Conair Interplak Rechargeable Power Toothbrush

This review is long overdue. I am a retired dentist who practiced for 38 years. The Interplak Toothbrush is by far the best toothbrush on the market. I have been recommending it to my patients since the early 90s and I know that those who purchased it and used it the way I recommend, have saved thousands of dollars in dental bills. My former hygienist would also concur. And yes, the current model is not nearly as robust as the original and breaks down more readily. Let me address the competition first. For a number of years, I offered the Braun-Oral B through my practice. But I started seeing an alarming pattern in the condition of their teeth and gums. Over time, especially if they were zealous brushers, their gums would recede and there would be telltale notches in their root surfaces. It is just too aggressive. I got so good at recognizing this that I could accurately guess whether a new patient was using the Oral B or not. The Sonicaire is better in that it will not damage your teeth or gums but it is not as effective in cleaning as the Interplak. Again my hygienist would agree. That brings us to the Interplak. Let me make a few recommendations. First, never use toothpaste! It will only gum up the cheap gear housing. You really don't need to use anything. It is the friction of the bristles that removes the sticky biofilm that is referred to as plaque. ( I am also not a big fan of fluoride especially for children but that's a whole different discussion.) I personally just dip my head in mouthwash. It makes the experience more pleasant. Second, keep the unit fully charged. ( I had a friend change out the battery with a stronger lithium one by opening up the end, removing the old battery and soldering the new one in its place. I did not like the results. The toothbrush vibrated and felt almost too powerful. Perhaps Conair for a few cents could come up with a compromise.) Third, follow my recommended tooth brushing method exactly. If you are right handed, start by turning the toothbrush on and placing the bristles up against the gum line of the outside of the last molar on the left side at a 45 degree angle. Make sure that half the bristles are on the gums. 90% of dental problems occur at the gum line whether it is gum disease or caries (our term for cavities). Brush for a count of ten in that one area slightly rotating the head of the toothbrush and gently poking the bristles into the gums. Don't cheat. If this is the first time doing this, you may experience some discomfort (dentist term for pain) and/or bleeding. Don't worry. You are getting to the source of your problems i.e. inflammation. Move on to the next tooth. Count to ten. Continue in this manner. The middle and front teeth are smaller, so obviously you can brush more than one at a time. When you come to the insides of the front teeth on both the top and bottom, rotate the toothbrush so that it is up and down. Complete the cleaning by brushing the insides of the teeth and gums, again spending ten seconds in each area. I can't emphasize enough how important this is. Most people do not spend enough time on the insides and consequently many of the problems occur there. If your dentist or hygienist has informed you that you have an area where there are deeper gum pockets, work those areas a little longer. I can almost guarantee that they will be impressed at your next cleaning visit. The entire process should only take 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. And you need do this only once a day. That's approximately how long it takes the bacteria to organize into plaque and trigger an inflammatory response. Lastly, make sure that you flush out the head of the toothbrush both front and back with hot water and shake it out. If your Interplak dies, just replace it. Also, I would never recommend that you do not floss but the Interplak comes pretty close to replacing the need to floss with the exception of the back teeth where the contacts are much broader. ( Please don't share that with your dentist! )

I have been a faithful Interplak user for decades. When I realized they were disappearing from local stores I bought several from Amazon and used them until their batteries died. The last one made it until they reintroduced it again, much to my delight. One of the key things with an Interplak brush is that grit is not very good for the tiny gears in the brush-head that allows the counter-rotating bristles. It's also not a great idea to constantly use grit with a powertool on your teeth. It can cause excessive wear. Thankfully, dental science has proven over and over that removing the biofilm that leads to plaque doesn't require a grinding compound, but mechanical action - the actual brushing. The stuff we put on our brushes are, in large part, to cover up the concentrated taste of the biofilm which is what causes morning breath. So while bare brushing cleans your teeth, not so much your mouth. There is a cheap, easy answer however. Use your favorite mouthwash. With flouride if that's your thing, or without as you please. The mouthwash keeps your breath nice, your taste buds happy, and lubricates the tiny gears in the brush head allow for dramatically better brush head lifespan, not to mention prevents the bogging down that happens when the grit gets in the gears. [Imagine how well your car engine would like having toothpaste grit in it's gears - not a happy thought.] For additional info, simply google "Do I need to use toothpaste". If you're using a plain jane lifeless brush, then maybe it's not a bad idea. But this power-tool is a different beast all together. And far less irritating to me than the high frequency vibrating brushes which is like scraping my teeth on a blackboard. Using whatever their favorite brand of mouthwash instead saves their teeth considerable wear and tear, and allows this toothbrush to run much better and longer. I think it's the best toothbrush made, and my new one works just fine with mouthwash, as is my custom.

the straight gear that drives the bristles comes in and out of the top of the head. at maximum, I see two sets of sharp metal teeth sticking out of the top. this is gonna hurt someone, sooner or later. I had this toothbrush back in early 90's (paid over $100) but back then it had 10 bristles, now it has 8. it almost looks like they reduced the bristle count but not shortened the gear to reduce cost? scary conair. fix it.