Oral-B Pro 3 3000 review

We reviewed this toothbrush over several weeks of use twice daily. This meant lots of charge cycles to test the time it takes as well as plenty of use with the app.

All three settings were tried and evaluated throughout use and assessed for cleaning power.

Setup does not get much easier than this when it comes to electric toothbrushes. Remove the main toothbrush body and the included brush head from the box, attach the two together, press the “on” button and you can start brushing. 

The brush may have some charge already but it’s usually best to give a full charge before the first use.

Charging is also a simple process, although you will need  a two-pin to three-pin adapter as that is not included. Alternatively, you can plug it directly into your two-pin bathroom outlet if you have one. Pop the brush on the base and leave to charge to full for around 13 hours.

The brush will automatically start in Daily Clean mode and has a two-minute timer so you know when you’ve brushed long enough. There are also two other modes, Whitening and Sensitive.

It also notifies you every 30 seconds to change the area you are brushing. Since this model does not come with a travel case, or smart app connectivity, there is little else you need to consider as part of the setup process.

The Oral-B Pro 3 3000 follows the design aesthetic of the Pro range, and it looks very similar to all the others in this line. It has a pleasingly minimal design with a rounded body featuring a smooth yet non-slip outer casing for easy grip.

This means it should be simple to hold while remaining gentle on the wrist and grip, as the outer material helps adherence to your hands, even when wet. 

At the top of the body is an LED ring which lights up red to notify you that you are brushing with too much pressure, which could potentially harm your gums. The brush head is above this and features a small outlet hole to help water and toothpaste flow freely rather than build up. All that should mean a brush that requires minimal cleaning – and this was found to be the case in testing.

While the handle is rounded there is a slight flatness on the side edge which allows you to place the brush on its back without it rolling about. It can also stand upright and it’s well balanced enough so it won’t fall down.

When it comes to cleaning, this model is waterproof, meaning you should be able to run it under the tap to give it a good clean without it getting damaged. Likewise, it can be placed in even the steamiest of bathrooms without any harm from water.

There is a single power button that turns the brush on and then can be pressed multiple times to cycle through the various modes before switching it off. The brush is designed for simplicity.

The Pro range of Oral-B brushes comes with a powerful motor, which unfortunately can be heard, as this is one of the more noisy brushes available.

As such, it offers a high-speed performance – 9,900 oscillations and 45,000 pulsations per minute – from the brush head, which is shaped with various length bristles to cover each tooth and even work between them.

Used correctly, this head will remove plaque well and that’s why it’s recommended by dentists. While the head may feel aggressive to some, it does give that “smooth tooth” feel that you get after a teeth clean from the dentist.

You need not worry about applying too much pressure and doing damage to your gums, as the LED works as a warning light. Press too hard and the light will illuminate red so that you know you must ease off. This is also smart enough to adapt immediately, slowing the motor when pressure is too great so your gums are protected. When you reduce the pressure, the motor gets back up to full cleaning speed.

There is also a Sensitive mode that is ideal if you have any discomfort when brushing. If you’re new to electric toothbrushes, they can seem a little intense at first, so to have this mode is a useful feature.

Oral-B offers a selection of different brush head types to suit your requirements too, so from brushing dentures and around braces to working on plaque build-up, there should be something to suit most needs.

Dentists recommended a few key features in an electric toothbrush and these are a timer, a pacer and a pressure sensor. Even this more affordable brush comes with all three of these features.

The timer lets you know when your recommended twice daily brush time of two minutes is reached, as the vibrations gently start to stutter noticeably. The pacer breaks this up into 30-second intervals so you are prompted to move between the four mouth quadrants – the vibrations slow at each juncture.

The pressure sensor, as mentioned, alerts you when you are pressing too hard. The LED lights up red and slows the motor until you’re at correct pressure. 

All these features combined ensure an effortless brushing experience so you don’t have to think about timings or pressure, as the brush does the work for you. This should result in the ideal clean for your teeth while keeping your gums protected.

That was certainly the experience found in the testing of this toothbrush, where it made quick work of even tougher stains, such as red wine and coffee or tea.

The single power and mode button is helpful for simplicity but a hindrance when it comes to switching between the brushing modes. Not only are there no images on the brush to show you which mode you’re in, but you have to cycle through them by pressing the button multiple times.

If you want to use Sensitive, for example, you have to press the button more than once to get past the default Daily Clean mode. This is also frustrating when powering off, as you have to cycle through the three modes (Daily Clean, Sensitive, Whitening) in order to get to the fourth setting of switching it off. You can’t, for example, press and hold the button to power off immediately.

This toothbrush, unlike some others, won’t alert you when you need a new brush head. Since this is roughly every three months, this isn’t a big complaint but may be a feature some people would appreciate.

An older head could mean the bristles are harming your gums over time, so having a reminder would be helpful.

As with most of the Oral-B toothbrushes, you can expect a decent battery life of about two weeks of use, with twice daily brushing of two minutes at a time from one charge.

We did find that this varied, presumably based on the level of pressure being applied and, therefore, the amount that the motor has to vary its speed when in use.

In testing, the average battery life was between 18 and 20 days on a single charge. It’s plenty but is worth noting it’s not as good as some of the competition – although sonic brushes can use less battery to work. The LED flashes red to alert you when the battery is getting low so you can charge it.

Charging is a bit of a gripe, since the brush requires a lengthy 13 hours to fully charge. That means when you brush your teeth at night and pop this on charge, you will then have to remove the brush in the morning and put it back on charge again before it’s full.

There is a small LED on the body of the brush that flashes green to let you know it is charging and turns off when it is complete.

When it comes to value for money this toothbrush is exceptional.

The price now is extremely low having dropped by more than half since its launch price of £100) and yet you many dentist-recommended features from a brand that is a leader in the toothbrush market.

That means years of innovation and advances of technology distilled into this brush, which is now more affordable than ever.

The heads will need regular replacements, around four times a year. These are also relatively affordable, at about £4 each – with deals available on bulk buys. The brush can be found discounted by retailers, or with more heads included, making this a super option for value.

This 3000 version does not come with a travel case, so if that’s something you need it’s worth looking at the 3500 model, which is the same price.

The main Oral-B alternatives come from Philips, which offers the sonic style electric toothbrush with a larger brush head but a gentler feel while cleaning But if it’s the oscillating clean you like then there are plenty of options from Oral-B at varying price points too.

There are a few options for sonic toothbrushes but the best is the Philips Sonicare Prestige 9900, which sports lots of smart features and is priced at around the £300 mark.

Or go for the top end Oral-B iO Series 10, for a smart dock.  This model offers a personalised brushing experience with real-time feedback, it has a smart charger and clock display.

It also has magnetic drive technology and can be used alongside the Oral-B app to track your teeth cleaning – but there is a hefty price tag.

Or save money on the iO Series 8 and still get most of the best features.

The Oral-B Pro 3 3000 is a very affordable electric toothbrush that offers many features to ensure you get the best teeth clean while also protecting your gums.

There are only three cleaning mode options, and the 3000 doesn’t come with a travel case or smart app support. But for a basic model that does a very good job of cleaning, then this is a fantastic no frills option.

The brush is lightweight and comfortable to use. It’s also easy to clean and maintain with head replacement as simple as a click out and in. The power mode button could do with showing you which mode you’re using and a dedicated off button would be a nice addition too.

A quicker charge time, rather than taking around 13 hours, would be helpful too. But at this price point, it really is difficult to complain about this powerful electric toothbrush.