If you have spent any time in the last year on social media, then chances are high that you have heard about the Burst electric toothbrush that has been reviewed all over the digital world. I have long been a fan of the Sonicare toothbrush and frequently recommend it to my patients, so I never really gave a thought to trying out the Burst brush. Well fast forward to recently, and we have been getting lots of questions from patients about which electric toothbrush is best for the money and I felt like I could not give an honest opinion without trying out “the most reviewed brush on the internet”!
Now, I am going to add here that another reason I never was keen on trying out this toothbrush is that this brand works partially off of an affiliate system, this means that if someone buys the toothbrush using another person’s affiliate link, a commission will be given to the link owner. Whenever an affiliate system is involved, I always have to try things out for myself before recommending, just in case all the 5 star reviews are from those people just trying to make a commission! Anyhow, rest assured I am not a Burst affiliate and this is my honest review and the toothbrush was bought with my own money.
Product Claims
The main claims from the Burst electric toothbrush are that it can remove 10 times more plaque than a manual toothbrush and also can reduce gingivitis up to 3 times more than manual toothbrush. The company also claims that this is the most reviewed brush on the internet, with over 35,000 reviews.
The Specifics
There are a few different features that are unique to the Burst toothbrush, the first being the soft charcoal bristles which are said to remove stains on the teeth. These bristles are set to clean at 33,000 sonic vibrations per minute in whitening mode, which is about 2,000 more per minute than Sonicare. Another great feature is that this toothbrush has a lifetime warranty, if it stops working at any point the company will send you a new one for free!
Similar to the Sonicare, the toothbrush holds a long charge providing up to 4 weeks of use with one charge. The toothbrush also has several modes (3) to choose from: whitening, sensitive, and massage. These 3 modes decrease in amount of vibrations from the most to least.
First Impression
Upon the first time using this toothbrush, I felt like it was a bit small and lightweight as opposed to my previous Sonicare. I looked it up and it actually is about the same size and weight so I’m not sure why I felt that way. For sure though, this felt even more gentle and soft for me than my Sonicare. In fact, it was so quiet that my husband asked me if it was even working!
The timer beeps and auto shut off were exactly the same as with my Sonicare which I liked, so function wise I feel as if the two brushes are quite comparable. The main difference for me was that after my first time using the Burst brush my teeth felt much smoother and “glossier” than they ever did with the Sonicare. I feel as if this could be attributed to the higher vibration frequency, the Burst brush likely adds a bit of a polishing as well as removal of plaque.
Effectiveness
As stated above, I feel like this is an amazingly effective brush with cleaning the teeth and doing so very gently. I have not really noticed any increased whitening of the teeth and, in my opinion, I do not know that the charcoal bristles really add much to the effectiveness overall.
The only area where I feel this brush is not terribly effective in is cleaning the tongue. The bristles are so soft and the vibrations so gentle that I feel that it does not clean the surface of my tongue well, but maybe that’s just me. What I usually end up doing when the timer turns off is just scrubbing my tongue with the toothbrush without it being on, this allows me to scrub a little harder than the vibrations allow. The fact that it is so gentle is probably a good thing though, as it will help users avoid brushing too aggressively on their teeth and gums causing tooth sensitivity and gum recession.
The Verdict
Overall, I would say I prefer the Burst toothbrush to the Sonicare mainly based on the way my teeth feel after brushing them. Also, taking into account the cost, the Burst toothbrush is cheaper than the Sonicare and also comes with the lifetime warranty. The Sonicare toothbrush I had been using for 7+ years finally stopped working on me recently, it would have been nice if the company would have offered to send a replacement for it like the Burst company does for their toothbrushes.
One thing that I don’t love about the Burst toothbrush is the automatic sign up for a subscription, I wish it was more of a choice rather than automatic. With that said, as the replacement heads are not sold in stores, it makes sense that this is automatic so that you can continue to use the brush. Also, $7 every 3 months (or $28 a year) for the quality and convenience is not bad at all. The convenience of not having to think about when it’s time to replace your toothbrush head is also something that I think I will really enjoy. Out of curiosity, I did look at how to cancel and it seems very easy for if/when you want to do that.
Price
$69.99 for the Black or White color option, $99.99 for the Rose Gold color option, all with free shipping, for the price this is cheaper than Sonicare, especially for the Black or White options.
There are typically deals on their site every so often, so if you want to take a look, you can head to www.burstoralcare.com (this is not an affiliate link!)
Author
Dr. Mikaeya Kalantari has been a practicing pediatric dentist for over 7 years working in both the children's hospital setting and private practice. She has had a wealth of experience treating children of all ages, and medical conditions. When it comes to serving children, she feels the importance of communication between the dentist and parent can not be emphasized enough. Dr. Kalantari practices in her family owned dental office in Mission Viejo, California.
