Is the Philips sonicare 9900 prestige the ultimate travel companion?
While some brushes feature an oscillating and rotating head, others use multiple sonic pulses to separate the plaque from the teeth. As the name suggests, all the brushes in the bestselling Philips sonicare range use the latter. In layman's terms, this means the brush head moves rapidly from side to side over the surfaces of the teeth, while sonic vibrations have an agitating effect on the mixture of toothpaste and fluids in the mouth, which in turn helps to loosen plaque.
The 9900 prestige was the first electric toothbrush to combine this unique sonic approach with an app, run by Philips' Sense IQ technology. This provides real-time guidance on a number of criteria from duration and frequency, to pressure and position when brushing your teeth – and myriad brands have launched similar apps in the years since.
As someone who takes oral health seriously and treats dental care as a non-negotiable part of my daily routine, I'm always on the lookout for tools that actually make a difference. I've tested a wide range of electric toothbrushes over the years – from stain busters to the most premium models on the market – so I've developed a sharp sense of what genuinely improves the brushing experience. That's why I was especially curious to try the Philips sonicare 9900 prestige, a toothbrush that costs as much as a porcelain crown – but will it save you that kind of expense in the long run?
How I tested
I've spent several weeks testing this toothbrush in order to really put it through its paces. Here's what I looked out for.
Multiple testers: I'm an experienced electric toothbrush user and left my manual behind many years ago. So, I also enlisted the help of another tester who only recently started brushing their teeth with an electric. As a first-time user, I wanted to see how easy they got on with the Philips toothbrush, from the app to the brushing experience.
App: Each of us spent a month with the electric toothbrush to get used to the product's app, testing the real-time guidance while assessing the model on from everything from duration and frequency, to pressure and position when brushing our teeth.
Performance: Of course, the performance of the brush was all-important in testing. We wanted to notice any impact it had on our dental hygiene and how fresh and clean our mouths felt after brushing our teeth.
Battery: It's annoying have to constantly charge your toothbrush, so we both considered how long the battery actually lasted (the brand claims it has a battery life of 14 days when used twice a day for two minutes each time) and how long it took to re-charge.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Jon Axworthy is a writer with nearly three decades of experience. He has been contributing reviews to IndyBest since 2017, specialising in home, tech and garden. He applies the same rigorous testing approach to everything from grass strimmers to cordless drills and much more. Offering his honest opinions to help you find the best product, he's also reviewed countless electric toothbrushes, from Philips to Oral B.
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