Oral-B Genius X Limited
A simple and intuitive design combined with highly effective cleaning and protective measures earned Oral-B’s Genius X Limited the top spot on our list. Our editor with receding gums appreciated the red light signal that let them know if they were pressing too hard. This model also vibrates every 30 seconds to let us know it’s time to move to the next quadrant of the mouth, ensuring complete mouth coverage.
The smaller head makes it easier for this model to reach the corners of our mouth, and it can be toggled between modes by simply pressing a button. Furthermore, we were able to adjust the modes that we wanted access to through the app, with daily clean, intense, sensitive, whiten, gum care, and tongue clean all being available. If it’s open during usage, the app lets us know when we’ve hit all the parts of our mouth or if we are falling short in coverage.
Curaprox 5460 Ultra Soft Toothbrush
Curaprox’s 5460 Ultrasoft Toothbrush impressed us with its comfort during brushing. While labeled as ultrasoft, we still found the bristles dense enough to provide excellent cleaning without causing pain or damage. The bristles also proved to be durable, not fraying even when we brushed more aggressively.
This option proved to be highly maneuverable, angling well to hit every corner of our mouths. It features a thicker handle that is easy to hold and control, so while pricier, we felt this option went above and beyond the price.
If you’re not sold on the Curaprox 5460 Ultrasoft Toothbrush, another great option is the Radius Big Brush. It features an ergonomic grip, and the handle and bristles are sustainable and plant-based. Unlike other manual options, the head on this option can be replaced. Our editor also has sensitive gums and found that this option didn’t cause gum irritation for them. However, keep in mind it’s not ambidextrous (you’ll need to choose left or right hand), and it’s more expensive than the Curaprox 5460 Ultrasoft Toothbrush, which is why it’s not our first choice.
Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Electric Toothbrush
During usage, we found that the Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 6100 provided us with a dentist-level clean feeling, effectively cleaning our teeth while protecting our editor’s sensitive gums. The gum care mode provides a lower brushing power to massage the gums, and it also has a built-in pressure sensor to further protect the gums.
The brush head proved to be a great size and comfortable while still covering a substantial area. Additionally, changing between settings proved easy as well with a two button design—one for power and one to change settings and intensity during usage. Finally, a battery indicator let us know how much time we had before this toothbrush ran out, but fortunately, one charge lasted us for an entire month.
Smartly Manual Toothbrush
Manual toothbrushes are a more cost-effective alternative to electric options, but Smartly’s Manual Toothbrush elevates the savings to the next level. In terms of performance, we felt like we got an excellent clean, and no bristles came loose or experienced fraying after multiple uses of this brush.
A smooth placement for the thumb helped us to easily navigate our mouths, reaching our back teeth with no issue. The bristles felt soft but still cleaned our teeth effectively and we also found the monotone color to be pleasant.
For comparison, another manual budget option we tested was the Amazon Basics Clean Plus Toothbrushes. We liked that this model comes in a package of 10 and that the bristles were soft from the start. Unfortunately, the plastic on the handle proved to be flexible, and we could feel it bending while brushing, so we recommend sticking with the Smartly’s Manual Toothbrush.