Considering the switch from a manual toothbrush to electric? The Oral-B Pro 1000 is an excellent electric toothbrush for first-timers. In this review, we’ll explain the Oral-B Pro 1000’s features, what makes it different from other electric toothbrushes, and why it’s particularly good for first-time electric toothbrush users. 

At only $50, the Oral-B Pro 1000 is much cheaper than most of Oral-B’s other electric toothbrush models, as well as many other electric toothbrush brands. This price makes the Oral-B Pro 1000 attractive, especially for first-time users, because you can get the superior clean of an electric toothbrush without paying hundreds. However, the price also means this toothbrush has fewer features than more expensive models may have.

Two minute timer

Pressure sensor

One brush mode

Rechargeable

Reasonable price

Choice between black or white

Bristles angled to surround each tooth

Interchangeable brush heads

Soft bristles

Low battery light

If you’re looking for bells and whistles, like an app-enabled electric toothbrush that tracks your brushing, or an electric toothbrush with several different brushing modes to choose from, this isn’t the electric toothbrush for you. The Oral-B Pro 1000 is a bare-bones electric toothbrush, without many extra features but still powerful and designed to hug each tooth as it spins. 

However, the Oral-B Pro 1000 does have important, core features of an electric toothbrush. A two minute timer pulses every 30 seconds to remind you to cover each section of your mouth; a pressure sensor stops the toothbrush from spinning when you’re brushing too hard; and a warning light tells you when the toothbrush needs to be charged. Because it has all the core features of a good electric toothbrush and comes at such a reasonable price, we’d recommend the Oral-B Pro 1000 to anyone making the switch from a manual toothbrush or anyone who wants a cheaper electric toothbrush without the fancy features. 

If you’re not sure the Oral-B Pro 1000 is for you, take a look at our guide to the best electric toothbrushes for lots more options. 

Oral B Pro 1000 review: Design

The Oral-B Pro 1000 has a very simple design. It looks exactly like you’d expect an electric toothbrush to, with a bulky body, one button to turn the toothbrush on and off, and an interchangeable toothbrush head. The brush head is round, with criss-crossing bristles. 

You can get the Oral-B Pro 1000 in either black or white. As this is a basic model, the Oral-B Pro 1000 does not come with any additional brush heads or a travel case, which is slightly disappointing. However, you can change out the brush head with other Oral-B models, including: CrossAction, FlossAction, Precision Clean, 3D Whitee, Sensitive Gum Care, Deep Sweep, and Dual Clean. This means you have a wide range of options when it comes to buying replacement heads, and can pick those that are on offer if you prefer. Travel cases are also available fairly cheaply too.

Oral B Pro 1000 review: Functionality

Because the Oral-B Pro 1000 is so simple, it’s very easy to use. This toothbrush has only one brushing mode, Daily Clean, which rotates to break up plaque. When you press the power button, the toothbrush will turn on in this mode and pulse every 30 seconds to tell you when to move to a new section of your mouth. Although the toothbrush has a built-in two minute timer, it does not turn off unless you turn it off yourself, unlike other brands such as the Spotlight Oral Care Sonic Toothbrush.

To charge, you simply place the toothbrush on the included charger. A light will blink on the Oral-B Pro 1000 until the toothbrush is fully charged, and then the light will turn off. 

The user guide says that the Oral-B Pro 1000 takes 22 hours to fully charge. We found it to be only slightly shorter. After depleting the battery fully, it took 20.5 hours for the Oral-B Pro 1000 to become fully charged. Running constantly, a full battery ran out in less than an hour. According to the user guide, a full charge should last 10 days of brushing twice a day without needing to be recharged. 

• Related: How to use an electric toothbrush

Oral B Pro 1000 review: Performance

We tested the Oral-B Pro 1000 for multiple days, testing how well it cleans your teeth, how the pressure sensor works, the waterproof claim and how loud it is.

Our tester was a first-time electric toothbrush user, switching from a manual brush to the Oral-B Pro 1000. At first, the Oral-B Pro 1000 made her gums bleed, but the toothbrush’s guide said to expect this if you haven’t used electric toothbrushes before. As the guide said it would, the bleeding stopped after a few days and our tester could clearly feel that her teeth were smoother and cleaner than they were before. 

However, the toothbrush was quite loud, registering at 89 decibels, which is roughly as loud as heavy traffic. It is important to note that our tester lives in New York City, where she registered the background noise to be at 50 decibels, which is roughly as loud as the hum of a refrigerator. 

Given that the Oral-B Pro 1000 claims to be waterproof, we submerged it under water for a full two minute brush cycle. True to its claim, the toothbrush worked perfectly after having been under water. Similarly, the pressure sensor did as it said it would and turned the spinning brush head off when our tester pushed it into her teeth. 

Oral B Pro 1000 review: What’s good about it?

The Oral-B Pro 1000 has everything you’d want in a basic electric toothbrush. It’s easy to operate and easy to charge, and tells you how long to brush and when the battery needs charging. 

What we especially like about this model is the ability to use other Oral-B brush heads, so you can choose the focus of your brush — from brush heads for sensitive teeth to charcoal brush heads. 

Finally, of course, one of the great things about the Oral-B Pro 1000 is its price. With the Oral-B Pro 1000, you can get a quality electric toothbrush at a reasonable cost. 

Oral B Pro 1000 review: What’s not so good about it?

The Oral-B Pro 1000 is a basic electric toothbrush, so it won’t be what you’re looking for if you want something fancier, like a smart toothbrush that connects to an app on your phone. 

Other than being bare-bones, you might dislike this electric toothbrush if loud noises bother you, as this one is louder than some other models. The design of this toothbrush is also basic and limited, with only two colors (black and white) to choose from. Unlike some other electric toothbrushes, the Oral-B Pro 1000 doesn’t come with extras like a travel case or multiple brush heads either. 

Oral B Pro 1000 review: User reviews

The Oral-B Pro 1000 has excellent reviews: 4.5 stars on Oral-B’s website and 4.7 stars on Amazon, both ratings out of five. People who like this toothbrush say that they can notice a difference in the cleanliness of their teeth within a few weeks. Many people call out the pressure sensor and the 30-second pulses that remind you to brush a different part of your mouth as features they like. 

One reviewer who said she always has cavities at the dentist wrote: “I went in today and have no cavities! If you struggle with cavities even though you think you’re doing everything right, this toothbrush is so worth it.” 

Reviewers who didn’t like the toothbrush mention problems with the battery, disliking how long it takes to charge, and the speed of the vibrations. “The motor is extremely violent, like brushing with a small engine lawn mower or jack hammer,” a reviewer who gave the toothbrush one star wrote. 

Should you buy the Oral B Pro 1000?

If you’d like to try an electric toothbrush for the first time after switching from manual, the Oral-B Pro 1000 is a good place to start. It’s cheap enough, but also powerful enough to see if electric toothbrushes are right for you.  

If this product isn’t for you

For people who are looking for something with a few more features, we’d recommend looking at the Oral-B Genius X, which has six modes of vibration for the brush head, a sleek design, and can be connected to a smart phone app to track your brushing. 

If you want a quieter toothbrush, consider a sonic version like the Hum by Colgate, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000, or the Foreo ISSA 3. An electric toothbrush is considered sonic if it vibrates at a rate of at least 31,000 strokes per minute. These toothbrushes tend to be quieter and claim to be more effective than regular electric toothbrushes. 

Kasandra Brabaw

Live Science Contributor

Kasandra Brabaw is a freelance science writer who covers space, health and psychology. She has a bachelor’s degree in science and a bachelor’s degree of arts from the University of Syracuse; she completed her master’s of arts degree in journalism at Syracuse University in 2014. In addition to writing for Live Science and our sister site Space.com, Kasandra has written for Prevention, Women’s Health, SELF and other health publications. She has also worked with academics to edit books written for popular audiences.

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