Performance

Exceptional cleaning. Owners say the Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush is a huge step up in cleaning from a manual toothbrush. Many who switched to the Oral-B on the advice of their dental professional say they have noticed a significant difference in how clean their teeth feel after brushing. A few note that subsequent dental checkups have confirmed improvements in their overall gum health. Casey Johnston at TheSweethome.com notes that Oral-B electric toothbrushes have an extensive line of brush heads that are compatible with their electric toothbrushes, which makes it easier to customize the Pro if your dentist has a specific brush head recommendation (such as sensitive teeth).

Ease of use

Very simple operation. The Oral-B Pro 1000 is a basic electric toothbrush, with a simple, one-button operation: push to turn it on, push again to turn it off. It vibrates every 30 seconds to remind you to switch quadrants, and vibrates three times when the 2-minute brushing cycle is up. However, unlike some toothbrushes that turn off after 2 minutes, the Pro continues to run if you want to brush longer than two minutes or to brush other parts of your mouth, such as your tongue, before you finish up. The Oral-B Pro 1000 gets particularly high praise for being lightweight and easy to hold; with a comfortable, soft yet secure grip. Quite a few arthritis sufferers say this electric toothbrush is much easier for them to use than a manual toothbrush.

Features

Just the right number of features. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles associated with the Oral-B Pro 1000, and there’s nothing wrong with that, according to experts. Most dental professionals agree that the main advantage to an electric toothbrush is really in the built-in timers that encourage you to brush your teeth for a full two minutes, and that is included on the Oral-B Pro. In addition, the Oral-B Pro has a pressure sensor that slows the pulsation down if you’re brushing too hard, something that can be hard on your teeth. Oral-B says the rechargeable battery lasts about seven days, but in testing at The Sweethome.com, it lasted longer, a full 11.5 days. We only really saw two consistent complaints: 1. Families who have multiple people using this toothbrush wish the Pro had a way to store those multiple brush heads. 2. The recharge light is reported as very bright; if it shines into your bedroom from an attached bathroom it may be enough to keep you awake.

Cost of ownership

Lasts for years. Experts and users give the Oral-B Pro 1000’s long-term durability a thumb’s up. It’s been the top pick at TheSweethome.com for a couple of years and continues to perform well. Owners agree, with many saying they have used Oral-B electric toothbrushes in general for up to 10 years, and this model specifically for multiple years, before needing a replacement. Oral-B offers a vast variety of brush heads that fit this and other Oral-B electric toothbrushes, something that users greatly appreciate; generic brush heads are also available from various manufacturers. While there are always complaints about the cost of replacing brush heads, most agree that Oral-B brush heads are among the most affordable. Brush heads should be replaced every three months and cost about $15 for a pack of three. Generic brush heads are available as well, but get much poorer reviews for performance.

Specs

Timer Yes
Brush heads included 1
Brush movement Rotation-oscillation
Battery life 7 days
Warranty 2 years