Best Electric Toothbrush for 2022 – CNET [CNET]

The bare minimum in oral health maintenance is to brush your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day – as recommended by the American Dental Association to keep your teeth and mouth healthy. You might be pretty good at brushing at least twice a day but the 2 minutes part can be killer. Time just seems to move more slowly when you’re standing at the bathroom sink with a toothbrush in your mouth. 

For people looking to get those full 2 minutes of brushing in, an electric toothbrush can be the answer, and there are lots of options. The ADA says electric and manual toothbrushes do a pretty equal job of cleaning teeth and removing plaque, and almost all electric toothbrushes come equipped with a 2-minute timer that tells you when you can stop brushing. Electric toothbrushes can also be better at hitting those hard-to-reach spots, which combats tooth decay, gingival inflammation, gum disease, gum recession and bad brushing habits. 

But which electric toothbrush to choose? There are a lot on the market, and it partly depends on your personal preference and oral health goals. Do you want to focus on plaque control, oral hygiene or getting whiter teeth? Do you have sensitive gums or teeth? Do you want a toothbrush with more than one brushing mode? Do you want a brush that comes with replacement soft bristle brush heads or an oscillating toothbrush? How about a rechargeable electric toothbrush? The options are pretty much endless.

Then there are the features to consider: Do you want a smart toothbrush? Are you looking for a timer? Again, dentists recommend brushing your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day with a soft-bristle toothbrush head. Some brushes even have more than one cleaning mode, which might help you get spotless chompers and impeccable oral hygiene.

We get it, the choice can be bewildering. Before you start shopping for the best electric toothbrush for oral care, check out our guide to the best electric toothbrushes below featuring our electric toothbrush reviews, which we update periodically. Our electric toothbrush comparison walks you through nine high-end products for cleaning your teeth, avoiding gingivitis, improving gum health, whitening teeth and more. But regardless of which brush you choose, don’t forget to floss! 

Also tested

The electric toothbrushes in this section weren’t my favorites, but these toothbrush options do have some great qualities worth mentioning. One of these might be the right choice for you so I felt it worthwhile to include them here. 

How to choose the best electric toothbrush

When looking for the best electric toothbrush, you’ll want to consider a few factors.

Cost: First things first. What’s your toothbrush budget? On the lower end, you can get a cheap electric toothbrush for $20 to $50, but they won’t have certain features such as a lithium-ion battery, a water flosser or a sensor.

Many people won’t want to spend more than $40 or so on a toothbrush, but if you’ve got extra money to spend on your pearly whites, investing in a higher-ticket toothbrush in the $100 to $200 range with more features may be worth it in the long run, especially if it fights receding gums, helps you have fewer cavities and minimizes dentist visits.

Capabilities: What do you need the toothbrush to do? Maybe you just need one mode for cleaning a little deeper than you can with a manual toothbrush.

If you need help brushing for the dentist-recommended 2 minutes, it’s a good idea to select one with a built-in smart timer. If you want to easily track your oral hygiene habits, go for a Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush with an app.

If you have sensitive teeth or sensitive gums, consider looking at the types of brush heads that you can get for your electric toothbrush. Some models, like those from Oral-B or Sonicare, offer many different types of brush heads for different needs, such as brush heads for whitening, gum care and cleaning around braces. Some toothbrush heads have silicone bristles. It’s all about your preference.

Convenience: Are you going to remember to replace your brush heads when it’s time? If not, maybe a subscription-based electric toothbrush is right for you. And don’t forget to look into how long a toothbrush holds its charge because the last thing you want is for your toothbrush to be dead when you’re trying to get ready for bed. At that point, you’ll be yearning for a regular toothbrush.

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