Brushing your teeth is one of those morning activities that everyone has to do, but few people actually think about. It’s a mechanical motion. Sometimes I do it so absentmindedly, that I can’t remember if I’ve already done it until I realize that my mouth tastes like toothpaste. But for all the thought that doesn’t go into the process, the toothbrush is one of the more important tools we use in our daily lives. Think of where you’d be without one. Or better yet, think of all those paintings of austere looking people from the 18th and 19th centuries. The reason you never see teeth is because their chompers rotted from their heads years ago. Seriously, look it up (OK, don’t really look it up. I totally just made that up, but it sounds like it should be true). Anyway, the point is, brushing your teeth is important, despite the lack of thought involved. Duh.
If you’re like me, you have a sort of unspoken rule to mechanize and electricize (that’s not a word), everything you use in your daily life. Sure I’m completely capable of brushing my teeth manually, but why? I can think of no good reason – especially not when electric toothbrushes have progressed to the point of the Sonicare e9500 from Philips.
Not only can this thing scrub the grime from your grill more thoroughly, it’s better overall for your mouth. The vibrations of the Sonicare e9500 are the equivalent of 40,000 strokes per minute. Which means that if you go the entire recommended 2 minutes 30 seconds, you’ll get 100,000 strokes. One of the primary benefits stems from the force with which you can no brush. Main people brush forcefully, which causes gum recession and all sort of other periodontal problems. With the e9500, you can simply move the brush around while its sonic vibrations eliminate nasties without causing trauma.
The brush has a handful of intuitive features which mark a step up from previous models. It starts on a 14 day learning curve that gradually increases the intensity of the brush. After two weeks, it automatically enters its normal function where you can manually adjust the vibration intensity. If you decide that you don’t need the two week period, you can disable it and go straight into manual. It also has a timer that tells you how long to brush your teeth. The device beeps every 30 seconds, telling you to switch to the next of your five teeth surfaces. Finally, the e9500 promises improved battery life over previous models, equaling roughly two weeks without ever touching a charger. This is convenient if you plan on taking a trip. The setup also includes a convenient carrying case and travel brush head.
All-in-all, this is an excellent product. It might not be as glamorous of a gadget as some of the devices we cover here, but its utility is perhaps the greatest of all. If you’re in the market for an electric toothbrush, I can’t imagine any being better than the Sonicare e9500. It’s available now for $119.99.