Brio SmartClean Electric Toothbrush Review

I have bad teeth, they're sensitive and yellowed. When I was a teenager (and younger) I didn't brush properly or regularly and as a result I have bad teeth now.

In my adult years though I've taken more care of my teeth, using dental floss, brushing properly, etc. I've always tried to brush for two minutes and inspect my teeth every morning. I'd been advised that using an electric toothbrush would be better. 

I'd never tried one so when I was offered the chance to review the Brio SmartClean Electric Toothbrush I gladly accepted.



I decided the best way to review the toothbrush was to keep a diary, writing down my thoughts about the brush.



15th April


First use of the Brio toothbrush.




I found it uncomfortable to use, I have sensitive teeth and the vibrations hurt. I turned the toothbrush onto "soft" mode and that was much better. I don't know if it's something I'll get used to or not.

While brushing my teeth the toothbrush would stop occasionally and then start again. It wasn't until the toothbrush stopped completely that I realised that was the timer.

On finishing brushing I wasn't sure it had done a better job than my regular toothbrush. I looked at my teeth in the mirror and didn't really notice much of a difference. However after I'd left the bathroom my teeth did feel cleaner. I wonder if this is because I wanted them to or because they actually were cleaner.



16th April


The vibrations are still bothering my teeth so I continued to use the "soft" mode. I don't think this is going to change, perhaps it's just because I have sensitive teeth.

I was able to use the timer properly today because I knew about it. Each time the vibrations stopped I changed which part of my teeth I was brushing.

Again when I was finished brushing my teeth felt clean but upon inspection I noticed there were some bits that needed cleaning again. 

I think I'm still learning how to use the electric toothbrush. It might sound strange but it's definitely different to using a regular toothbrush.



17th April


The vibrations didn't bother me as much today, it seemed easier to use. My teeth felt a lot cleaner and this time I didn't have to go back and clean them again after the timer had finished.

Each time the timer stops the vibrations I change which area of my mouth I'm cleaning. It feels like I'm doing a better job every time I use it. 



18th April


I'm pretty much used to it now. I can adjust my brushing when the timer goes. My teeth do feel a lot cleaner, even after eating breakfast.

I feel like the Brio SmartClean is now doing a better job than I would with my regular toothbrush. 






About the Sonic Brio


It looks like any other electric toothbrush, the heads are removable (obvs) and it has a button to turn it on and off. The brush heads are a little different when compared to the Oral B brush heads. The Oral B is a small round brush which I always thought wasn't quite big enough to clean teeth properly. The Brio SmartClean brush heads look just like a regular toothbrush, albeit a little smaller.

Near the base of the brush there are 4 lights; normal, soft, massage, and charge. These are the different modes you can use and they light up when in use.



Normal: In my opinion this mode has strong vibrations that are too much for me. However if you're used to using an electric toothbrush I imagine this is the one you'd use. 

Soft: This is the mode I use. I wonder if I'll get so used to it that eventually I'll be able to use the other modes.

Massage: The vibrations pulse. I'm not quite ready to try this out yet but will do eventually. When I tried it against my hand it felt like it would massage your gums and perhaps help lather the toothpaste when brushing.

You can purchase the Brio SmartClean electric toothbrush from Amazon for £52. A great price for an electric toothbrush.

You can also purchase replacement brush heads (comes in packs of 2) for £8.95.

My thoughts


When I started using the toothbrush I wasn't sure that it would make much of a difference. My teeth are yellow and I didn't think anything could make a difference to that. Now that I've been using the Brio SmartClean for a little more than a week I'm used to the timer and the vibrations, I find it easy to clean my teeth and they feel a lot cleaner every day. 

One thing I should mention is that the toothbrush doesn't have a standard UK plug at the moment. When I asked about this I was told there should be a version with a UK plug in 8-12 months. You can buy adapters and that's what I have. They are easy to use.

The guidelines say that after the initial 24 hour charge the battery should last for 6 weeks. We shall see.

After a week of using the Brio SmartClean there is definitely a difference in the look of my teeth. I didn't think it would happen but they're less yellow. It could be that I'm imagining it and that there's no difference but I really have noticed changes. When running my tongue across my teeth they feel clean, they're not rough like they used to be. I've enjoyed using the toothbrush and like the changes I've noticed.

One other thing I wanted to mention was don't ever catch your teeth on the hard side of the brush... it hurts!

I was sent the Brio SmartClean Electric Toothbrush free of charge in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.