Helpful extra features make this brush one to try!

I recently received a Sonicare Essence E5300 Electric Toothbrush as a gift. I have been using it for about a week.

The toothbrush comes in a box with the electric toothbrush body; charging stand; one toothbrush head; a plastic stand for two toothbrush heads; and a plastic travel case. Also included was an instruction manual.

I first attempted to assemble the toothbrush without reading the instructions, but found the process confusing. Once I opened the instruction book, assembly was easy. My confusion stemmed from the fact that the charging base is so light-weight that I thought something was missing from it.

The toothbrush also does not fit tightly into the base, which creates the impression that there could be a missing piece. In fact, the toothbrush sits loosely in the stand, and you need to make sure the back of the toothbrush is in contact with the stand for it to fully charge. A soft green light lets you know that the toothbrush is properly positioned in the charger.

The first time you use the toothbrush, you must let it charge for several hours. The toothbrush also has a feature to ease you into using it. The first 14 times you use the toothbrush, it oscillates at a slower pace than its usual speed, and gradually becomes faster. This helps to acclimate sensitive gums to using an electric toothbrush. The toothbrush beeps twice when you turn it on to let you know this feature is activated. After the first 14 uses, the feature automatically de-activates.

The toothbrush head is surprisingly soft and small, which I liked very much. Unlike other electric toothbrushes I have used, the head on this one resembles a manual toothbrush, not one of the round brushes. The only discomfort I felt on the first use was tickling from the soft brush head on my gums. It did not take long to get used to this sensation.

Some of the best features of this toothbrush include:

-It automatically shuts off after 2 minutes to encourage brushing for the correct length of time.
-It is light and easy to travel with, especially with the included case. The brush also stays charged for at least 24 hours off its base.
-It is attractive sitting on a sink or counter.

Some of the worst features of this toothbrush include:

-Since the brush does not fit tightly in the charger, it is easy to accidentally knock it loose.
-The brush is particularly noisy and makes a constant high buzzing or whining sound. My cats love this sound and will literally follow me around when I am using the brush.
-Replacement heads are a bit pricey, at $25 for two.

Overall I would recommend this brush, although I do think my previous electric toothbrush with the more traditional round head gave me more of a "fresh from the dentist" feeling. The clean from this brush is more like the clean from using a manual toothbrush. This brush definitely does the job, and I appreciate that it is gentle on my gums. I look forward to being able to travel with it, as well.