After a really bad trip to the dentist (its been a while) I was determined to never have another cavity again. I recently bought this and glad I did. It definately blasts the plaque that is near your gums. I have the pro effects kind and it has a clean, sensitive and white setting. I've only used the clean for a few weeks and I like that it keeps your teeth smooth. The dental hygenist warned me not to "brush" but "glide" over the teeth because it can irritate your gums. I totally see that, this baby is really powerful. Here's to no cavities!!!

I have used this for several years and would never go back to the rotary Oral-B brush I formerly used. Yes, it is expensive and the replacement brush heads (last about 6 months) are pricey but still worth the incredible result. I cannot imagine anyone not being impressed with this tooth brush.

I have weak gums, according to my dentist. He recommended I get the Sonicare to help with that. Also,since he knows about my rediculous obsession with teeth whitening, he told me they have a teeth whitening version. Well, I got one for christmas today, because they are a bit pricey, I didn't purchase one for myself in a hurry. Although I've only used it twice so far, it is hands down the BEST oral tool I've ever used! It has handy features that tell you when to move to a new area, and it's timed, so you always brush for a recommended time. You barely have to apply pressure, and the brush literally does the work for you. After I brushed my teeth, it literally felt like I had just left the dentist! My teeth feel so clean. I know the replacement heads are expensive as well, but this is one thing I will never feel bad about investing in. HIGHLY recommended. I can honestly say I am in love with the sonicare!

Conveniently broke on me 2 months after the warranty expired. Not repurchasing. Going to oral b next time.

I was given this toothbrush as a gift from my hubby because he knows how obsessed I am about oral health. Hands down it's the best toothbrush I have ever used. Easy to handle and amazingly gets all the hard to reach areas, really leaves my teeth feeling clean. It will keep a charge for at least 5 days. Highly recommend.

I call my Sonicare Essence the Sonicare Humility because prior to owning this, I had nothing but contempt for electric toothbrushes. "How lazy can we be? Up and down is too strenuous for you?" Then I left my job and couldn't afford the COBRA dental insurance. I asked for a Sonicare for Christmas in the hopes that it would get me through the Valley of No Coverage cavity free.
Call it a Damascus Road conversion, but I will never go back. My teeth feel like I've just come from the dentist. It takes getting used to the vibration, but your teeth feel amazing. It reminded me of getting my braces off: I was complusively gliding my tongue over my teeth because they felt so different.
I'm not a cavity prone person (one small filling that was a result of being less than dilligent when I had braces,) and I almost never floss. My new dental plan began Jan. 1, and I have procrastinated on scheduling the appointment because my teeth look and feel good. I thought I'd look like I had a mouth full of Indian corn after three years without a professional cleaning, but no visible tarter, no gum sensitivity, no tooth pain.
The key to making your Sonicare last is in the charging. Let it get a good, solid charge, then unplug the charger and don't recharge until the brush won't run. (I just use it like I would a regular, manual brush when it dies and then recharge it.) At three years old, I'm beginning to loose some longevity between charges. At its peak, I could go three weeks between charges.
The only big frustration comes from keeping the handle clean. The heads have little gaps that allow the yucky toothpaste spit to work it's way into the well of the handle. It can get pretty gross. I bought a silicone gasket on Amazon to cover the gap. It helps, but it's not an ideal solution.
Packaging/Waste:The Essence heads are bulky and unrecyclable. There are magnets and bits of metal and plastic. I wish they had a take back program. The new Pro Results models have the magnets in the handle instead of the head. The handle is smaller too. When my Essence dies, I'll upgrade to that model. Also, the battery is not replaceable, but I believe you can drop off the handle where you recycle NiCad batteries. The box is a pretty standard box, some paper, some plastic. The replacement heads are in an evil plastic clam shell, but it is recyclable in most places. continued >>

My dentist recommended this to me, knowing how anal-retentive I am about my teeth. I actually enjoy going to the dentist!
I had a problem with my gums starting to recede, and with this no mechanical scrubbing is necessary. The brush glides along your teeth, cleaning more efficiently, more completely, and more safely (as far as receding gums are concerned) than manual brushing.
I brush and night and wake up in the morning and there's still NO tangible plaque on my teeth!
Absolutely no comparison between this and a manual toothbrush. None.
I believe this and flossing can mean the difference between keeping your teeth later. A great investment.

Purchased my 1st one back in the mid 90s. It finally died 7 years later = purchased my 2nd one = lasted about 6 years, now on #3 (obviously I have replaced the brush head many many times) :P

LOVE them - hate non-Sonicare toothbrushes now as I feel my teeth are not nearly as clean. I used to have a travel regular toothbrush - not anymore - I take my Sonicare w/ me anytime I travel! Finally told my dentist to quit giving me free toothbrushes after my cleanings since I will NEVER go back to a manual one.

They are expensive, but w/ a little work, you can usually find one on sale somewhere (or go to BBB w/ a 20% coupon) and they do last YEARS. So worth it to have whiter, cleaner teeth!

I bought the Philips Flexcare Plus 3 months ago and I can honestly say that my gum bleeding has stopped since then! My teeth look and feel like pearls in my mouth. At first, the price appears to be steep but as this magic brush has saved me a lot of time and money that I would have to spend at the dentist I think that in the long run this is an excellent investment. The funny thing is that I had to convince my husband that we should buy the Flexcare (it was on sale with the second handle for free) and the was unwilling to do it, but gave in after a while. Now he can't remember anymore that he didn't want to pay so much in the first place, because he is SO in love with the way this brush delivers :)

This is the HG for coffee/soda drinkers and smokers. It is easy to use, whitens teeth in one use, and cleans very, very well. This is a great cheat to use just before going to the dentist. ;D

this is awesome, i'm glad i shelled out the initial investment on this product! well worth the price! imagine the dentist is cleaning your teeth for you 2 times a day? feels squeakyyy clean, and gross as it sounds, you really see a different coloured foam instead of usual white foam from manual cleaning! speaks a lot huh!

amazing toothbrush. i really didn't expect it to be so much better than others but it is. i got the flex care model a few weeks ago because it was on sale. my only issue was that it took almost a week to charge up and it still wasn't fully charged when i started using it. love the sonic vibrations and my teeth look a lot whiter

I originally got an Oral-B brand electric toothbrush and absolutely hated it and got myself the Philips Sonicare. I'm so happy I did, this brush is fantastic! I have the model that comes with the UV brush head cleaner.
Having braces I found brushing a lot more troublesome with a traditional toothbrush. The Sonicare is not only excellent for braces wearers, it has a timer and best of all a gum massager - great after getting my wires tightened ♥ While some reviews I read said the on-the-go 1 minute mode is useless I found it VERY useful for in between meals/snacks. Too much brushing can be harmful to the enamel so the 1 minute brush mode is terrific, even without toothpaste! Gotta hate when food get stuck in your brackets :( There is also a sensitive mode which I've used a couple of times when I had adjustment aches.
I used to take forever brushing my teeth with braces and guessing how long each quadrant took. The Sonicare does a beep (nothing loud or obnoxious) timer for each quadrant. Now when I brush I don't feel like I take a long time, the timer has been so helpful. The device also lets you pause to spit/rinse by pressing the on/off button. You can even change modes at any time by hitting the mode select button.
The thing I love the best about this device is the uv cleaner. It cleans the brush heads (can fit 2 at a time) for 10 minutes. If the uv door unit is opened it will stop nor start unless it is fully closed. It hasn't overheated and I use it 3-4 times daily. The uv bulb is still going strong. Another great useful thing I found the uv cleaner for is my Colgate spinbrush. The spinbrush head is detachable and fits perfectly in the cleaner holder. I no longer need to buy travel brushes and can easily clean my spinbrush head.
My kit came with a travel case and charger, 2 different brush heads (standard and compact) with snap on clear caps, brush head bands (if you share the sonicare, you pick a colored band so you know which brush head is yours and or your spouse), charger with uv cleaner and the sonicare device. I got it for $150+ which I found pricey, but in the long run it was worth every penny! continued >>

i love love love my sonicare toothbrush. i thought it was such a waste of money, but i was having really bad problems with plaque buildup on my teeth and oh. my. god. thats all i can say. this has probably been one of my wisest purchases and it is so worth the money!!

Oh, how I love my Sonicare. I didn't get the love until my mother bought one for me. It's truly fantastic. My teeth feel so clean and are very healthy. I had a little spot with a little gingivitis and my dentist told me to work on it and after a week, problem solved. I don't think I could ever live without it!

I loved my first Sonicare toothbrush but it died after a year. I brush my teeth in the shower so the unit always got wet, which is fine, but because the unit is 2 pieces screwed together, water that seeped in had corroded the vibrating magnets over time. Finally when my toothbrush was about a year old it no longer worked. This sonic brush worked great, I loved it, but before I shelled out another $110 for a replacement I did some research & decided to try the Ultreo sonic/ultrasound toothbrush sold by dentists & cost more. I got mine from eBay for $135. What I like about the Ultreo is it's one solid piece with no metal or delicate parts to risk corrosion damage. It is fully waterproof. Both brands work basically the same way & have electronic timers for 2-minute brushing as well as warning lights for brush head replacement & low battery charge. The Ultreo toothbrush has a rubber bump in the middle of the brush head for creating ultrasound waves, & using a brush head like this took a little adjustment & getting used to. Happily my Ultreo is more than 2 & a half years old now & still going strong. A sonic toothbrush is a good investment. I would recommend both the Ultreo & the Philips Sonicare & I would buy another Sonicare again if & when my Ultreo ever breaks. I think the Ultreo is a step above, but the Sonicare is up there as a great product too. Both are expensive, so find the lowest price deals you can find on either one of these. They both get teeth cleaner than manual brushing but with a lot less work & using a great deal less pressure on tooth enamel (manual brushing tends to scrub enamel too hard & wear it down over time -- that's true of me, so a gentle sonic toothbrush is very helpful). continued >>

I love it. I've been using one for over ten years now. I'm on my second one. My first one broke down after over 7 years and I only paid $60 for it so . . . I feel like I got my money's worth.
I travel for a living, so that it can hold a charge for the 4 days that I'm away is a big bonus.
The only thing that stinks is how expensive the replacement brush heads are, even at Costco!
Still, I love it. . . and I choose not to live without it.

Love the Sonicare; purchased on my dentist's advice about five years ago. My problem: the battery base won't hold a charge. The display window usually shows green lights but the last time I tried charging it the yellow light is all that showed. I just replaced the brush heads and bought a new charger, still no avail. Is it time to replace my Sonicare?

Length of time used: A month and a half. I really wanted to wait longer to review it, but I just couldn't...I love it!

I'll admit I was very skeptical about spending so much money on a toothbrush. I migrated away from traditional toothbrushes a while back, and had been using Crest's Spinbrush for several years. I really couldn't understand what all the fuss was about with this product, and thought it couldn't be that much different than just using the Spinbrush...boy was I wrong - there's really something to be said for the technology here. Give Sonicare a try, and I can almost guarantee you'll feel like you just received a dentist's cleaning...it may sound like a marketing ploy, but they aren't kidding when they say it!

I'm actually sitting at my folks' house right now (visiting for the holidays), and I didn't bring my Sonicare with me. I thought, 'what's the big deal, it's only for a few days...I'll just take a Spinbrush with me in my travel bag instead...it'll be easier.' I was actually moved to write a review for this product, because I miss it so much right now! I just brushed my teeth, but my mouth doesn't even feel clean, compared to how it feels after using the Sonicare...it really made me realize what an awesome job this brush does! It also moved me to buy a Clarisonic to use on my face (developed by the same company,and utilizing similar technology, I believe); I had been considering it for a while now, but never really had the motivation to order one (again, it's expensive!). After seeing first-hand what the sonic technology has done for my teeth, I just had to see if the Clarisonic would deliver the same kind of performance for my skin! Once it's fully charged and I get to use it for a while, I'll write a review for that product as well :-)

But, back to my original point - please please please give Sonicare a try...I think you'll be happy you did! It may seem like a large cash outlay, but the way I look at it, I've invested so much money in my teeth over the years (braces; retainers; wisdom teeth removal; whitening; etc.), it's kind of protecting my investment with a preventative product...one big dental emergency would easily cost more than this brush! Plus, check out reputable eBay sellers - you'll probably be able to find some great deals!

I used to think that electric toothbrushes were the ultimate example of American excess and laziness. Who can't brush their own teeth? But now I'm eating my words. I get sore, bloody gums every month when I have my cycle, and it seems to be getting worse with age. Years ago my dentist recommend the Sonicare, but at that time it was ridiculously expensive -- if I remember correctly it was around $375 if not more.
So now the price is down, my gums are still sore, and I decided to buy the Flexcare model since it has a massage setting. I got it on sale at drugstore.com and from the first use I became a convert. I will never be able to go back to manual toothbrushing again. My teeth are so clean, polished and shiny every day. There was a difference in color after the first use: I suppose the Sonicare got rid of some coffee stains. It comes with the standard brush head, but I ordered the compact heads as it will be easier to clean the back of my teeth with a smaller brush, more like the dentist uses. The massage setting is wonderful for my gums, which are feeling better than ever. I don't know if it's necessary -- if you aren't real sensitive you could probably buy one of the less expensive models and massage your gums with the regular setting. I will say that the Essence model is fatter and heavier than the Flexcare if that's important to you.
There is absolutely no way to get this effect with a manual toothbrush. So if you want clean, shiny teeth and healthy gums, it's a good investment. I expect my next dental cleaning to be much shorter with very little scraping. To me, this is an essential beauty and health tool.