Honorable Mentions
There are far more electric toothbrushes than we can recommend in a single guide. If none of the above options appeal to you, one of these might do the trick.
Photograph: Oclean
Oclean X Ultra S Electric Toothbrush for $130: Oclean makes great electric toothbrushes that clean well without vibrating your brain around. They're a bit pricey, but if you or your kid would benefit from a voice assistant telling you that you're brushing too fast or applying too much pressure, this particular model might be worth the money spent. The voice frustrated one of our testers—but maybe that's a good thing. Oclean brushes connect to the brand's app where you can access detailed reports about your brushing habits and efficiency, but it isn't necessary, thanks to the screen on the actual brush itself.
Snow LED Whitening Electric Sonic Toothbrush for $79: I found myself leaning toward sensitive options with brands like Moon, but I have been plenty happy with the standard setting for Snow's LED toothbrush. There are settings for whitening and polishing too. The brush also has blue-light technology built into it to help whiten your teeth even on the non-whitening settings, and I do think mine look a touch brighter after weeks of use—you won't get the same effect as a true whitening product if you're looking for serious brightness, but I like that this can help me try to keep the tea stains away. My only complaint is the price, but if you're looking for something powerful but gentle, this is a great choice. —Nena Farrell
Philips One by Sonicare Toothbrush for $25: This was our original budget pick, but Bitvae's is more powerful, rechargeable, and cheaper. Still, this one is cute, thin, and offers gentle vibrations for a step above a manual brush. It also comes with a carrying case.
AquaSonic Black Series for $50: This brush also comes with eight brush heads, like the Bitvae above, which is nice for the price. I think it cleans well, but the heads are a bit small, and the whole thing was too vibratey for me, like the body was vibrating the plastic of the brush head more than the bristles.
What About U-Shaped Toothbrushes?
Photograph: Autobrush
There are many U-shaped toothbrushes available now that use a mouthpiece full of bristles to brush one section of teeth—or sometimes the entire mouth—all at once in around 30 seconds. We've tried a few and think they're fine to use in addition to regular brushing. None of them are as effective as standard electric toothbrushes. Bill Busch of North Kansas City Dental and Joseph Salim, owner of Sutton Place Dental Associates, agree that these aren't replacements.
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