Stuff We Buy Ourselves: The Toothbrushes Our Editors Use Morning and Night

I feel slightly bad about this because I didn’t actually buy this toothbrush so much as I received it as a gift (I was using a Sonicare already that I got myself), but this is the toothbrush I use now because I prefer the way it feels in my hand. I also like that it takes up less counter space than the glass the Sonicare charges in. I wouldn’t say the features are much different than standard sonic toothbrushes, but it definitely beats a manual.

And, I like the suite of products in the Apa line (especially the white rinse, which cleans without hurting).

I know that I should be using a Sonicare, or really any electric toothbrush, but there’s a meditative quality to analog brushing that I don’t want to give up. I figure if I’m flossing, it’s all fine. I buy these SoFresh toothbrushes once every six weeks or so at a beauty pharmacy near my house, both because the bristles are downy-soft and because they come in excellent translucent colors. Most of my bathroom is white (white appliances, white tiles, white shower curtain), but these sit in a red-and-gold glass Moroccan tea cup, and it’s a satisfying pop of color on the sink. I brush with my fluoride-free Weleda toothpaste, to which I’m still loyal.

I used to think that all toothbrushes were more or less the same, that they all did their job just fine, even some of the non-Sonicare electric ones. Then I tried the actual Sonicare. To me, it’s the closest approximation to that thorough, just-back-from-the-dentist squeaky clean — even all the nooks and crannies feel professionally polished up. I left my Sonicare and its little carrying case home charging at my mom’s house when I last went home to visit (I’m still waiting for her to ship it back to me), so have been back to the ole manual ones for a bit. Now I can convincingly tell myself that not all toothbrushes are the same.

I’m going to be perfectly honest here: I use these Swiss Curaprox toothbrushes because I love they way they look.

They fit nicely in my little porcelain Muji toothbrush holder and the effect is really quite cheering in my otherwise dreary bathroom.

Maybe someday I’ll make the leap to a fancy electric toothbrush, but until that day comes, I’m perfectly content with the plastic toothbrushes from Preserve that I buy at Whole Foods. They’re made from recycled yogurt cups, and they can be further recycled, so I don’t feel guilty about putting more plastic into landfills when I replace it every couple of months.

I bought the Quip for the automatic brush-head refills. I know you’re supposed to change your toothbrush every three months to keep it from getting too grimy, but I’m notoriously bad at remembering to do things like that. With Quip’s (very millennial) solution of a refill subscription, I never have to think about changing my brush head until one shows up in the mail. I’ve never used an electric toothbrush before, and it’s definitely made me a more thorough brusher. The Quip vibrates for two minutes, buzzing every 30 seconds to remind you to move to a new mouth quadrant. The first time I used it, I thought it was broken because the first 30 seconds were way longer than I’d ever brushed my teeth for. Now it’s a twice-daily exercise in patience. I also like that it comes with a case that sticks to your mirror and can flip to become a toothbrush cover for when you’re traveling.

I feel like I’ve tested every trendy electric toothbrush out there — from the Goby to the quip to the Foreo — but ultimately none of them have convinced me to quit my reliable manual Oral-B toothbrush. It’s the same one my dentists used to give me in take-home kits, which is just about as good an endorsement as any. I’m loyal to the one with the smallest head, with soft bristles for my easily irritated gums, and a little rubber polishing cup to help gently polish your teeth. And because they’re so cheap, I just shop them in bulk and replace them when they get a little wonky or faded with use.

At night I use the Oral-B Professional Care Rechargeable Toothbrush but because I have limited patience with how long it takes for an entire cycle, I use a regular toothbrush (usually the free one from the dentist’s office) in the mornings because my logic is that my teeth don’t need as vigorous a brushing as after a long day of eating.