Philips SonicareDiamondClean Smart 9700 Electric Toothbrush, Sonic Toothbrush with App, Pressure Sensor, Brush Head Detection, 5 Brushing Modes and 3 Intensity Levels, Lunar Blue, Model HX9957/71

I have used Sonicare Brushes for many years. I liked my older one, but I thought maybe a new one would be even better.This one made the old one seem like a basic toothbrush. If you have not upgraded in a few years, getting this brush can feel like a game changer.I recall that with my first Sonicare brush, there was a period of adjustment while I felt the brush gave me a strange sensation. With my second, it was not significantly stronger, so I did not notice a period of adjustment. This brush is significantly more powerful. Even though I was used to a Sonicare brush, there was a significant period of adjustment. It took almost 2 weeks to get used to it.I have been using the Deep Clean + setting. My teeth are getting cleaner and whiter, my gums are improving. Those promises are true. While this brush has a Tongue Cleaning setting, I did not feel that the features of this brush were truly necessary for this purpose. Also, I did not feel like swapping brush heads, each time I brushed, just to clean my tongue. I elected to put the tongue cleaning head on my old brush and just use that for this cleaning purpose. I suppose if I travel, I would just bring the new diamond clean brush for both purposes.Now for the not quite so good. The connection between the brush and the app is not all that stable. I cannot tell if this is the brush, the app or my phone. For deep clean, you need to do 2x 2 minute sessions to complete the clean. Slightly more than 50% of the time, the app registers the first cycle, but fails to transition to the second cycle to complete the cleaning session. On the second 2 minute session, it lets you know you only did half the cleaning, and prompts you to perform another 2 minute session to finish. This is VERY frustrating, especially when it happens more than once a day.Sometimes (about 3 times a week), the phone and brush refuses to connect. The app suggests that you turn BlueTooth off and then on to establish a connection. This has NEVER worked. I find the only solution that does work is to take 5 minutes to reboot my phone, and let everything start back up again. I find myself pondering if it is really important to me to reboot my phone just to brush my teeth. Also that 5 minute delay can be very impactful to a busy routine. Sonicare, if you are reading this, I do feel you can do better.Sonicare seems to have a strange model/pricing scheme. they have a basic brush, next tier, they add something you want. Then next tier, they add something else you want, but take the first thing away. If you want multiple additional features, you quickly find yourself shopping for a brush that is significantly more expensive than what you were originally looking at. I suppose it is good for their profit, but shopping for a brush can be an exercise in frustration.Summary:Pros-Does it's job really well-Comes with a travel case, and provides USB Charging for the brush, so you don't need to take the stand-Does an excelent job coaching you to improve technique-Coaches you to brush 2x a day, floss etc. All those things your dentist nags you to do, but you forget once you get homeCons-Connection issues with app-Expensive-Hard to find a brush with all the features that are important to you

Some 5 years ago, I went to the dentist one day and discovered I had a lot of cavities all of a sudden. After having the cavities corrected and receiving fillings in numerous teeth, I decided to embark on a journey and do everything I could to ensure that I would prevent getting cavities in the future. I had been brushing at least twice a day, but I had not been flossing regularly or doing anything else. I started flossing and using fluoride mouthwash after my routine. One thing I kept putting off was buying an electric toothbrush. I had read conflicting information about whether or not it made a difference. All through this time span, I had been using Oral-B Pulsar vibrating manual toothbrushes. I could not conceive how a Sonicare toothbrush would provide THAT much of a difference. After all, I was used to having a really clean mouth every night and morning with my flossing, brushing and rinsing routine I had developed. For years I couldn't justify the expense of buying a toothbrush that costs astronomically more than what I had. After years of debating it back and forth, I finally decided to make the plunge and see what the top of the line model could do.All I can say is that after a week of owning the Sonicare 9700 Diamondclean Smart, all my skepticism and assumptions turned out to be wrong. The results from this brush are simply incredible.Many reviewers have said this, but I'll say it again. Consider how clean your teeth feel after going to the dentist, then think about what it would feel like if there was a notch ABOVE that. This is literally how clean your teeth feel EVERY TIME you use this toothbrush. I'm completely blown away by how good of a job it does. I'm kicking myself for not buying a Sonicare toothbrush sooner. After using this brush just once, my teeth feel glossy in a way that I didn't think was possible. The biggest difference I've noticed is that the facets of my teeth are clean in a way that simply isn't possible to achieve with a manual toothbrush. I didn't know teeth could feel this smooth. If guided properly, the 9700 will polish and remove plaque from all the little nooks and crannies on, in-between and around your teeth. Your gum-line is stimulated and feel "tighter' around your teeth because they are being cleaned so well next to your teeth. It does all of this and with much less effort than a manual brush. Remember, this is after 1 WEEK, of use.Additionally, the 9700 is extraordinary at teaching you how to get the most out of it. The companion smartphone app is comprehensive and can help motivate some folks with goal selection and other wizardry while you brush. In all honesty, this isn't totally necessary, but it's cool that it can do it.The pressure sensor is a great feature and gives me peace of mind that I'm not damaging my gums or enamel with this powerful mechanical device. You might be surprised about how hard you were brushing before versus what is actually appropriate.The inductive charging feature in the glass is convenient. Just make sure you don't break it. There is a secondary dock you can use if that were to happen, though.Many reviewers have complained about not having a place to store brushes; however, they are packaged in plastic bags, so I'm not too concerned. This likely isn't an issue for me because I am not sharing the brush with anyone else, nor am I swapping out different head types in my routine. Your mileage may vary depending on your priorities.I'm eager to see how this brush holds up and what my dentist thinks in a few months. If you've never used an electric toothbrush before, don't wait years like I did. The cost is well worth it.