Q. I’ve enjoyed the TLOVII sonic toothbrush you recommended years ago, but replacement brush heads are getting hard to find and I think I’m ready to try something new anyway. Any recommendations?

—T.B., Beaver, Pennsylvania

A. I'll start with a sheepish admission. I recently had a cleaning and checkup but it had been over two years since I had been to the dentist. I have always had my teeth cleaned every six months like clockwork, but my dentist retired and after seeing the new dentist I received a bill for $700 in the mail when dental insurance should have covered it. Given this surprise, I didn't want to make any new appointments until it was resolved. After more than a year insurance finally paid the bill, and I was looking for yet another new dentist when something urgent came up that required surgery. All is well now, but dealing with it put my dentist search on the back burner.

With the surgery behind me, I located an excellent new dentist. He asked when my last checkup was and when I said over two years ago, he asked if I used a sonic toothbrush. I confirmed that I did, and he replied that I was doing a good job with self-care and that “sonic toothbrushes are the biggest difference-maker I have seen in over 30 years of practicing dentistry." I was not surprised because when I use one it feels like I just went to the hygienist, and my teeth and gums feel smooth and clean.

I've tried a lot of sonic toothbrushes, including a model that pairs with an app to help you improve your brushing, but using a toothbrush paired to my phone was a level of complexity and involvement I absolutely did not want or need. Besides that, it has been hard for me to justify anything over $30 because all the sonic toothbrushes seem to do a good job cleaning teeth. Well, I finally met my match with a premium toothbrush that is a grand slam, and currently available for only $30 more than a basic $30 model.

Introduced at the CES 2024 trade show to an enthusiastic response, the Oclean X Pro Elite is that toothbrush. The body is smooth but grippable, with a tactile surface feel that reminds me of ceramic. You can use it with an app, but it is not necessary because the toothbrush has a small but easy-to-read full-color touchscreen display that reports your brushing performance and displays areas you missed. The brushheads have special bristles developed by DuPont and one use made it is my absolute favorite sonic toothbrush of all time. It is very quiet, the sonic action is exceptional and you can really hear and feel those premium bristles working. I was proud that the first brushing score it displayed was 97%. Now I have to work on getting that extra 3% in my future brushings.

The “Bundle & Save” Oclean X Pro Elite Premium Set includes six of those fabulous brush heads, a charging stand, a wall mount and a travel case. I think it is easily worth the $109.99 MSRP but you can get one for under $60 right now. Using the code save50 at the official manufacturer website oclean.com reduces the price $50 to just $59.99 with free shipping. My basic toothbrushes served me well for years, but after using this one there's no going back. Besides the value and all the advantages, it’s fun to use and I really look forward to brushing my teeth to see my score. Hopefully the fun leads to better brushing and, potentially, better dental health.

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