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The 12 best electric toothbrushes of 2026, including Philips and Oral B
Choosing the best electric toothbrush could make a tangible difference to your general health as well as giving you a better smile. Research into brushing teeth found that gum disease can accelerate mental decline and good dental health could slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s. Dentists generally recommend brushing with an electric toothbrush over a manual model.
For this guide, I constantly test the latest electric toothbrushes from major names like Oral-B, Philips and Spotlight, as well as innovative contenders. I also keep an eye on the latest deals.
I tried value options starting at £40 RRP all the way up to £800 toothbrushes. Some have quite quirky features, including a 365-day battery life, antibacterial travel case and tongue cleaning settings.
You can find my full reviews further down, followed by some advice on how best to use them, plus Telegraph reader feedback on certain products. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our top five:
The best electric toothbrushes: At a glance
How to choose the best electric toothbrush
Rotating and oscillating are the two main types of toothbrushes, according to cosmetic dentist Dr. Tara Francis. “An oscillating toothbrush has bristles which oscillate or work by moving back and forth, similar to a pendulum, to help clean teeth and gums. A rotary toothbrush rotates and spins the bristles round and round.
“Some toothbrushes combine the two actions and are known as rotating-oscillating. This is my personal recommendation to patients and what I use. Other mechanisms of action include pulsing and sonic. Pulsing and sonic are additional features to a rotating, oscillating or rotating-oscillating brush.”
When it comes to sonic toothbrushes, you’re looking for any toothbrush that delivers more than 30,000 sonic vibrations per minute to encourage “fluid dynamic activity”: this is where the sonic waves massage the salivary glands, stimulating more saliva. The saliva binds with the water and toothpaste to act as a stronger cleaning agent. Combined with the sonic vibrations from the toothbrush, this helps to better remove plaque and clean harder-to-reach areas of the mouth.