Taking care of your child’s health is obviously one of your biggest priorities, but taking care of their dental health may not be as high on your priority list. After all, especially when your child still only has their baby teeth, it may seem like there is no more to it than making sure they brush their teeth before bed and doing a touch-up job if you need to. Unfortunately, it is a little more complicated than that – oral health is incredibly important for children, and keeping plaque and bacteria away from their teeth and gums needs to be a priority!

This can be difficult to accomplish with children, especially as it can be difficult to make sure that they brush properly or brush long enough. Adding an electric toothbrush made specifically for children (adult ones are often far too strong and/or complicated for them to be safe for a child to use) is one excellent way to make sure that you are doing everything possible to keep your child’s teeth healthy.

This article will compare three of the leading electric toothbrushes for children in order to help you make a decision about the product that is the best fit for you and your family.

Philips Sonicare ‘For Kids’ Rechargeable Sonic

Philips is one of the most trusted names in dental care, and for good reason! Their ‘For Kids’ electric toothbrush sells for a suggested $69.99, though you can get it for up to $20 off on Amazon.

It has many features that are present especially for children. The toothbrush itself is available in several bright colors, and has interchangeable panels that allow for individual customization! One of the best parental features included is the ergonomic handle that allows parents to brush their child’s teeth with the child also holding on to the handle.

The Sonicare ‘For Kids’ goes above and beyond with transitioning children into the use of an electric toothbrush, as it includes a ‘KidTimer’ that slowly increases brushing time over a period of 90 days until it reaches the 2-minute mark recommended by most dentists. A ‘Kid Pacer’ is another added feature that uses fun sounds to help children pace their toothbrushing throughout the two minutes. The toothbrush stops automatically, so there is no need for a parent to be watching the clock! Lastly, the toothbrush also has two different power modes – a softer one that can be used by children four and older as well as a slightly faster mode for children over seven.

Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.

Oral-B Pro-Health ‘For Me’ Rechargeable Power

Oral-B is the number one recommended toothbrush brand worldwide. This model is targeted at children over the age of eight, and comes in two colors. Each unit sells for around $30 if you pick it up from Amazon, and comes with two Sensitive Clean toothbrush heads that are specially designed for the users’ smaller mouths. Other Oral-B brush heads are interchangeable with the body of this toothbrush, but the smaller ones included are often better for the care of orthodontics. All of the brush heads are made with Indicator Bristles that indicate when 3 months (the recommended life of a brush head) have passed.

The interface is very simple – one button turns the toothbrush on, and another turns it off. The ‘For Me’ brush is rechargeable, and only uses a small base for charging – meaning that it will not add to the clutter on your pre-teen’s bathroom counter. A simple two-minute timer is another added feature that works to improve your child’s dental care routine, as the toothbrush automatically turns off after the two minutes have passed. Some users have found that the single speed provided on this toothbrush may be too fast for those who are not used to using an electric toothbrush.

Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.

Oral-B Pro-Health Stages Power

(various children’s designs available, including: Cars, Disney Princesses, Monster’s Inc. etc.)

Aside from their toothbrush targeted at pre-teens, Oral-B also offers a simpler design that is much easier on the gums for their younger clients (targeted at children ages 3 and up). This toothbrush retails for the very low price of just over $6 on Amazon.com. With this much lower price comes much simpler offerings. This toothbrush is designed to appeal to children, and the designs are fun and often feature beloved characters from popular children’s movies. The brand also offers matching toothpaste – definitely a gimmick, but it may help to increase your child’s interest in toothbrushing!

The features themselves are very basic – a rotating head allows for some extra power when removing plaque and bacteria from between teeth and gums. The brush has been modified to include some raised centre-row bristles that are able to better fit between teeth and into chewing surfaces for an extra level of attention to detail when brushing. The toothbrush’s handle has also been ergonomically designed for children’s small hands. Unfortunately, the head and bristles cannot be replaced, meaning that these toothbrush will need to be re-purchased once every three months.

Click here to see pricing, ratings, and reviews on Amazon.com.

So, which should you buy?

In the end, these three options really are not in the same league and so your individual family’s needs are going to be what dictate your purchase.

Obviously the Philips Sonicare ‘For Kids’ electric toothbrush is the top-of-the-line option, offering you an abundance of features to improve and maintain your child’s oral health.

The Oral-B options are obviously divided by age, making comparisons between the two difficult – the low price of the Pro-Health Stages toothbrush is definitely attractive, and children will love the designs. The two-minute timer on the ‘For Me’ Pulsar toothbrush is an excellent way for preteens to exercise some autonomy over their own toothbrushing routine while still ensuring that they brush properly!

While the Philips Sonicare is the best option on the market, the more budget-friendly options will still be a significant improvement over the classic manual toothbrushes – your kids may not thank you for it now, but they will when they have excellent dental hygiene habits and healthy teeth and gums in the future!