Philips Sonicare Elite

By Don Ellis

othing personal, but your mouth is the filthiest part of your body. Your mouth is a metaphorical sponge; a warm, damp breeding ground for germs, the worst of which growing there is plaque, a layer of bacteria that adheres to your teeth after eating. This plaque promotes tooth decay, which then progresses toward gum-disease. Removing plaque before it hardens into tartar (at which point has to be scaled off by a dentist) prevents gingivitis, an infection of the gum tissue.

Swollen gums that bleed easily are clues that you might already have gingivitis. This can be prevented through regular oral hygiene and even reversible with ongoing professional cleanings. Left untreated, gingivitis will spread further, causing periodontal diseases, which affects the connective tissue and bones in your jaw.

This should be reason enough to consider an electric toothbrush. Whether you go either the sonic or the high-end conventional rotary route, you can do no better than the Sonicare Elite. Conceived by Philips, the Sonicare brand is a line-up of patented sonic technology-driven toothbrushes that emulate dental equipment in its dynamic fluid cleaning action. Even dentists recommend it.

The Sonicare Elite 7300 model, Sonicare’s standard model, provides considerable oral care. That said, there’s something perversely amusing about its little assists, like the Smartimer (which automatically shuts off after 2-minute of recommended brushing time), the Easy-start (this lets new users adjust to the Sonicare) and the Dual Speed Control (so you can switch between higher and lower speeds). Want even more handholding? The 7300 comes with what is dubbed the Quadpacer, a feature that beeps every 30 seconds, telling you when to move on and begin brushing another area of your mouth.

When you first start using the Philips Sonicare Elite, you'll notice that the cleaning system feels different than a regular toothbrush. It works by pumping out tiny, powerful waves, dislodging plaque that isn't generally reachable by conventional brushes, nor with the rotating-type electric toothbrushes. In fact, Dynamic Fluid Cleaning Action can easily clean the plaque below the gum line.

The patented sonic technology of the Sonicare Elite, packaged together with the latest brush head design produces high-performance cleaning action that removes plaque, reverses gingivitis and even whitens teeth. Its slick, angled shape, tapered brush head and contour-fit bristles provide a solid cleaning, especially in those hard-to-reach areas. Why do you need to know? ‘Cause you know you want cleaner, whiter teeth...don't deny it. - D.E.