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How long do Oral B toothbrush heads actually last?

Mitch Avatar By: Mitch | Last updated January 12, 2022

oral b toothbrush head


Every day, more and more people started to use electric toothbrushes over conventional ones. What used to be a gimmick in the world of consumer dental care has now slowly but surely become the norm. 

In response to the growing market, companies began to create features that would appeal to an even larger market. They make it rechargeable, easier to change the heads, and they even have an electric toothbrush with a mobile app now. 

But for all of the fancy features that people have grown accustomed to using over the years, there's still confusion regarding some standards usage. One of them is about when is the right time to change the heads. And you'll find the answer in this brief article.

Difference between Oral B and Sonicare electric toothbrush

When you browse around the internet for the best electric toothbrush, Oral B and Sonicare are the brands that always come up at the top of the most recommended list. But what is exactly the main difference between the two giant brands?

Oral B is an electric toothbrush brand from the parent company Procter and Gamble while Sonicare is owned by Phillips. Each brand has numerous models under its belt but most of them have largely similar features, style, and price points.

But the main difference that is relevant to the topic of this article is the different techniques used in their toothbrush heads. Oral-B used the tried and true Oscillating-rotating technique while Sonicare used the new and exciting Sonic technology. 

Both technologies are good at doing their job. As far as dental care goes, there's no one new technology that is way ahead of the competitors in terms of cleaning your teeth. As long as you brush your teeth with the proper technique and do it in a proper interval, then it doesn't matter which technology you choose, they're all good.

When do you need to change the toothbrush heads?

Both brands agree that around three or four-month after you first used the heads is the best time to replace it with a new one. If you purchase a higher-end model, it usually contains several replacement heads that are ready to use. Otherwise, you can easily find the best head replacement online. 

That being said, that time frame is more like a general guideline rather than a hard rule. It all still depends on how you use the toothbrush. If you use it too hard or too frequently, then you might need to replace it sooner than three months, and vice versa. 

Each brand usually has different toothbrush head designs for every dental need. But for the most part, as long as you use it regularly, then the time frame is still pretty much the same. Three or four months of regular usage, and you should replace it with a new one.

How do you know its time to change the electric toothbrush head?

The two brands have different ways of telling you when is the right time to change the heads. Oral B products are designed in such a way so that after three months of continuous use, the brush on the head would loosen up and the color would also look faded. 

Sonicare, on the other hand, has a technology called BrushSync. These features would do all sorts of useful things when you brush your teeth. One of which is to tell you when is the right time to change the brush heads, through its indicator light, based on how you use the toothbrush. 

Why you should regularly change the toothbrush heads

The main reason why you should regularly replace the heads of your electric toothbrush is simply for it to do its job perfectly. For normal use, brushing two times a day for two minutes each, the heads would usually get weary after three months.

The brush would loosen up and maybe even get bent. A brush in that terrible condition won't be able to effectively clean your teeth, no matter the technology used behind it or how impeccable your brushing technique is. 

That's why when the sign of deterioration has started to show itself, which is usually around three months, you should replace the old head with the new one.


Although Oral B and Sonicare use different technology for their electric toothbrush, when it comes to basic maintenance the same principle applies to both brands.

For the best result, you should replace your brush heads after three months of normal usage. That way, you would be able to use your toothbrush at its maximum capabilities all the time.