An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush that automatically makes rapid bristle back-and-forth, oscillation, or rotation-oscillation motions to clean teeth. The brush head rotates both clockwise and counterclockwise in alternation during the teeth cleaning period. A rechargeable electric toothbrush has a battery that, when fully charged, can help clean your teeth several times. The brush is charged through inductive charging when the brush sits in the charging base. So once you are brushing your teeth, you just put the toothbrush on the charging base.
The history of electric toothbrushes dates back in the year 1927 when Electro Massage Tooth-Brush Company in the USA produced the first electric toothbrush. Broxodent Woog’s electric toothbrushes, which were originally manufactured in Switzerland, came later under the efforts of Dr. Philippe Guy Woog in 1954. The brushes plugged on a standard wall socket during their operations. The electric toothbrushes were created for orthodontic patients and also other patients with limited motor skills as such patients are not able to use the regular toothbrushes.
In 1960, the Broxo Electric toothbrush was introduced in the US by E. R. Squibb and Sons Pharmaceuticals. In the same year, a rechargeable electric toothbrush was introduced in the market. However, the toothbrushes were bulky due to the Nicad batteries, and also the batteries lasted for a short period. In 1992, the first ultrasonic toothbrush was patented in the USA, and the FDA approved it for home use in the same year. Today, the best affordable electric toothbrushes are being sold in pharmacy shops for relevant patients.
What are the different types of toothbrushes?

There are different types of toothbrushes, which include the following. The classifications are according to their kind of action.
- Side to side vibration. They have a brush head action that moves from side to side when brushing teeth.
- Counter oscillation. It is a brush in which adjacent tufts of bristles independently rotate in one direction and then the other. Each tuft rotates opposite the adjacent.
- Rotation oscillation. Here, a brush action involves rotating the brush head in one direction, then the other.
- Circular. Here, the brush head rotates in one direction only.
- Ultrasonic. The brush bristles vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies above 20 kHz.
- Ionic. The brush aims to impart an electrical charge to the tooth surface to disrupt dental plaque attachment.
How do you keep my electric toothbrush clean?
Various practices can help you maintain your toothbrush in a clean state. They include the following.
- Always rinse the toothbrush thoroughly with tap water soon after brushing your teeth.
- Learn to store your brush in an upright position for water to drip out of the bristles to air dry.
- Discard the brush head every three months for a new one.
- Do not brush heads in closed containers as molds may grow on the heads.
Is it okay to leave the toothbrush on the charging base all the time?
Dentists suggest that the brush should always be well charged when in use. It is therefore advisable to leave your brush on the changing base all the time. It means that you should always return your brush to the base after you are through with brushing your teeth.
Which are the 8 best rechargeable electric toothbrushes?
They include the following.
1) Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 6500 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
- Gentle yet effective to whiten teeth in just 1 week vs. a...
- Protect your teeth with a pressure sensor that gently pulses...
- Always know when to replace your brush head for an effective...
The toothbrush has a travel charging case to charge it while traveling or in a place without charging power. The brush can whiten your teeth within a week compared to the manual brushes that can take ages. It comes with an extra brush head.
With the brush, you can personalize your brushing experience with three intensities and three modes which are; Clean, White, and Gum Care. It has a 2-minute timer with a quad pacer that helps ensure dental professionals recommended brushing time and consistent cleaning of your mouth.
- Comes with a travel charging case
- Has extra brush head
- Faster whitening of teeth
- It has three cleaning modes
- It has a two-minute timer
- It is expensive
2) Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9300 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
- Philips Sonicare's best ever toothbrush for the most...
- Removes up to 10x more plaque and improves gum health up to...
- Removes up to 100 percent more stains in just 3 days (in...
The brush can eliminate up to 10x more plaque than the manual one and improve gum health up to 7x within two weeks. The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean brush can remove up to 100 percent more stains within three days. The brush has three distinct smart brush head types, which can automatically pair with the appropriate brushing mode for effective brushing.
Moreover, you can utilize Amazon Dash Replenishment to set up automatic deliveries to avoid running out of brush heads. The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean brush is compatible with Android smartphones, Bluetooth 4.0 tablets, iOS devices such as iPad 3rd Gen or higher, iPhone 4S or higher, and iOS7 or higher.
- Amazon Dash Replenishment
- Compatible with both Android and iOS phones and tablets
- Faster removal of stains
- Removes 10x more plague
- Three distinct smart brush heads
- A bit costly
3) Oral-B BLACK 7000 Electric Toothbrush
- Oral-B BLACK 7000 is the world's first of its kind with...
- Oral-B BLACK 7000 real-time feedback with the Oral-B app...
- Oral-B BLACK 7000 Cross Action round brush head with...
Oral-B BLACK 7000 has a Bluetooth for communication between brush and your smartphone. The brush has a ross action round brush head with well-angled bristles for excellent cleaning of your teeth. Moreover, the 3D White Replacement Brush Head indicator bristles tell you when to replace the brush head. Furthermore, it can sense when the brush is too hard to harm your gums.
Interestingly, the brush can remove up to 100 percent more plaque than a manual toothbrush. The rechargeable toothbrush has six modes: Daily Clean, Gum Care, Sensitive, Deep Clean, Tongue Cleaner, and Whitening. It can speed up to 800 brush movements per second. Also, it supports Amazon Dash Replenishment.
- Amazon Dash Replenishment
- Bluetooth enabled
- Senses when a brush head is too hard
- It signals you when to replace your brush head
- Six cleaning modes
- Not compatible with Oral-B sonic toothbrushes
4) BRAUN Oral B electric toothbrush
The brush is intelligently built to focus on the most critical areas of your mouth. This brush can serve you well when it comes to thorough cleaning to whiten your teeth. It is a rechargeable type that requires AC 100 to 240 V 50/60 Hz. The power consumption is 0.9 W. You can also get a one year warranty that counts from the date of purchase.
The accessories include the Main body, charger, charging travel case, brush storage holder, smartphone holder, one soft micro hairbrush, and one multi-action brush. You can charge the scrub twice a day, whereby each charge lasts for two minutes during brushing.
- Excellent for teeth whitening
- Has a low power consumption
- One year warranty
- Charging travel case
- It has a flexible charging voltage
- A single charge can only last for two minutes
5) Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9500 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
- Our best toothbrush ever for the most exceptional clean and...
- Best-in-class clean -- Removes up to 10x more plaque and...
- Brighten your smile with White+ mode to remove up to 100%...
It comes with a charging glass. It removes up to 10x more plaque as compared to the manual brushes. Also, it improves gum health up to 7x within two weeks when in Gum Health mode. Remove teeth stains within three days using this toothbrush. The machine has five cleaning modes, which include; Clean, White+, Gum Health, DeepClean+, and TongueCare+.
With this toothbrush, you will get real-time feedback and an automated progress report on your cleaning progress. The device has automatic mode pairing that syncs the four premium brush heads to the best brushing mode. It also comes with a travel charging case so that you can charge on the go.
- Excellent plague remover
- Good for teeth whitening
- Five cleaning modes for flexibility
- Travel charging case
- Charging glass
- It is expensive
6) Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9500 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
- Our best toothbrush ever for the most exceptional clean and...
- Best-in-class clean -- Removes up to 10x more plaque and...
- Brighten your smile with White+ mode to remove up to 100%...
The toothbrush can serve as the best toothbrush to clean your teeth and achieve the best results ever. It removes up to 10x more plaque as compared to the manual toothbrushes. It can also improve gum health up to 7x in just two weeks while in Gum Health mode. Use the white+ mode to remove up to 100% more stains within three days.
The toothbrush allows you to personalize your brushing experience with three intensities. You also choose to engage any of the five modes, which include Clean, White+, Gum Health, DeepClean+, and TongueCare+. You will also be able to get a comprehensive report on the cleaning progress in each mode you engage in. It supports Amazon Dash Replenishment.
- Amazon Dash Replenishment
- Five cleaning modes
- Three cleaning intensities
- Excellent plaque remover
- Real-time report on the cleaning progress
- No clear warranty details
7) Oral-B Genius Pro 8000 Electronic Power Rechargeable Battery Electric Toothbrush
- The NEW Genius 8000 pairs with your smartphone to enable...
- Customizable multicolor SmartRing provides real-time visual...
- Pressure sensor technology automatically slows brush speed...
Use the Amazon Dash Replenishment to order new brush heads before the current ones get used up. You can pair with your smartphone for position detection to ensure that every part of your mouth is cleaned. It has a customizable multi-color Smart Ring, which provides real-time visual coaching on brushing time and pressure to help you brush according to the dentist’s recommendations.
It also has a pressure sensor technology that automatically slows brush speed to protect gums from excess brushing. It has a travel case charging. Furthermore, it has six cleaning modes for maximum brushing of your teeth.
- Amazon Dash Replenishment
- Six cleaning modes
- Travel charging case
- Pairs with smartphones
- Bluetooth connectivity
- A bit costly
8) Oral-B 1000 CrossAction Electric Toothbrush
- Clinically proven superior 3D cleaning oscillates and...
- The pressure sensor stops the pulsation movement if you...
- 1 Mode, Daily Clean, rotates to break up and sweep away...
If you have been having a plaque or stained teeth problem, this toothbrush will be effective. It has clinically proven superior 3D cleaning oscillates and pulsates breaking up and removing up to 300 percent more plaque along the gum line than a manual toothbrush. The fully charged brush can clean your mouth continuously for 2 minutes.
The brush is compatible with various replacement toothbrush heads, including CrossAction, 3D White, Sensitive Clean, Precision Clean, FlossAction, Deep Sweep, Ortho, and Dual Clean. It has one cleaning mode. Despite that, it can do an excellent job when it comes to cleaning your mouth.
- Excellent plaque remover
- Compatible with various heads
- 2D cleaning action
- Teeth whitening
- Charging case
- Has only one mode
Bottom line
Electric brushes are medical and offer excellent solutions to mouth problems such as teeth stains and plaque. Having a rechargeable toothbrush helps you to use it even when on a journey. You should use the best mode according to the part you want to clean. Also, having a smartphone supporting an electric toothbrush will help you monitor the progress of your cleaning.