What is a sonic toothbrush: testing Philips Sonicare DiamondClean
Today we have a spaceship for a test drive. That is, of course, this is a toothbrush, but so advanced that it is simply obliged, in addition to brushing teeth, to wash clothes, shave, cut and shoot a movie. In general, the editors are testing Philips Sonicare DiamondClean and figuring out what can be “screwed” to the toothbrush, in addition to the bristles.
When we choose a toothbrush, we look not only at the function, but also at the price. It is clear that, as a first approximation, we choose between ordinary and electric brushes, and here – from experience I will say – there is no need to save. An electric brush is always the best, without exception. Even the simplest one. Perhaps the only application of an ordinary brush in the modern world is when you need to save space, count the weight of your luggage and not depend on electricity. If we choose a brush for everyday use in an apartment, there is no dilemma here: electric, period.
But the range of electric toothbrushes also has its own varieties, and not everyone understands them. So before the test drive, we will conduct a small educational program.
If you read the advertisement, it turns out that all models, without exception, are “approved by dentists”, “remove plaque better than others,” and so on. In general, the buyer is confused, because everyone has the same advertising, and the brushes themselves look similar.
In fact, everything is very simple. Electric toothbrushes come in exactly three types, no more and no less. These types differ in the principle of action and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is worth choosing based on your needs, and not focusing on cost, especially since the price range can be several full costs of the brush!
So, there are three varieties:
– mechanical (conventional);
– sound;
– ultrasonic.
What does this mean?
A conventional electric brush removes plaque by rubbing the bristles against tooth enamel and gums. Its head is driven directly by an electric motor through a mechanical link and can make various movements – most often this is rotation, but more advanced models move backward, forward, to the sides. If the type of movement is one (rotation), then this is a 1D brush, that is, the most budgetary option. If there are several types (rotation + reciprocating movement), then this is a 2D brush. Finally, if pulsation is also superimposed on these two varieties, then this is a 3D brush. The rotational speed is usually limited by the engine power and reaches 7600 rpm.
Sonic electric brush Is a much more advanced option. In these brushes, the motor drives a high frequency generator, which generates high-frequency sound waves and vibrates the bristles. The vibration frequency is usually between 20,000 and 40,000 Hz. In fact, such a brush makes more movements in one minute than you would do in several weeks (!) Of using a conventional hand tool. The teeth are cleaned in a complex manner – both due to the contact of the bristles with the enamel, and due to the effect of high-frequency vibrations on dental plaque (it is destroyed from this). If sound technology is combined with physical rotation or translational movement of the head, then this is also sometimes called a 3D brush, although, to be honest, such layering does not make sense, this is just a marketing ploy.
Finally, the ultrasonic brush generates ultra-high frequency ultrasonic waves, which are transmitted, like in a sonic brush, to the bristles. The wave generator is a piezoceramic plate, which emits a wave with a frequency of about 1.7 MHz, while the bristles perform from 80 to 100 million vibrations per minute. Ultrasound not only sets the tip in motion, but in itself actively affects plaque, microbes and the surrounding reality in general. The only thing left for the bristles is to “sweep away” the debris. But with all the advantages of ultrasonic brushes, leading manufacturers are in no hurry to start their production. This is due to a number of disadvantages. In particular, ultrasonic brushes should not be used by people with multiple fillings, artificial teeth, bridges, and so on. Anything that is not directly tooth enamel can be damaged by ultrasound.
From our editorial point of view, the sonic brush is the optimal choice. It is more effective (albeit more expensive) than conventional and safer (and, by the way, more reliable) ultrasonic. That is why we took for the test the most serious sound model that is currently on the market at all – the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean. And they tried it in practice.
Diamond cleaning
Philips is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric toothbrushes. The range of the company is large, there are budget models and really expensive brushes for every taste. But at the same time, I did not get the feeling that the company takes money “for the brand”, as manufacturers of luxury equipment like Vertu do, which uses Samsung filling, puts a phone case with diamonds on it and sells it for the price of a helicopter. No, Philips’ pricing is based precisely on technologies: the more of them are arranged in a model of a brush or any other gadget, the more expensive it is. Philips Sonicare DiamondClean is the flagship line, only higher than the DiamondClean Smart, with head-sensing sensors and an app for personalized brushing advice.
This is where the main question arises: is it worth overpaying? Wouldn’t it be better to take a brush with seemingly similar performance, but half the price? I always had this question when I bought electric brushes, and I did it at least three times. And the greedy person always won in me: I took the usual mechanical model with a rotating head and did not worry. Anyway, it was more effective than a manual brush, so why complicate things? In general, before DiamondClean, I had never tried a sonic brush. We can say that this article is a debut chronicle.
The most interesting thing in the model is the modes. There are five of them: Clean, Gum Care, Polish, Sensitive and White. They differ in the frequency and rhythm of vibrations – the difference is not only perfectly felt when cleaning, but even audible.
Yes, there is one more difference, which I did not immediately guess: different timers are included in the brush in different modes. No, of course, the brush does not turn off after a specified time, but signals that you can stop cleaning, plus “divides” this period into four equal intervals, indicating the cleaning of each quarter of the jaw. For example, in the standard Clean mode there are four segments of 30 seconds each (a total of 2 minutes), and in Polish mode there are four segments of 15 seconds each, that is, 1 minute.
Brushing is the most “normal” mode, you will use it 90% of the time: the bristles just vibrate, nothing special. Gum Care, Polishing, and Brightening are modes designed for specific named tasks. They differ, as I have already said, noticeably, but logically and from a medical point of view, I cannot explain why this or that vibration is in one mode or another. All that remains is to believe the doctors doing research at Philips. As for me, accustomed to an ordinary mechanical brush, I simply brushed my teeth in the main mode.
The effect? What else. When I bought a regular electric brush many years ago, its effect compared to the manual one was amazing, the teeth seemed perfectly smooth and perfect. Exactly the same feeling arises when comparing sound and ordinary electric brushes. It seems that the oral cavity has never come to a state of such sterility. Moreover, regardless of the regime. I compared the normal mode and the Sensitive mode – yes, the frequency is different, the intensity with gentle cleaning is less, but the effect and sensations are exactly the same. I believe that this is due to elementary physics: for high-quality teeth cleaning, 31,000 vibrations per minute (the maximum frequency of DiamondClean operation) are excessive, and half the amount is enough, so at different frequencies the brush actually cleans equally well. It’s just that with fewer hesitations, care really becomes more gentle.
And in fact, up to a certain point, an increase in intensity leads everything to a better purification, but then this regularity stops: no matter how you increase, you cannot make it cleaner, because everything superfluous has been removed. So don’t buy into “millions of vibrations.” It just doesn’t make global sense.
And yes, two words about ease of use. They are relatively typical: a pleasant-to-touch handle, a fairly thin head that can reach the back surfaces of wisdom teeth without any problems (funny, but I discovered that I have them, at the age of 30, I had never counted how many teeth I had before ), in general, quite a classic layout. Convenient, no questions asked.
Features and functions
From the point of view of control, the brush is a very simple device. There is only one button on it. The first press – turn on, the next – switch between modes, the last – turn off. If you use one mode for a long time, then when you press it again, the brush turns off, and does not jump to a new one.
There is also a rather strange Easy-start “addictive” mode, which is activated by a long press on the button. If it is activated, then the first 14 cleanings (that is, relatively speaking, 2 weeks), the brush will gradually increase the vibration intensity so that you, unaccustomed, will not be shocked. To be honest, the “feature” is useless, I got used to it in the first minute of cleaning, no problems. Although the sensations are yes, new. But no newer than the first ever roller coaster ride or bungee jumping. You can do without addiction.
A few words about charging. Usually, the toothbrush simply sits on the base connected to the outlet, and this is how it works for more budget models. Sonicare DiamondClean has a more complex structure. She has … two chargers. The first is the base on which the glass beaker stands. To charge the brush, you need to put it in this glass. In general, the classic solution for the bathroom (although the glass, in my opinion, is small, I would have made it tall and narrow). The second is a travel case that can be connected via miniUSB to an outlet or, say, a computer, which is convenient when traveling. On a single charge, according to the developer, the device works for about three weeks, but I tested the gadget for only four days, so I cannot answer for that.
However, the cover is the only component to which I have not only complaints, but rather questions. There are three recesses in the case – for a brush and for two replaceable heads. To fold the brush into the cover, you need to remove the head from it. But at the same time, the grooves provide for the “packing” of the heads without plastic protective caps, and this is strange. When the brush is in the bathroom, the cap is put on precisely so that dust does not get on the bristles or so that it does not get dirty in any other way, even if it falls on the floor. This factor is even more important when traveling than in your own bathroom. In this case, only the “bare” head can be put into the brush cover, and the caps, if you want to take them with you, will have to be thrown somewhere separately. Weird.
The second issue is that the constant removal and donning of the head reduces the life of the brush, no matter how good and cool it is. Therefore, when designing the cover, I would still come up with a way to pack the brush there without removing the head.
Let’s sum up
I will arrange them in the form of a small FAQ.
Should you buy a sonic toothbrush? Yes, definitely worth it. It outperforms both manual and conventional electric and ultrasonic competitors.
Should I take Philips? From my point of view, the brushes of large companies known for their developments in the medical and hygiene industry should be considered. There are only a few such companies, including Philips. Just do not buy a brand name, and the choice of this or that brand is solely your decision.
How much does Sonicare DiamondClean cost and wouldn’t it be better to take a younger line brush? It costs quite a lot, from 12 to 16 thousand rubles, this is one of the most non-budget offers on the market. But I repeat: firstly, Philips has only one line of toothbrushes – 14 pieces in all price categories, and all models are based on the same principle of operation, differing only in additional modes and “bells and whistles”. So if you liked what I wrote in this review, you can simply opt for a cheaper Philips model. If you want to use five modes, properly polish your teeth and process the gums, then take DiamondClean – with its set of functions it is in the flagship positions.
Based on the test results, I will say this: I would buy a Philips (because the brush is excellent), but the younger model, say, from the HealthyWhite line, because two modes would be enough for me personally, and the cost is half as much. DiamondClean is a model for demanding people who take great care of their oral cavity, and do not clean “nominally”, because they are used to it since childhood. And it is right. We quote the classic, paying particular attention to the third line:
Long live fragrant soap,
And the towel is fluffy
And tooth powder
And a thick scallop!