Express Power Toothbrush

I read all the reviews, and thought this would be an awesome product to help with my fight against periodontal disease. When I tried to use the brush, you have to bite down as the brush is rotating! I felt as if it was going to chip my teeth, it really freaked me out, I sent it back immediately. I was very disappointed in the product, and lost money when I had to send it back. Think long and hard before you purchse this product.

A 01/14/09 update: WOW, then WHOA, now NOOOOOOO!As you'll see from my original review (below), while I had some reservations about the design of the Hydrabrush I was overjoyed with the brushing experience. NOT SO FAST!I guess I was carried away by the clean feeling I was getting using the brush: I delayed my regular dental cleaning. Yesterday, overdue, I had my checkup. I mentioned the Hydrabrush to my hygienist (she had never heard of it), and told her I was looking forward to her report card on how well it (and I) had done. Two words: WE FAILED! Despite regular brushing, flossing, and use of a Water Pik, I had an unacceptable buildup of tartar. Her take? "Whatever you've been doing, it isn't working!"Disappointed, I asked her if she had any recommendations. She said her whole family loves the "Sonicare." "Buy the cheap one: aside from a few features they all brush the same."So I came home, logged on to Amazon.com, and ordered a new "Sonicare" for just over $50.I'm tossing the Hydrabrush, writing it off as a failed experiment. Sorry.================================I'm of two minds about the Hydrabrush. First...it DOES work. My teeth have never been cleaner. I won't mention the brand name, but there's a baking soda toothpaste with peroxide for whitening on the market. Using it with the Hydrabrush makes my teeth feel as clean as after a trip to the dentist's office.But..BUT...There are some serious drawbacks.After owning it for about six months I decided to give the extra reach brushes a try, and ordered several just to have them on hand. Good thinking! Three days after installing the first set I was brushing when I felt something rolling around inside my mouth. I thought, "How could I have lost a filling?" But on closer examination a tuft of bristles had come off the brush head.I put on the seoond set--which lasted a week. Third set--less than a week. I'm on my fourth (and last) set before I switch back to the shorter brushes.Trust me, I did nothing wrong: I wasn't biting down, I didn't twist the brush, I folllowed the countours of my mouth: the bristles just worked loose. Disappointing.Also, the stand isn't a charger and the charger doesn't work well with the stand. Why not have a one-piece stand that constantly recharges the device? The "stand" provided is a 10-cent piece of plastic designed to keep the unit upright. Trying to plug the adapter into the brush while it's in the stand is more than my 61-year-old fingers can handle And when the Hydrabrush runs out of charge IT RUNS OUT OF CHARGE! It goes from running to dead in thirty seconds with no warning. A trickle-charger would be a blessing.I'm wondering if there isn't a next-generation brush in the works. The concept is great. I can overlook the vibrates-like-an-egg-beater, sounds-like-a-food-chopper feel, but the brush problem and the lack of an intelligently designed charger make me wish for a little more development.A five-star idea with one-star execution: two stars.

This is very easy to use. It is fast. I haven't gone to the dentist yet, but my teeth seem to be getting very clean. My gums were quite sore the first week, but now after a month, I have no bleeding so I guess my gums are stronger now.

I've used the HydraBrush for ten months now and originally bought it because it looked like a toothbrush I used fifteen years ago that brushed both sides of your tooth at once...I really liked that toothbrush, but could never find another one.Here's my bullet list of points to consider:POS - I use it regularly. I would often skip brushing my teeth when I knew I really should just because I was in a hurry or tired or whatever. The HydraBrush cuts your brushing time by 75%. You are literally done in under a minute. I brush my teeth a lot more often now which, if you are lazy like me, is a huge plus to your dental health.POS - It is still working without any problems.POS - My teeth do feel cleaner than with either the $100+ Sonicare or the $80 Braun that I also have.POS - The HydraBrush comes with both sizes of brush heads so you can see which works best for you. I use the extra long, regular brush heads and have had no problem with them. The first day or two my gums were feeling the abrasions, but it stopped quickly.NEG - The build style seems to be the best the 80s had to offer. I'm not sure of any other way to describe it than that -- it just appears to be a design that would have looked and seemed great in the 80s. It is bulky. You have to charge it with a plug in type AC adapter. It has a manual flip-switch to turn it off and on. The Sonicare and Braun are light-years in front here and much more pleasant to use.NEG - You cannot get it wet. Huge minus for me. They provide a little rubber collar to keep water from dripping down the case while you are using it ... mine split after two days. Doesn't seem to be necessary unless you drool though. I like to brush my teeth in the shower in the morning to save time and help me wake up...can't do it with the HydraBrush. I use my Braun instead.NEG - Lousy recharging system. You have to plug it in via an AC adapter. The Sonicare and Braun have charging bases that you just drop the brush into...they are far more convenient than the HydraBrush. This is a huge negative in my opinion.NEG - Base is useless. Doesn't work with the charging cord as another reviewer pointed out. The company needs to buy a Sonicare to see what a base should be like.POS/NEG - I'm not sure how well this is really cleaning my teeth. It definitely cleans the large surfaces better, but the Sonicare and Braun advertise about how their fifteen zillion vibrations per millisecond vaporize plaque at the gum line, between teeth, etc. I'm not sure if this HyrdaBrush is really getting to those places with its totally different style. To be safe, I use the Braun also and alternate between the two.I will try to regularly check this review for comments to answer any questions anyone may have.