Three electric toothbrushes put to the test

I'm fanatical about dental hygiene, and one of the few places technology really collides with this area (that is, the mouth) is in the realm of electric toothbrushes.

I put three of the highest of high-end electric toothbrushes to the test over the last two months. Here are my thoughts, but please remember, this is just the opinion of one man and one mouth.

Philips Sonicare FlexCare RS930 with sanitizer - Sonicare is one of the best known lines of electric toothbrushes, and it's come a long way since its earliest days. The brush head vibrates back and forth rapidly but in a narrow range, using sonic technology to help get gunk off of teeth. It's a very light and maneuverable brush, and after your 2-minute cleaning cycle, your mouth really does feel clean. (Obviously I have no scientific and quantitative measure to determine exactly how clean each of these brushes got my teeth.)

Like the other two brushes, the FlexCare includes a built-in timer. This one pauses at 30-second intervals to let you know when to move to a new quadrant of your mouth. While the FlexCare is a capable brush, it's the sanitizer that seals the deal. This is a small unit attached to the charging base that blasts ultraviolet light onto the brush heads to kill bacteria on them. I wish you didn't have to disassemble the brush to use the sanitizer and it was easier to tell if the UV light was actually on, but otherwise I was impressed with the device. Bonus: The FlexCare is the only brush in this roundup that uses a lithium-ion battery instead of Ni-MH. Price tag: $169

Ultreo - The new kid on the block. Unlike all other brushes, Ultreo really uses ultrasound to clean teeth, and you can see the difference by just looking at the brush head. In the center of the bristles, there's a bare, orange pad. According to Ultreo, this pad actually cleans your teeth even if the brush isn't touching them. Of course, the bristles don't hurt either.

Overall, I liked the Ultreo fairly well. It's light and comfortable, and the charging base is incredibly inconspicuous. It was extremely gentle compare to other brushes, which might be why my teeth just didn't seem quite as clean after several weeks of testing. Unlike the other brushes, the Ultreo doesn't offer any additional operation modes (like a "sensitive" setting), and the charging indicator was very difficult to read. It's perfectly capable, but I preferred the FlexCare in the end. Price tag: $169

Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide ProfessionalCare 9900 - I've used a Triumph (sans SmartGuide) in the past, so I have tons of tooth-on experience with this model. The Triumph offers a round brush head that rotates back and forth (not around and around) in a tight range. It provides good cleaning and is easy to maneuver in your mouth.

But the Oral-B brush is loud and vibrates a lot. It feels like someone's going to work in your mouth with a small jackhammer. That said, the results are good - teeth end up nice and clean - but using it is not exactly pleasant.

The 9900 includes a small monitor that you can put in your bathroom so you can time your brushing for the recommended two minutes. The timer didn't do a whole lot for me, but I did appreciate having a waterproof clock next to the sink.

Still, I wouldn't mind the Triumph if it wasn't for one big problem - the charging base collects all manner of white toothpaste residue and gunk, which gets all over the bottom of your toothbrush and the countertop and creates a huge mess. One bright spot: You can find the Triumph with the SmartGuide for a mere $100 if you shop around. Price tag: Less than $100

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