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Battery Type and Battery Life
NiMH vs Lithium Ion: Which battery is better for electric toothbrushes?
Rechargeable batteries in electric toothbrushes these days are either NiMH or Lithium-ion cells. What are the differences? Is one better than the other?
This question is important because nearly all powered toothbrushes have build-in batteries, you are not supposed to change. In order to be able to enjoy a long life, it is important to know how to treat your battery and what to avoid.
| NiMH | Lithium ion | |
| Energy density | 140 – 300 Wh/L | 250 – 676 W·h/L |
| Cycle durability | 180 – 2000 | 400 – 1200 |
| Price | lower | higher |
Nickel-metal or NiMH Battery
NiMh batteries have a higher energy density compared to nickel–cadmium (NiCd) type . This is the amount of energy it can store in relation to its size. And with toothbrush handles size does matter a lot more than with i.e. a power drill.
All battery types self-discharge over time. That means they use power even when not used. NiMH cells loose loose the most energy the first day after charging. It slows down after that and the amount of power it is loosing over time depends a lot on temperature. Higher temperature means it will discharge faster. Another factor that plays a roll here is age. Older batteries discharge faster than newer ones.
No matter how “full” a NiMH cell is, it is able to power your toothbrush with nearly the same voltage. You will not notice any difference in brushing speed until the battery is almost dead.
When it comes to security, NiMH batteries have very small risk of bursting when overcharged. Overcharging will cause hydrogen gas to build up within the battery. In order to protect the cells from rupturing, the have a safety valve to allow the gas to safely escape.
Depending on the brand a Nickel-metal cell can be charged 180 to 2000 times. When it not longer can hold the charge, it is recyclable. The chemicals used are just mildly toxic which makes the battery kind of environmentally friendly.
The often feared memory effect is negligible if you treat your battery right.. It is true that partial discharge may lead to memory effect. Fortunately it can be treated by charging and discharging the battery completely a few times. It is not a very practical solution though if you consider a charging time of around 12 hours some electric toothbrushes require. If you want to do a few cycles you would not be able to use your brush for several days. Lithion-ion cells do not have this problem.
Lithium ion or Li-ion Battery
Lithium ion batteries have a higher energy density than NiMH batteries. Smaller sized batteries allow to build slimmer handles.
Another advantage is the faster charging. There is no need to wait for 12 hours before you can use your new toothbrush.
The self-discharge rate of Lithium-ion cells is much lower than the NiMH kind. Additionally there is no memory-effect. The need to discharge and charge them completely is not necessary to prolong the battery’s life. On the contrary, draining a Lithion-ion battery completely is not advisable. It will ruin it. The build-in computer should that takes care it does not happen.
One disadvantage of this battery type beside the higher price is a slight safety risk. In contrary to other types the electrolyte used is flammable and the whole battery is under pressure. Faulty manufacturing can lead to fires and resulted in recalls in the past. You may have followed the issues Samsung had with their S7 batteries.
A lot of toothbrush owners complain that their toothbrush dies shortly after the warranty of two years end. That is no surprise if you know, that Lithium ion cells age. The average life span is two to three years.
Oral-B’s rated battery usage life
While Oral-B rated their toothbrush battery usage life by number of days, based on brushing twice a day and 2 minutes per session. i.e. if the rated number of days is 7 days, that would mean the battery life is basically 7 x 2 x 2 = 28 minutes.
Please note that excessive pressure during cleaning or usage that lasts longer than 2 minutes during the session can reduce the rated battery life, as more battery is consumed.
Oral-B iBrush 5000
Rechargeable and User Friendly
Oral-B iBrush 5000 is an ergonomic rechargeable electric toothbrush that provides a wide range of user friendly features. Equipped with a waterproof easy-to-clean handle, battery charge display and five brushing modes, Oral-B iBrush 5000 is a state of the art toothbrush. When fully charged, the toothbrush can be used for up to ten days. Inspired by the round shape of professional dental care tools, the brush head is designed for individual tooth cleaning, being able to remove up to 99.7% of the plaque from hard to reach areas.
Cutting Edge Technology
Oral-B iBrush 5000 presents itself as a state of the art dental care tool. The toothbrush uses 40,000 pulsating movements per minute, up to 50% more brush movements than any other regular brushes. Oral-B iBrush 5000 also features a pressure sensor that enables the user to fully control the brushing intensity, as brushing too hard may result in damaging the brush head bristles and an inefficient cleaning.
Customizable Cleaning Experience
Oral-B iBrush 5000 is compatible with a wide range of Oral-B brush heads. The toothbrush also features five cleaning modes (Daily Clean, Deep Clean, Sensitive, Whitening, and Massage). Daily Clean and Deep clean modes provide a thorough high speed cleaning, while the Sensitive mode offers a lower speed cleaning. The Massage mode uses pulsating speed in order to provide a massage-like effect for the gums. The whitening mode alternates between different speeds providing a polishing effect on the tooth surface.
Smart Coaching via Bluetooth App connectivity
Provides Smart Coaching Through The Mobile App
The app can be downloaded for your smartphone or tablet. It’ll keep track of all your brushing habits. There are a few good reasons for this. That gathered data can be brought to your dentist when you go for cleanings and checkups.
The mobile app may still be in its early stages, but it’s already going a long way in refining your brushing experience. It can track pressure sensitivity, the amount of time you spend brushing, the areas in your mouth you need to focus on more, and so on. The future is bright for mobile app development and electric toothbrushes.
How do I connect my Oral-B Genius or SmartSeries toothbrush to the Oral-B app?
Please refer to the original post on official Oral-B Site here
Customizable Smart Ring Light
Smart Ring
Why the Charger plug all comes in 2-pin?
So you have just bought that new electric toothbrush, but wait, how do you charge it? It has a 2 pin plug on it, rather than 3 pin plug you are used to here in your country. This 2 pin plug, is a shaver plug. It is designed to fit into the shaver socket found in many bathrooms in UK/US/EU.
The 2 pin connector is not Braun/Oral-B being cheap and not offering a 3 pin connector for the UK/Malaysian buyers, it is because they are designed to be charged from a shaver socket found in many bathrooms, which in turn use this 2 pin configuration.
You can charge it from the mains with a 3 pin plug, you just need an adapter which are available in most supermarkets or hardware stores and cost just a couple of Ringgits.
Safety is the reason it comes with a 2 pin shaver plug, rather than a 3 pin.
In the UK or countries using the UK 3-pin plug, the mains electricity that you connect your appliances and gadgets into works on 240 volts. This is a high voltage and can cause serious injury and death if you were to touch a live electrical line.
Under most circumstances if you include water and electricity the effects of injury are much greater as water reduces the resistance the human body has to the electrical current.
Therefore to protect people, a ‘safer’ less powerful form of electrical socket was introduced into bathrooms, where water is generally present more frequently.
This safer solution was and is the 2 pin socket, similar to the 2 pin SCHUKO connector found in many European countries.
This meant that more traditional power hungry products could now not easily be used within these rooms, only lower power items, therefore reducing the chances of injury.
I don’t have a 2 pin shaver socket in my bathroom, what do I do?
Yes you will need a 2 pin to 3 pin plug adapter also known as a UK 3-pin adapter. So that you can use it with the common wall socket in most Malaysian homes.
Charging your electric toothbrush
Is the electric toothbrush already charged when I open the new packaging?
Most of the new electric toothbrush will come with a small pre-charged power, where it can usually operate for a few minute, unless it had been in the storage warehouse for a long period of time, where any remaining charge will all be fully drained.
First Time Charging of your Oral-B
- If this is your first time using the product, you should fully charge the battery before using, which can take up to 16 to 22 hours.
- Different Oral-B models have different time taken for a full charge, depending on the type of rechargeable battery use for the that model. You can take a look at the official Oral-B info here – How long does it take to charge my Oral-B electric toothbrush battery?
- Once your handle is fully charged, continue using your electric toothbrush until no charge is left, or when the battery level indicator starts flashing. Then, fully charge it again instead of charging between each use. This will help your battery perform at its best longer.
- It will depends on the model of your Oral-B and the type of rechargeable battery it use for the brush handle. Once the red charge light appears the battery capacity may last 1 or 2 cycles, but this depends on user behavior, age of battery and various other factors related to the product
- Note – While the toothbrush handle can be washed all over and rinse with water, but the bottom of the toothbrush handle should be dried before charging
How the Charging Indicator works?
All Oral B toothbrushes except Vitality and Pro 500 have a charging indicator light. The indicator light should flash green during charging.
If the toothbrush is completely discharged, it may take up to 15 minutes of charging before the indicator starts flashing.
If the indicator keeps flashing green, the toothbrush is still charging. If it glows steady green, the battery is full and you can take the brush off the charger.When the toothbrush is fully charged, the flashing should stop.
Depending on your model, full charging of the Oral B / Braun toothbrush from 0% to 100% should take from 14 to 22 hours (see the FAQ section below for more information about models and charging times). Then they should last for 5 to 14 days if you brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time.
If the electric tooth brush is not charging
If your empty Oral B toothbrush is sitting on the charger longer than 15 minutes without showing any signs of life, here is how you can troubleshoot it.
Step 1 – Check The Wall Outlet
When you notice that your Oral B toothbrush is not charging, check if the wall socket you are using is working correctly. What is the easiest way to check the wall outlet? Try plugging in a different appliance, for example, a hairdryer, to check if there is power in the outlet.
Sometimes the bathroom wall outlet is powered only when the bathroom lights or bathroom cabinet lights are on. Check it out with a hairdryer as well.
Be careful not to charge the toothbrush on a metal surface. The metal can interfere with the charging process.
If there is power in the outlet, but the toothbrush still is not charging, let’s continue with the next steps.
At this point, we can be sure that something is wrong. Either your toothbrush battery has died, or the charger is malfunctioning.
Step 2 – Check The Charger And Replace If Needed
If you have access to another similar Oral B toothbrush or charger in working order, you can quickly find the faulty device.
Pretty much all current Oral B models use the Type 3757 charger, so compatibility should not be a problem.
Here is what you can do:
- attach your toothbrush to another charger, or
- put another toothbrush on your charger
Now you can see which piece of equipment has failed.
What if you could not find another device for testing?
Try charging the toothbrush for an hour and then touch the charger. If the charger is working, it should be gradually heating up. If both the charger and toothbrush are cold to touch after being connected to the live wall outlet, you may want start looking for a new charger.
Step 3 – Check The Toothbrush
If it turns out the charger is working, the toothbrush is to take the blame.
According to toothbrushbattery.com, “There are two main causes for charging faults inside the toothbrush, either damaged components for example from being dropped or a failed battery.”
If the unit has been dropped to the floor, it is likely that some internal connection has cracked and lost the connection. Most of the cracked solder joints can be repaired by a skillful handyman using a soldering iron.
Another cause of charging failure is the deterioration of the toothbrush battery over time. Is it possible to replace it? The manufacturer wants you to buy a new toothbrush, so the official answer is no.
Why is there no indicator lights on my Oral-B, how do I know whether it is charging?
For Vitality and Kids Power Stages series of toothbrush handle, since there is no charging or battery indicator light, the best way to check whether the Oral-B Vitality brush is charging is to pick the toothbrush up off the charger after 30 minutes and switch it on. If it comes to life, you know it’s charging. Switch it back off and leave it on the charging stand for the full 16 hours it needs to complete a full charge.
Please read the original post on official Oral-B site here
How long does it take to charge, and how long does it last for every full charge?
It will depends on the model of your Oral-B and the type of rechargeable battery it use for the brush handle. Once the red charge light appears the battery capacity may last 1 or 2 cycles, but this depends on user behavior, age of battery and various other factors related to the product
You can take a look at the official Oral-B info here – How long does it take to charge my Oral-B electric toothbrush battery?
Finding the Best Electric Toothbrush for Kids
When Should a Child Start Using an Electric Toothbrush
If you’re considering brushing your child’s teeth with an electric toothbrush, wait until your child is at least three years old. Do not use an electric toothbrush with children younger than three years old. Before that, a manual toothbrush should be used.
How to Select the Right Electric Toothbrush for Your Kid
In addition to electric toothbrushes for adults, Oral-B makes a whole line of kids’ electric toothbrushes with special features designed for children of 3+ years old. While they have similar brush movements and timers to their adult counterparts, Oral-B Stages Power electric toothbrushes are available in bright colors featuring their favorite ©Disney characters to make brushing more fun. They also include some of the following great features to help kids love brushing and get excited about their oral health:
What is the Best Electric Toothbrush for Your Kid?
Each of the Oral-B Stages kids’ toothbrushes (as of 3+ years old) are geared toward children of specific age groups with a wide range of character companions, from ©Disney characters like Mickey or Frozen, Cars to Star Wars™ and LucasFilm Ltd.™ characters. Every stage in a child’s oral health development is important, and that’s why Oral-B’s range can inspire fun and healthy brushing habits. You can find choices ranging from manual toothbrushes for toddlers all the way up to older kids’ electric toothbrushes.
- Oral-B for baby. Before you buy your child’s first electric toothbrush they can use on their own, you’ll need to brush your baby’s teeth for them. Start with a ©Disney Baby Manual Toothbrush, specially designed with extra-soft bristles for small, sensitive mouths aged four months to two years.
- Oral-B Stages manual toothbrushes are made for toddlers aged two to four. At this age, you’ll want to closely supervise them while brushing and, in some cases, you may have to do it for them while they learn the proper techniques.
- For children 3+, you can begin a superior oral care regimen for your child with an electric toothbrush. You can help your kids learn the ropes of brushing with a kids’ electric toothbrush. Although you will still want to monitor their endeavors, you should be confident that you have started your child on a lifetime of healthy oral care habits.
- Kids aged 8-12 should be brushing regularly and completely on their own. As they continue to grow, remind them of the great oral hygiene habits they have developed with Oral-B Stages Electric Toothbrushes. With the Disney Magic Timer™ App, brushing will always be a magical time.
The above contents were extracted from Oral-B official site – https://oralb.com/en-us/oral-health/life-stages/kids/finding-best-electric-toothbrush-kids#Start
Best Children’s electric toothbrush (3-6 years old) – Oral-B Stages Power Kids Electric Toothbrush
The Oral-B Stages Power Kids Electric Toothbrush (D12.513K) definitely has the fun factor. It currently comes in five different patterns and designs:
- Disney Cars
- Disney Star Wars
- Marvel Avengers
- Disney Princesses
- Frozen
1) The fun factor
This means that your child will take a liking to at least one of the designs. The Oral-B Stages also comes with the Disney Magic Timer app which is exclusive to Oral-B Products. This is available on Apple iPhone and android apps on google play. When this app is connected to your electric toothbrush, the longer your child brushes their teeth, the more the image is revealed. All images are of Disney characters and are well designed. The app also tracks your child’s progress, earn badges and rewards them for brushing longer and twice a day. This is an excellent oral health promotion tool and 90% of children brush longer when using it.
2) Mechanism of Action
The Oral-B Stages Power Kids Electric toothbrush uses a 2D Oscillating-rotating mechanism of action similar to the Oral-B Vitality for adults. A 2D action is a rotary action which oscillates and rotates. This is inferior to the 3D mechanism of action featured on the Adult Oral-B Pro range. There are currently no children’s electric toothbrushes that feature 3D oscillating, rotating and pulsation. There is substantial evidence that the 2D oscillating rotating is better at cleaning plaque than sonic toothbrushes.
The Oral-B Stages power kids electric toothbrush comes as standard with 1 x Oral-B kids brush head. These brush heads are designed for children aged 3+ because they have very small head sizes and soft bristles. Between the 3-6 age range children are beginning to clean their own teeth so having soft bristles is great because kids frequently press way too hard.
3) Portability
The Oral-B Stages Power Kids Electric Toothbrush is lightweight and compact in design. It would be easy to put into a backpack or hand luggage when travelling. It does not come as standard with a travel case.
4) Battery Life
The battery stores up to 20 minutes of charge. This is enough for 5 days of use twice a day for 2 minutes. This is a little on the low side for a rechargeable electric toothbrush, however, is acceptable.
Oral-B Vitality Series
Entry Level Series
Vitality series is the entry level model for Oral-B’s range of electric toothbrushes.
The Oral-B Vitality series is a budget range electric toothbrush that sits below the Oral-B Pro series in the Oral-B range. As with most budget range electric toothbrushes, it provides great value for money however at the cost of some features.
The Oral-B vitality comes in many different versions, the only difference between these models is the type of brush head that it comes with, and the number of brush heads it bundled with each package. The handle is exactly the same, just differ in color.
We will be exploring whether the lack of features impact the overall value for money and providing the low down on whether it is really worth buying.
Why are there so many models that all look alike but with different names?
Oral-B have a very confusing branding, they brand the same product with different names in different market, so you may have the same brush handle but with different packaging, either in sealed plastic packaging or paperbox packaging.
Then there are packaging with different brush heads, and different color brush handles, and they called that model differently in different market. Also some market have Vitality and Vitality Plus. At the end of the day, what you need to do is to compare the detail features and accessories packaged.
Comparisons of Vitality China Models
Comparisons of Vitality Australian Models
Charging indicator
How do I know if my Oral-B Vitality toothbrush is charging?
As Vitality is the entry level of Oral-B electric toothbrush, the only Oral-B electric toothbrush that do not have an indicator light to let you know and only one button for both the on/off position, sometimes it can be tricky, as it is difficult to predict when the toothbrush is about to run out of battery.
The best way to check whether the Oral-B Vitality brush is charging is to pick the toothbrush up off the charger after 30 minutes and switch it on. If it comes to life, you know it’s charging. Switch it back off and leave it on the charging stand for the full 16 hours it needs to complete a full charge.
Please read the original post on official Oral-B site here
The 2 minutes reminder
Dentist recommended brushing teeth for maximum of 2 minutes, for electric toothbrush that have the 2-minutes reminder build-in, once the 2 minutes are up, the brush head will vibrate 3 times to let you know that your recommended two minutes of brushing is up. Please Note : some Vitality models do not have the 2-minutes reminder feature.
Quadpacer
All Vitality models do not have the Quadpacer feature
2D mechanism of brushing Action
The Oral-B Vitality uses a slightly inferior 2D oscillating rotating mechanism of action. This means that it only oscillates and rotates instead of oscillating, rotating and pulsating. The 2D mechanism of action will clean your teeth better than a regular manual toothbrush however not as well as the 3D.
Battery life of Oral-B Vitality
The battery life for the Oral-B vitality is adequate at 5 days of continuous use (4 minutes each day for cleaning twice a day for 2 minutes each session) which is a total in use time of 20 minutes.
Cleaning Mode
The Oral-B Vitality only comes with one mode of action – daily clean. This happens to be Oral-B’s best cleaning mode and will suffice for the vast majority of people. The Oral-B daily clean mode cleans at 8,800 oscillations per minute and brushes away plaque very effectively.
Variant of the Vitality 100 series
Variant of the Vitality 100 series
In July 2018, Oral-B launched the ‘Vitality 100’ (some market brand it simply as Vitality D100, Vitality Plus or Pro 100). It is a revision upgrade to the Vitality series seen and reviewed in this article.
The difference between the new ‘Vitality 100’ and the older Vitality series are as follows:
- The Vitality 100 has a more modern look, with a 360 degree grip for comfort.
- The Vitality 100 has a built in 30 second pacer (quadpacer) that the older Vitality series does not have.
- The Vitality 100 has a NiMH battery that lasts 8 days on a full charged compared to the 5 days of the original Vitality.
- The Vitality 100 comes with either a Black, Blue, Pink or White rubber grip to the handle. Different coloured grip will bundled with different brush heads, and in some market, different numbers of brush heads.
- In the Australian packaging, it is branded as Oral-B Pro 100, and comes with an original travel case.
Vitality Replacement Brush Heads
The Oral-B vitality is compatible with all Oral-B brush heads. This includes although not limited to the following chart:
For details please refer to Oral-B replacement Brush Heads
AA battery operated DB4010 / DB4510
What is a Battery-Operated Toothbrush?
Those who want a dose of power but are weary of electric toothbrushes may like a battery-powered toothbrush (also known as a “battery power toothbrush” or a “battery-operated toothbrush”). Like electric toothbrushes, battery-powered toothbrushes are sometimes simply called “power toothbrushes” due to their use of a AA battery. While similar in design and cost to regular manual toothbrushes, battery-powered toothbrushes have just enough vibration to provide additional cleaning action.
In addition to those of manual toothbrushes, features include:
- Built-in AA battery that can be replaced in some models
- “On/Off” or “+/-“ button located on the handle
- Bristles or split brush heads specially designed to pulsate along with the vibrations
What is the difference between DB4010 and DB4510?
DB4010 comes in purple color and DB4510 comes in light blue color, they have similar features except DB4510 have the 2 Minutes reminder feature.
Why are there so many models that all look alike but with different names?
Oral-B have a very confusing branding, they brand the same product with different names in different market, so you may have the same AA battery operated product branded as Pro-Expert in USA, or Advanced Power in UK etc.
You just need to differentiate by the generic model number DB4010 and DB4510.
How long do batteries in an Oral-B battery powered toothbrush last?
Oral-B toothbrushes that use alkaline batteries, such as Pro-Health Clinical (Type 3744) brush, should last between 4 and 6 weeks on fresh batteries. The brushes are designed to be used for two minutes per brushing session, twice a day.
Note : Info obtained from oral-B official site
Battery vs. Rechargeable Electric Toothbrushes
The factors that might affect your decision to purchase a battery operated or rechargeable model include:
- The need to modify brushing technique: Proper brushing technique varies when using different kinds of toothbrushes. Battery-powered toothbrushes require you to provide all or most of the brushing action, moving the brush back and forth along all sides of your teeth and gums. In contrast, rechargeable electric toothbrushes provide the cleaning action while you need only guide it along all surfaces. Once they get the hang of it, many people find this method of brushing easier.
- The level of value in terms of features and benefits: Rechargeable electric toothbrushes tend to have a higher price value than battery-powered and regular manual toothbrushes. Keep in mind that they offer more health benefits and features. Battery-powered toothbrushes are usually only a few dollars more than ordinary manual toothbrushes.
- The ability to “test drive” an electric toothbrush: It’s understandable to want to test out a rechargeable electric toothbrush before buying a high-tech one for the first time. While your dental professional is the best person to ask for a recommendation, you may also consider some affordable, entry tier options. They’re ideal for people who are curious about giving an electric toothbrush a try but want a taste of what it’s like first.
DB40X0 is a 2D toothbrush
The Db40X0 uses a slightly inferior 2D oscillating rotating mechanism of action. This means that it only oscillates and rotates instead of oscillating, rotating and pulsating. The 2D mechanism of action will clean your teeth better than a regular manual toothbrush however not as well as the 3D.
Replacement brush heads
The replacement brush heads for DB4010 and DB4510 are the same as the oral-B electric toothbrush PRO, iBrush and Genius series, you can refer to Oral-B Replacement brush Heads
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