There has been a trend towards toothbrushes getting smarter over the last few years, with app-enabled brushes offering everything from clever, real-time coaching as you brush, to personalised guidance using 3D imaging.

However, there’s also an emerging trend for brushes that side-step a lot of the tech to keep costs down and concentrate purely on brushing modes. Ordo is what’s known as a disruptor brand – think Uber, Airbnb and Netflix, but for your teeth.

They first came on the scene in 2008, offering toothbrushes that employed sonic technology to clean teeth, without the bells and whistles and the price tag bump that usually accompanies such features.

What began as a direct-to-consumer business is now something very different and you’ll see the Ordo stocked in dental clinics across the UK, as well as Boots, Sainsbury’s and now Superdrug and Argos. The two latter retailers are even about to stock exclusive colours (pearl violet and mint green), so you can have even more options when colour-matching your toothbrush to your bathroom walls.

The company is now the third-largest electric toothbrush brand in the UK, so we wanted to drill down further into why this particular brand has been a big hit with consumers.

How we tested

There are two camps when it comes to electric brushing: sonic and oscillating. The Ordo sonic + is in the former camp, however, we thought it would be a good idea to enlist the help of two testers for a balanced view.

Tester one was a confirmed sonic brusher, while tester two had been using a brand that uses oscillating cleaning technology, to see if the Ordo sonic + could convince them to change. What both brushers had in common was that they were currently using app-enabled brushes, so we were interested to see if they felt going back to basics was detrimental to their oral health.

Ordo sonic + electric toothbrush

Modes: Clean, white, massage and sensitive

Battery type: Li-ion

Accessories: USB charging base, travel cap

Battery life: Almost four weeks

Returns: Two-year warranty

Travel case: Travel cap included

App connectivity: No

Design and ergonomics

The first thing you’ll notice about the Ordo sonic + is that it’s incredibly light, compared with many smart brushes. Obviously, this is because it doesn’t have all the gyroscopes, accelerometers and axis sensors packed into the handle to feed data back to an app.

There’s also no pressure sensor adding weight (more on that later), which means it’s very easy to move around the mouth, with a nicely profiled brush head that covers all the quadrants, including the molars at the back.

The handle has a similar tactile feel to a brush from the Philips Sonicare range and doesn’t have that clumsy characteristic that makes you wonder how you’re going to keep hold of it once it gets wet.

Cleaning

The Ordo sonic + brushes sonically, moving rapidly from side to side over the surface of the teeth, backed up by sonic vibrations that have an agitating effect on the mixture of toothpaste and fluids in the mouth.

The brush head looks similar to Sonicare’s offerings and we liked the W-shaped bristle profile, which enabled us to cover all the exposed surfaces of our teeth. The brush head also has a cross in the middle of the bristles, made from silicone, which helps whiten and polish the teeth as you brush, and both our testers felt this addition was very effective in getting rid of longer-term stains.

Although it employs the same technology as brushes in the Sonicare range, there are actually fewer strokes per second – 40,000, compared with Sonicare’s 62,000.

Both testers reported that they noticed a much gentler cleaning experience on the initial clean mode (which is only 31,000 strokes per minute) than they were used to, and ended up switching to the white mode to be left with the feeling that their teeth had been properly cleaned.

However, even on this mode, the reduced pulsing meant the clean didn’t feel quite as intense and thorough as when using a Sonicare or oscillating product. We had no doubt teeth were thoroughly cleaned, but there wasn’t that fresh-from-the-hygienist feeling you get when using a brush with a higher-intensity pulse pattern.

Both testers reported they didn’t miss having to check their phones to see a brushing breakdown and felt they had achieved good coverage and a total clean without the need for any in-app affirmations.

One feature that was missed was an in-handle sensor that lights up to let you know when you’re applying the right amount of pressure to the teeth – something that you do get from the Oral-B iO range. Both testers mentioned this was one real-time feature they rely on when brushing.

Battery life

The charging dock is basic and, instead of being plugged into a bathroom shaver socket, it has a USB connector, so you’ll have to take it out of the bathroom and find an electrical socket or laptop to charge the brush.

The brush can be fully charged overnight and can then sit quite happily in your bathroom for almost four weeks, brushing twice daily for two minutes.

Value for money

Like we said at the outset, the Ordo + is one of the cheapest sonic brushes available, although it doesn’t come with any replacement heads, unlike, for example, the Spotlight Oral Care sonic brush. Three replacement heads cost £15, compared with the Spotlight’s £29, so you’ll need to factor that into your purchasing decision.

Also, if you want one of the two new colours available, you’ll have to pay an extra £5 for the paint job.

Back to top

The verdict: Ordo sonic + electric toothbrush

Many people are put off making the jump to electric brushing because of the entry-level cost, and the popularity of the Ordo sonic + clearly has a lot to do with its ability to deliver a sonic clean and excellent value for money. The reason for this is that it’s not weighed down with internal technology and instead offers a fuss-free introduction if you’re intent on going from manual to mobile. If you have gum disease, sensitive teeth, or orthodontics, its reduced repetitions per minute, even on the highest setting, will also appeal, as you’ll certainly feel the benefits of sonic brushing without it feeling too harsh.

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Ordo’s sonic + electric toothbrush is one of the best value options we’ve tested

Its price tag and thorough clean make this the perfect entry-level device