The Philips Sonicare HX6982/10 is the latest and most advanced model to come from the Philips oral health brand. The toothbrush arrived with high expectations with the previous models, the Sonicare Excel and Sonicare Elite proving to be be excellent class leaders in their own time. Our expectations were fully met.

Fact :The Philips Sonicare is recommended worldwide by more dental professionals than any other sonic toothbrush Fact: Inspired by the sonic cleaning technology used in dental practices.

The set up of the unit is fairly simple and the instructions are excellent as should be expected of a toothbrush of this calibre.  Inside the box you can expect to find the following items:

1 Sonicare toothbrush

2 ProResults brush heads -one mini size and 1 standard size

1 UV sanitiser with integrated charger ; cord wrap and brush head storage

1 Travel charger 2 Hygenic travel caps 1 Luxury soft travel case 3 Additional colour code rings. 2 Year warranty Instructions

 

The toothbrush itself is considerably slimmer than the original Sonicare model and feels lighter and well adapted to the hand.  Sonicare appears to have listened to patients and altered the design of the heads to make them cheaper and slimmer than the previous models.  Although sharing heads on the same handle would not be considered ideal sonicare have now provided the unit with colour coded rings to distinguish the otherwise similar heads from each other.  The heads are snapped on and off unlike on the previous models whereby the heads where screwed on and off. Sonicare claims that the flexcare is more efficient at bacteria removal than even the outgoing elite but certainly the heads do appear to be cheaper to purchase. One should be careful here as the old Elite heads were claimed to last 6 months whereas the heads on the flexcare are to be changed every 3 months.

Unlike the rotary and pulsating movements seen on the most Oral B toothbrushes the Sonicare Flexcare uses a very rapid sweeping motion. This motion is so fast taht it can only be seen effectively by the naked eye when slowed down with a strobe.  It is in the motion that lies the secret of Sonicare's success. Bacteria are swept away by the bristles leaving teeth squeaky clean and with time gums healthier and teeth whiter.  Our own tests show that the flexcare (like the elite and excel) led to a significant decrease in bleeding gums and whiter teeth.

The flexcare HX6982/10 comes with 3 cleaning modes and 2 routine modes in an effort to redefine cleaning. The 3 modes  are clean, sensitive and massage whilst the 2 routines are Go Care and Max Care.  Max care for when you have a lot of time and Go Care for when you don't.  The modes are easily selectable.

Go Care's routine lasts only 1 minute and is designed for occasional use when a minutes brushing  is better than none at all - tests also show that this minute brush removes more plaque than a manual brush

 The UV or ultra violet sanitiser is designed to help eliminate germs on your brush head prior to use.  Bacteria can be harboured on the brush heads and can pose a theoretical rsk to the user.  One has to remember that a toothbrush can often be exposed to aerosol spray from showers and toilets. Although the sanitiser will not eliminate every bug it is designed to reduce them to a much more acceptable level.

Sonicare Flexcare now comes with a newly designed head.  The Pro Result head has an angled neck and provides increased conerage and a superior deep clean in even the hardest to reach places.  The brush head is said to be safe and gentle for use on orthodontic braces, around implants and veneers and sensitive teeth.

Other useful funtions on this unit are the smartimer - a two minute timer that helps ensure that the professional recommended time for brushing is adhered too. The quadpacer interval timer encourages thorough brushing of each quadrant of your mouth by indicating when you should be moving to the next area.

The unit comes with a handy multi travel charger so you can take your favourite toothbrush on holiday with you and a luxury soft travel case.  The deluxe power capacity guage has dual colour lights - green lights track the battery capacity whils the yellow light signals when to recharge.  This is very useful if like myself you prefer only to have the toothbrush in the bathroom.

I hope that this review has been useful.  Philips do offer a 28 day 100% satisfied or a full refund guarantee but we believe that you are more likely to be delighted and purchase a second unit for the spouse!

This item can be purchased from our online shop