Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 5000 with SmartGuide

Bottom line

The Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 5000 with SmartGuide does an excellent job of cleaning and is easy to use once you get the hang of it. It's loaded with lots of snazzy features, but the bells and whistles may not be necessary. We chose the Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 4000 (*Est. $100) as a Best Reviewed product because it performs as well as the Precision 5000 in professional tests, is well liked by users and costs less.

Performance

Exceptional cleaning. Owners say the Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 5000 with SmartGuide (formerly Oral-B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000) does an excellent job of cleaning teeth. One user at Drugstore.com says, "You can really feel the difference after just one use." Another says that it helped improve overall gum health after a few weeks of regular use.

Professionals say the SmartGuide, included with the unit, helps to improve brushing technique. Testers at Good Housekeeping, for instance, love the feedback it provides and say it helps them to brush longer. The guide displays time remaining, notifies you when to move to the next area of the mouth and warns if you are brushing too hard. Subjects in one study noticed improved brushing force and thoroughness while using the SmartGuide, compared to using the same toothbrush without the guide.

Some owners, however, say the separate guide is best suited to children learning to brush their teeth and not necessary for most adults. If you prefer a more basic option, the Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 4000 (*Est. $100) works in the same manner but lacks the SmartGuide feature.

Durability

Lasts for years. Users say they are pleased with the durability of Oral-B power toothbrushes, in general. Several owners at Walmart.com and Drugstore.com say they have used Oral-B electric toothbrushes for up to 10 years before needing a replacement. Most say the Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 5000 seems to be as durable as previous models.

Ease of Use

Slight learning curve required. The Oral-B Precision 5000 is loaded with features that owners say make it easy and enjoyable to use. For instance, it has a timer with a quadrant prompt to let users know when to move to the next area of the mouth. It also has an ergonomic handle, making it easy to hold, but testers at Good Housekeeping say it is a bit heavy.

The toothbrush is also travel-friendly -- it comes with a travel case and portable charger. Good Housekeeping says the user guide is confusing, however. Testers say it takes some trial and error to learn how to operate the toothbrush properly.