A Review of Oral-B's 9900 Professional Care Triumph Toothbrush

I really hate my dentist. That is, I hate going to my dentist. I have nothing against the profession or the fine people of dentistry. But sit me down in a dentist's chair and approach with a dental probe or, worse still, a drill and I'm one unhappy patient. Check-ups, fillings, cleanings -- if it happens at a dentist's office, I'm not a fan.

Thankfully, there are a wide assortment of toothbrushes and other teeth wellness accouterments on the market that can confine one's dental excursions to twice yearly cleaning appointments. From the basic manual brush to floss to high powered water picks, consumers can choose from a dizzying array of products. Tooth health experts continue to work on bigger and better ways to keep our smiles clean.

Oral-B is releasing just such an item. Their new Triumph Professional Care 9900 power toothbrush is quite the marvel of at-home technology. Oral-B's marketing makes some steep claims about this swanky brush. For example, the packaging states that the Triumph produces a floss-like level of tooth cleanliness. It is also said to reverse gingivitis, improve gum health, and remove plaque like there's no tomorrow. What's more, Oral-B guarantees that their brush will produce better check ups at the dentist's office. If it fails to live up to this guarantee, Oral-B promises to return the customer's money.

Those seem like some pretty big boots -- er, bristles to fill. I don't know if a toothbrush is even able to reverse gingivitis, but I was willing to give the Triumph a shot. As I extricated the toothbrush from its box, it did not appear to be very different from other power brushes. It is rechargeable, and sits in its AC adapter-powered holster. The Triumph's charging status indicator is a step above most of the toothbrushes I've used, the majority of which are either battery powered or bicep powered. Instead of a simple light igniting, the Triumph communicates that it is in charge mode by displaying an animated charging battery on a small digital screen. My reaction at this discovery was the thought that this is one swanky toothbrush.

The Triumph does possess one aspect that immediately sets it apart from other brushes -- the wireless Smart Guide. This is a wireless remote that displays your brushing pressure, and how long to brush in each quadrant of your mouth. It ticks off thirty seconds for each quadrant, and skips a buzzing beat when it's time to move on to other teeth. When you have brushed for two full minutes (which, I must admit, was a lot longer than my unguided approximations), it blinks a happy face at you in prompting of a rinse. It even lets you know when it's time to change the brush head. Cheerful, full-service, and, as I already stated, swanky. Oral-B's purpose in including this wireless component is to promote more effective brush with its real-time feedback. I found this gadget intriguing and even entertaining, although not worth the $128 USD price tag for me.

The brush felt fantastic as I began to polish my teeth (not too hard, of course, with the assistance of the wireless Smart Guide). The circular MicroPulse bristle pattern and brush head gave me the sense of providing a deep, detailed clean. The design of the Triumph also allowed me to easily clean those hard-to-reach areas in the nether regions of the mouth. The vibrations and oscillations of the brush felt pleasant as the bristles purportedly surrounded each tooth, designed to whiten teeth within twenty-one days.

My experiences with the Oral-B Triumph were mostly positive. My one critique was that the little assembly that was required turned out to be rather difficult to accomplish. It was hard to get the cover off of the wireless Smart Guide to insert the two required AA batteries, and there was a similar difficulty opening up the well of the base to set the charger in place. However, these were minor issues, especially when Oral-B helpfully provides a specially designed plastic tote to store and carry your Triumph in while traveling. I often use battery-powered toothbrushes and hate how none of the brush holders can ever adequately accommodate brushes of that size. With the Triumph, that problem is conveniently avoided entirely, which I greatly appreciated.

Overall, the Oral-B Triumph power toothbrush is pretty fantastic. Its creators claim that it can perform some very elite services, such as reversing gingivitis. I'm not sure if this is true, but I do know that brushing with the Triumph was very pleasant. I felt like I was doing a great thing for my tooth health, and avoiding a cavity-inspired visit to the dentist is never a bad thing. Still, I'm not sure if the Triumph's $128 USD cost is worth it. While I'll gladly use my Triumph while it lasts, I don't foresee myself shelling out that much money for a replacement.