothpaste it came with, and thankfully, her regular toothpaste worked fine, though she had to spend extra time to keep the brush clean.
- Y-Brush DuoBrush Sonic for $80: This is a great option because it comes with both the U-shaped attachment and a standard brush head and isn’t crazily priced. I was impressed by how clean my teeth felt, and having both should help remind you that you still need a deeper clean in between quick sessions.
- AutoBrush Sonic Pro for $119: AutoBrush is the original in the category, and I tried both the old silicone-bristle model and new nylon version. I wasn’t wowed by either, but if you want a U-shaped brush and can get this one on sale, try it. You can read about AutoBrush’s study with Salus Research here.
- Willo Essential Kit for $150: This was my favorite and left my mouth feeling cleanest. It works by pushing water and tooth rinse through the mouthpiece as it pulsates. However, the site is currently down with a note that says Willo is “busy working on building a better oral health future for our children.” We’ll see what new products are coming.
The dentists I spoke to, Bill Busch of North Kansas City Dental and Joseph Salim, owner of Sutton Place Dental Associates, agreed that these aren’t replacements. At the time we spoke, they and their patients had used the older, now unavailable silicone version of the AutoBrush. The current iteration uses nylon bristles, which provide a better clean. “I find the best use for it is for children and in nursing home environments, where to get quick and easy compliance to brush is critical,” Busch says.
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PHOTOGRAPH: BETTER AND BETTERHonorable Mentions
More Toothbrushes We LikeThere are far more electric toothbrushes than we can recommend in a single guide. If none of the above options appeal to you, one of these might do the trick.
Brushes Under $100
- Philips One by Sonicare Toothbrush for $20: This was our budget pick, but Bitvae’s is more powerful, rechargeable, and cheaper. Still, this one is cute, thin, and offers gentle vibrations for a step above a manual brush. It also comes with a carrying case.
- Quip Toothbrushes for $25-$60: People either love or hate Quip brushes. They aren’t the most powerful, but they’re comfortable to use, easy to maneuver around your mouth, and importantly, affordable. Choose between plastic or metal handles, battery-powered or rechargeable, all of which have smart or regular-brained options. If you have the basic brush and decide you want Bluetooth, you can swap out your motor for a smart one for $25. No other brush I’ve seen has this option.
- AquaSonic Black Series for $30: This brush also comes with eight brush heads, like the Bitvae above, which is nice for the price. I think it cleans well, but the heads are a bit small, and the whole thing was too vibratey for me, like the body was vibrating the plastic of the brush head more than the bristles.
- Laifen Wave Sonic Toothbrush for $70: From the design to the packaging, it’s obvious this was meant to look like a toothbrush that Apple designed. It’s a perfectly fine toothbrush most of the time but suffers from the same flaw as the AquaSonic above—the entire thing vibrates too much, so plastic sometimes vibrated against my teeth while trying to brush.
- Better & Better Bamboo Sonic Toothbrush for $70: This is another great brush that doesn’t exceed the $100 mark. The entire thing isn’t made from bamboo, but the brush heads—which get swapped out more frequently than the body—are. That makes it a little more eco-friendly.
- Colgate Hum for $64: The Hum was our favorite smart toothbrush given the impressive app that works better than smart brushes that cost double the price. But it has been discontinued. You can still find it as of this writing, but we’re not sure how long you’ll be able to get replacement brush heads.
Brushes Over $100
- Made by Dentists Sonic Toothbrush for $100: This sonic brush is, you guessed it, designed by two dentists. It cleans well, and it’s lightweight with a long battery life. But it sounds and feels a little tinny, and it’s a bit pricey for what it is.
- Mode Electric Toothbrush for $148: Mode’s bristles are soft but not too soft. The round charging block plugs directly into the outlet, and the brush handle attaches to it magnetically—plus it can rotate so you don’t block the other outlet, and there’s a dim nightlight.
- Izzo Oral Care Kit for $125: This is a powerful oscillating brush with three speeds. The kit comes with a plastic tooth scaler, a polishing attachment and polishing paste, and a UVC sanitizing case. At first, I found that the polishing paste got hard in its tube quickly and was a bit of a nuisance to use after a few times. The company changed its formula, and it seems to be holding up better now.
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