Oral-b Braun electronic toothbrush problem

Make sure he does not take to eating spinach

Buy a new one.

Getting these things apart undamaged is an art. Getting them back together in working condition is something else.

Sylvia.

Per Sylvia Else:

But be prepared for some sticker shock.

The one I had (that just went South couple days ago) cost less than 15 USD a couple of years ago.

The cheapest Oral-B I could find retail around here was close to eighty dollars.

Finally wound up paying $100 for a two-pack of "Professional

I'm thinking all this is some kind of marketing ploy by Oral-B, since Colgate offers electric toothbrushes at under $10 - albeit not with the reciprocating action of the Oral-B.

The expensive Oral-B is rechargeable, the Colgate (et alia) are not. Hence the price difference.

What's despicable is that Oral-B and Philips (Sonicare) provide no way of exchanging the batteries. Once they fail, the unit becomes yet more electro-mechanical trash.

Before anyone responds... Yes, I'm aware how difficult it would be to make the units water-tight.

They are almost impossible to use rechargable batteries. My teenage son's one has had the last 6 or so sets of batteries replaced because they got wet and damaged instead of "running out of juice".

I'm sure if he were careful, they would be kept dry and last longer, but he's a teenager, I'm just glad he brushes his teeth. :-)

Geoff.

That's interesting. Why do you think rechargeables are so "susceptible"?

I have both Oral and Philips. Both are at least 10 years old and there is no noticeable decrease in runtime. I'd say i got my money's worth so far.

Sorry, I meant that any batteries were destroyed in about a week beyond use, long before they wore out, so replacing them with rechargables would not be worth it because they would be ruined long before they would be ready for recharging.

Come to think of it, if I made up a pack that was sealed on the bottom, it should work. It would keep the bottoms dry so they would not corrode from the water.

Thanks,

Geoff.

Ya know, if you ask your dentist, he'll _give_ you a free toothbrush.

Jeff

True, but it's not electric.

I've used the Sonicare for over a decade, and would never go back to a manual toothbrush. It simply does a much better job.

Consumer Reports claims that a manual brush is /the/ best way to clean your teeth and gums. If so, I don't know how to properly use one.

is

You've said this before. My Sonicares have lasted from two to four years. And that's buying them in pairs at Costco.

You must be recharging them in a way I am not. How often do you drop them back on the charger?

Per William Sommerwerck:

I never used an electric until about 10 years ago when my dentist recommended them.

Up 'till then, I'd managed to scrub much of the enamel off of my teeth by brushing too hard.

Since, there seems to have been no additional loss of enamel. Also the ladies who do the cleaning at check-up time have commented on how clean my teeth look.

I suspect that, in the end, it comes down to technique... but I don't have it and the electric compensates.

Per William Sommerwerck:

In the instructions for my Oral-B's, there is an admonition to totally drain the battery and then recharge: every six months for the "1000"s that I just bought and monthly for the "Vitality" that recently died.

That's not the brush. It's the abrasive tooth paste. I used to use tooth paste to "grind" radio crystals. If it will grind glass, it will do the same to your teeth. Use baking soda, or like I do just water. Incidentally, I haven't used tooth paste for the last 40+ years and still have all of my teeth except for one root canal. Literally all the dental problems I've had were from undermined fillings.

For a possible fix, there's also nano-particle enamel restorer.

No clue if it works. It's been around for about 6 years so there should be some reports available.

The one redeeming value of a motorized toothbrush is that it's great for "stimulating" the gums. While tooth decay is a bummer, having a perfectly good tooth fall out because the gum rotted out under it, is even worse. Most people are too lazy to run the tooth brush over their gums, but a motorized brush makes it easy and quick. If your gums bleed when you brush, you're doing it wrong.

I bought some of the Oral-B throw away motorized toothbrushes to try them out. Three for $15 at Costco. I think they're discontinued and have been replaced by the ones that have a replacable battery. I'm waiting for the battery to run down so I can tear it apart and see what's inside. Maybe in a month or three.

That assumes the user recharges after every use, presumably creating a "memory".

I tend to run my Oral-Bs down before recharging them. It's the Sonicares that have had a seemingly too-short life.

I keep my Sonic on the charge all the time when not in use. Use it for 2 minutes twice a day. I'm pretty sure i bought it when they first came out was that 2000 or so?

That seems about right. Maybe a year or two earlier.

Perhaps. Have you checked the shelf life of nicads?

Sylvia.

While on gums, I was unaware of Teepee interdental brushes until a few years ago, for those with teeth too close together for flossing. (also useful for pushing through 1mm holes in relay casings to clean the contacts)