Review: Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Toothbrush

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By Ed

Months ago we made a list of brands and products that we truly believed in.  These are products that we could endorse without reservation and recommend to our readers with confidence.  We were excited to hear that the Philips Sonicare Platinum toothbrush people were looking for bloggers to test and review their product.  They were on our list!  We were giddy to be given a newer model to review. 

You see, we’ve been using a Sonicare toothbrush for a half dozen years already.  We debated replacing our old model (which still works!) with a newer version.  Would it be worth it?  That’s what we’re writing about here.

And, since this is the season of giving, we’ve decided to buy one to give one lucky reader with our giveaway below!  (Valued at approximately $199.)

Sometimes you just have to recognize that certain cliche expressions came into existence because there is just no better way to express a certain idea. Take, for example, the feeling of leaving the dentist’s office, after a cleaning. The cliche thing to say is that you rub your tongue across your teeth to feel how smooth they are, because, of course, many of us actually do this, myself among them.

I came to believe that this level of clean was really only possible from an oral hygienist. A home brushing can try its best, but it will never stack up.

The first brushing with a Philips Sonicare changed my mind. You do that tongue-across-your-teeth thing and it feels like a real dentist office cleaning. And then it gets better from there.

If I wasn’t already a regular user, I may have used the Easy-Start program to ease my gums into the experience, but I jumped right in at the maximum level. This is a great feature for those new to the electronic toothbrush experience, as the depth of cleaning is so much greater than a manual toothbrush.

I know “how cool it looks” isn’t supposed to be priority-1 on the list of review items for a toothbrush, but the Philips Sonicare is pretty easy on the eyes. And for gadget geeks (me), “Look at all those buttons!”

The other feature I really like, but didn’t initially give much consideration to, is the 2 minute timer. The Philips Sonicare cycles through four 30-second brushings for a total of 2 minutes per use. This is to remind you to move to new sections of your mouth and is especially helpful for people (like myself) who tend to space out and think about the day ahead while brushing.

Years ago, when I used a regular toothbrush, I overheard my dentist and hygienist talking about how right-handed I was during an exam. That doesn’t exactly scream balanced brushing to me. Our Sonicare has not made me ambidextrous, but it has reminded me to move the brush to new parts of my mouth that I probably overlooked before.

Robin likes that she can totally space out and brush her teeth while multitasking.  Making the bed and putting away laundry while brushing your teeth is probably not the safest idea, but folks, that’s our life.  She likes that she gets two minutes of high quality tooth-brushing done on autopilot – with no clock-watching required. 

New!  UV Sterilizer System:

After brushing, we use the new UV sterilizer system that the Sonicare Platinum has built-in to its stand.

This was a brand new feature for us, and I have to admit, the idea of storing my toothbrush somewhere hygienic has a lot of appeal. When I look at some of the other places my toothbrushes have lived – cups on the counter or trays in a drawer – a dedicated clean-space has a lot going for it.

And the UV light that kills 99% of germs probably is better than the 5 seconds of rinsing under kinda-warm water I used to do.

Go towards the light little germs!

Long term, we can report nothing but positives.

I am a guy with teeth set so close together that oral hygienists (professionals!) typically get floss stuck between them or break floss altogether during cleanings. As you might imagine, I am not the biggest fan of flossing at home. 

The Philips Sonicare has likely saved me from many, many costly/unpleasant fillings, however, as the cleaning it gives is so thorough most of my checkups go like clockwork. I’ve even had a hygienist tell me that I could lie and say I floss regularly and probably pass it off convincingly as the Sonicare does such good work around the gum-line.


The Cost.

Yeah, there’s definitely more upfront than a disposable toothbrush.  But, if you don’t have dental benefits, the Philips Sonicare could pay for itself the first time it saves you from getting a filling. And if you use it regularly, I am sure it could do that.

Prior to getting a Sonicare, I likely averaged a filling every 12-18 months due to my mediocre flossing and lower quality toothbrush use. Since we began using a Sonicare I’ve had maybe two fillings in 8 years. Not a scientific study, I know, but anecdotally, my mouth health has improved greatly from its use.

With this new model, the replacement toothbrush heads are cheaper, too.  Since that’s the ongoing cost of operation, we consider that a Big Win.

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