How we choose
What a brush needs before it goes on a list, where our facts and prices come from, and how we keep pages from going stale.
Jump to a section
What earns a place on a list
Features with a clinical reason. A two-minute timer, a pressure sensor and a soft head that reaches the gumline carry the most weight, because they’re what dental guidance points to.
A cleaning style that suits the reader. Oscillating-rotating and sonic brushes both beat manual brushing in the research. We match the style to the situation, such as sonic for many sensitive mouths, rather than declaring one winner.
A cost you can live with. We price genuine replacement heads for every brush we recommend and estimate three years of ownership: the handle plus a new head every three months. Where part of that figure is estimated, the chart marks it.
A brush you can actually buy. We check that a model is current and sold by Amazon or the brand’s own store before recommending it. Discontinued brushes come off our lists even when other sites still rank them.
Where our facts come from
Specifications come from each brand’s listings and documentation, and we note model numbers because brands sell different versions under the same name. Prices come from a dated check of Amazon US listings, most recently on October 30, 2026, when we recorded more than 140 listings for the brushes on this site and their heads: seller, model number, first-available date and that day’s price. We round those prices and show the date beside them. For the evidence on brushing, we start with systematic reviews such as the 2014 Cochrane review of powered toothbrushes, and we say when a claim comes only from a brand’s own testing.
We also read owner reviews, looking past the five-star “arrived quickly” ones for repeated problems: batteries that fade early, chargers that fail, heads that loosen, support that doesn’t answer.
Lines we don’t cross
- No invented testing. We don’t have a lab, and we don’t describe results we didn’t get.
- Nobody can pay to be on a list or to move up one.
- No medical advice. Pages about gum disease, sensitivity and recession tell you when to see a dentist.
- No star averages. Ratings change daily and mix delivery complaints with brushing ones, so we describe patterns instead.
- We say so when a brush is only available from a reseller or as an import.
Keeping pages current
Every page shows when it was last checked. We review the main lists every month and whenever a launch, a sales pause or a discontinuation changes the picture, such as Philips’ 2026 Sonicare range or Dyson’s CameraJet.
When we get something wrong
Tell us. We fix factual errors quickly and note significant corrections on the page itself.