Philips HealthyWhite Sonic Toothbrush Review

Do you brush your teeth for as long as you’re supposed to? This is a question you might not think of asking yourself unless you’re sitting in front of your dentist, but, for the sake of your teeth, it’s one you should really answer. I thought I was brushing long enough, but after using the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite Sonic toothbrush, I am sort of surprised to say that I am not.

Not only has this brush shown me that I’m not brushing long enough, but it has brushed so thoroughly that every day my teeth feel as clean as if I’d just been to the dentist. If you’re looking for a new way to whiten your smile, keep your teeth clean, and stay clear of cavities, you absolutely have to try the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite Sonic toothbrush.

Here’s how it works and what I thought of the Philips Sonicare.

Appearance and features of Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite Sonic toothbrush

Philips HealthyWhite Toothbrush modes

The Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite Sonic toothbrush that I received to review is a pink and white toothbrush with two modes: Clean and Clean & White (you’ll also find other colours and styles of Philips toothbrushes at Best Buy!). The toothbrush charges on a base you plug into the wall, and it’s powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Here are some of its main features:

  • Reaches 2 times more plaque than a manual toothbrush
  • Brush head is angled so it reaches into the back of your mouth
  • Easy start program will adapt your teeth to Sonicare’s deep cleaning by increasing power over a 14 day period
  • Clean mode runs for 2 minutes, while Clean & White mode runs for 2 minutes plus 30 seconds for whitening
  • Battery charge lasts for 3 weeks without recharging
  • Quadpacer mode tells you when to shift the brush
  • Gives you a noticeably white smile in two weeks

To set up the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite, all you have to do is plug it in. The charge light will glow at the bottom of the brush until it no longer requires a charge. Because you don’t need to charge it more once every three weeks, you don’t have to leave it on the charge stand for storage.

This toothbrush doesn’t run loud, but you can tell it’s pretty powerful before you even touch your teeth. It has a quiet hum at one level in Clean mode and adds a bit of kick in Clean & White mode.

What’s it like to brush your teeth with Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite

Philips HealthyWhite Sonic toothbrush

If you’ve never tried an electric toothbrush, you’re going to find that the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite Sonic toothbrush gives an intense first impression. My teeth haven’t felt this clean since I last went the the dentist, and it’s completely amazing to be able to have that experience twice a day.
To work as well as it does, the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite has a few great features.

You just need two minutes

Philips HealthyWhite Sonic

The dentist always tells me I need to brush longer. I honestly thought I was. It’s hard to gauge how long two minutes is unless you’re actually timing yourself, and when I’m tired in the morning or at night, I’m not one to pull out my phone and time how long I’m brushing my teeth.

With a Philips Sonicare toothbrush, there’s no guesswork because it has a timer built in. At the end of your cleaning session, the brush turns off.

The reason why this toothbrush can remove plaque is due to the 62,000 sonic brush movements per minute. Philips says that the speedy movement of the brush creates microbubbles that reach deeper into your teeth and gum lines.

The first time I put the Philips Sonicare to my teeth I was shocked. It felt very similar to what you’d experience at the dentist when they are doing sonic scaling. It’s very easy to clean your back teeth and gums with it because the brush head is angled.

Although it’s extremely powerful, it doesn’t hurt to use this toothbrush. I ran it back and forth over my gums in Clean mode and I didn’t experience any bleeding from the pressure.

Know when to switch positions with Quadpacer

Philips HealthyWhite

How do you know if you’ve brushed one spot enough? Philips Sonicare makes it easy with Quadpacer. The brush beeps at 30 second intervals so you know when to switch from the inside of your teeth to the outside or from the top to the bottom.

This is such a great feature. I’m a mindless brusher. I always have something else going on inside my head, so I don’t always switch around effectively. When this toothbrush beeped, I clued in that I should probably move the brush. It makes you aware about what you’re doing, and because you’re aware you brush more effectively.

Brush with Clean & White mode

Philips HealthyWhite review

You can brush with Clean mode anytime, but if you really want to see a difference in how white your teeth are, you use Clean & White mode. With Clean & White mode your toothbrush will run for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and that last 30 seconds concentrates on whitening your teeth.

To ease your gums and teeth into a vigorous cleaning schedule, the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite will gradually increase the intensity of your brush. It does this over a two week period, and by the time you’ve used it for two weeks you’ll have noticeably whiter teeth.

I’ve been using it for one week and I can notice a difference. I don’t have stains on my teeth that I would be trying to brush away, but I can tell they are much whiter. I’m really interested in how white they will be in a month.

Philips Sonic app

Philips Sonicare app

Philips also has additional toothbrushes in their lineup, and two of them are compatible with the Philips app. The Philips DiamondClean Sonicare toothbrush lineup has smart sensor technology, and these brushes will actually track your tooth brushing in real time and alert you via the app to any missed spots.

Overall thoughts on the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite toothbrush

I’ve had an electric toothbrush before, but this really is a different experience. My teeth feel so clean, and I can’t even begin to describe how amazing that is. My gums aren’t bleeding from the pressure, and you can head off to bed or out in the morning knowing your teeth have been scrubbed exactly in the way your dentist would approve of. You also know that you’ve brushed them for long enough.

I love this toothbrush so much I’m going to get one for my kids. Once you try it you just know it’s going to save you on dental bills, and any toothbrush that can do that is my all time favourite.

You can find the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite electric toothbrush and other Philips electric toothbrushes on Best Buy right now.

Shelly Wutke
Editor TV & Home Theatre
I'm a Vancouver freelancer and tech enthusiast. When I'm not writing you'll find me on my farm with my alpacas, chickens, and honeybees. Visit my website Survivemag