POSTED BY

Joel Johnson

AT 12:28 PM
Wednesday September 26, 2007

Health and Vice

dental care • hygiene • toothbrush • ultrasonic • ultrasound • ultreo

Ultreo Ultrasound Toothbrush Review (Verdict: Not Recommended)

ultreo.jpgThe Ultreo ultrasound toothbrush is positioned against the popular Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush. Unlike its rival, the Ultreo actually uses ultrasonic waves to loosen plaque and kill bacteria. The Sonicare, on the other hand, simply moves its bristles at a very quick pace.

I've been using an Ultreo for a few weeks in addition to my Sonicare Elite—"in addition to" because I have yet to discover how to get the same feeling of clean I get from my Sonicare with the Ultreo.

It could be because my mouth is too small. The Ultreo's brush head has a tiny ultrasound transducer inside which provides the cleaning action. It doesn't make for a huge brush head, but because the Ultreo's ultrasound only works when it is vibrating bubbles from your saliva, toothpaste, and water, I suspect that at certain teeth I'm not able to get the head at just the right angle while maintaining some "mouth juice" in between it and my teeth.

It's not been for lack of trying. The Ultreo, like the Sonicare, gives chirps every thirty seconds after its been turned on, marking out two minutes for you to brush all four quadrants of your mouth. I'd usually go rinse my mouth out, run my tongue along my teeth to find any rough spots, then give it another go. In a few spots I'd hold the Ultreo directly to the tooth and wait for its ultrasonic waves to shear off my tooth scum—no dice.

The "waveguide" portion of the head, which is used to channel the ultrasonic waves into the bubbles to produces the cleaning action, tends to squeak against my teeth when brushing if I'm not too careful.

The Ultreo is sold in a simple but attractive package, including a charger and a basic mobile case, but I can't recommend it over the Sonicare Elite series brushes. If you happen to be one of those who find the Sonicare too harsh or have problems with receding gums, the Ultreo might be a better option; its brushing action is far more gentle.

One final thing: Ultreo claims that its $160 brush will whiten teeth over time. I actually did see a noticeable amount of whitening over the first week, when I used the Ultreo exclusively. That's worth something, although perhaps not $160.

The Ultreo is available primarily from dentists but is also sold at Amazon.

Product Page [Ultreo.com]

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12 Comments

dculberson

#1 – 12:41 PM September 26, 2007

Mouth Juice! Ew! ;-)

Thanks for the review.. I use a Braun Oral B 3D Excel and have been happy with it. The handle is nice and slim. It doesn't beep - instead it pulses off-on a few times after two minutes. I knocked my wife's off a shelf in the shower and it landed head down in the tub. The housing cracked but it still worked for a few weeks, until moisture apparently killed it. They do manage to get the nice, clean feeling on my teeth, though!

My only real complaint is the brush cost.

Tubman

#2 – 2:30 PM September 26, 2007

Is it just personal hygiene products that get reviewed in the style of Patrick Bateman, or do you do music too? ;-)

Joel Johnson

#3 – 3:49 PM September 26, 2007

I get the reference, but don't quite understand what you mean. Phil Collins is highly underrated, though.

Anonymous Anonymous

#4 – 4:28 AM September 27, 2007

In a lab, sonic dessication is used to kill bacteria. If this device truly uses sonic waves, then it's primary effectiveness is going to be seen in the death of the bacteria that creates plaque. It wont necessarily be effective at breaking that plaque up (i.e. that feeling you associate with being clean might not happen). However that doesn't meant that your mouth isn't clean.

Anonymous Anonymous

#5 – 11:50 PM October 31, 2007

I've been using the Ultreo for 4 months, ever since I lost my Sonicare Elite. After the first use of Ultreo, I did get that ultra after-dentist clean feeling and have been sold ever since. I'm sorry to hear you haven't been able to get the same results :( The proof for me was in my last dentist visit, just a month of using Ultreo. I had almost no plaque and very little tartar. The cleaning went by so quick that the hygienist asked me what I have been doing differently, because she could not recommend I concentrate brushing or flossing in any area. At my next dentist visit I'll have been using Ultreo for the full 6 months and my goal is to have no tartar or plaque. I'm still feeling dentist-clean after 4 months of use!!! I sometimes even put some listerine in my mouth, and brush with Ultreo. That's some great mouth juice for the ultrasound waves! haha!

-Rick from Seattle

jakouye

#6 – 10:50 AM May 2, 2008

For me it is a great product, clearly I did not do a double blind test but subjectively it seems to remove daily "soft plaque" much better than sonic type brushes. I am wondering whether those who had bad experience are either:

1) naive users who expect to feel some brush action (clearly there is very little), I get the feeling the bristles are just there to keep the transducer at the right distance from the teeth and keep some moisture trapped between the tooth and the transducer so that the sound waves can be carried.

2) lackeys of the incumbents :)

Anyhow again the product feels like a quantum leap for me and I suffer from very fast plaque buildup I need to go to the dentist every 3 months. I will post more after a few visit to my hygienist

Anonymous Anonymous

#7 – 8:23 AM May 30, 2008

The Ultreo toothbrush is amazing. It is easy to use, keeps my teeth and gums healthy. I can actually feel the clean difference using this tooth brush. You have to try this to experience how clean and healthy your teeth can be. Every time I use it my teeth look like and feel they have been professionally cleaned at the dentist office. I am just waiting for my next check up from the dentist..I am sure they will be amazed at the difference. If you have a problem with plaque build up by using Ultreo it will be a thing of the past. Great product!! I am buying one for my sister, my Aunt and suggesting this to friends. The best price is at www.realtoothbrushdeals.com. $116.99 Retail is $169.99. I will use the saving for gas money!!!!!

Anonymous Anonymous

#8 – 6:10 PM September 25, 2008

Best of all it is easy to keep clean...no slime or mold or gunk which grosses me out with the sonicare and oral-b

Anonymous Anonymous

#9 – 12:00 PM November 18, 2008

I have been using Ultreo for 8 or 9 months and just had my best check up ever from my hygienist. I had very little plaque build up and my #'s were all 1 or 2. I always loved my Sonicare and still use it once in awhile but I am sold on Ultreo.

Anonymous Anonymous

#10 – 1:34 PM January 20, 2009

Please be aware that the manufacturer of the Ultreo went out of business and ceased operations last month.

Anonymous Anonymous

#11 – 1:49 PM August 12, 2009

I have been using my Ultreo for quite a long time now (I can't recall exactly when I started). After using the brush for a few months, I went to the dentist for my regular checkup and cleaning. The hygenist, after prodding and poking for a few minutes, said that she was done and that I had no plaque/buildup on my teeth except for a very small patch in the very back on one side. She recommended I change my appointments from every six months to once a year, as my teeth no longer required a cleaning after only six months - what great news! One note: My dentist said that using these types of toothbrushes can cause gums to receed faster than normal, so he suggested I only use it once a day (which I now do, in the evenings). He also said not to put any pressure on the brush against the teeth like you do with a regular toothbrush - just lightly run the brush over the surface of the teeth, which is all that is required since the brush is doing the scrubbing/cleaning, not you.

dr budning

#12 – 9:33 AM September 8, 2009

unfortunatly ultreo is now bankrupt a victim of the recession as a dentist i recommend the sonicare at this time as the best on the market

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