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.

product was absolute garbage - DO NOT BUY- after reading the reviews I had hi hopes as I too owned the original, which was awesome. Conair has destroyed a wonderful product. packaging was ok, the brush style looks ok head was smaller that what I recalled and set up was a breeze. now move ahead 24 hrs later to the "let fully charge part" I was blown away when I went to turn it on and it sounded sick, dying and cheap POS I attempted to brush and thought maybe its me and it will do miracles NOPE! as soon as it hit the teeth it started to slow down and whine then came to a full stop - save your money people half the 5 stars are for sure fake. if I could give this a minus 5 stars I could - sadly disappointing

If you value your teeth and want the best plaque removal toothbrush, then it has to be the Conair Interplak toothbrush. Like many others, I had bought the old Interplak rechargeable toothbrushes, but the batteries on those models are too old now and they die too quickly and won't hold a charge. The older model was better designed than the new model and better made. These new models are shorter and stubbier (they feel too short in my hand) and need a longer neck in my opinion to reach the back teeth better. How well the batteries will last on these, I've yet to find out. Others say six months, I hope they last longer than that. I will say this though, I've used all the top brands, Oral B, Sonic Care, even an expensive Swiss brand "Broxo" marketed as the world's best electric toothbrush (it isn't believe me), but only the Interplak removes plaque more effectively than any of the others. Only the Interplak was able to stop gum recession. I had started to develop some early signs of gingivitus (puffy gums, bleeding when I brushed), only the Interplak reversed it because of it's so effective at removing plaque. I won't use any other brand now, because no other toothbrush is as effective. Sonic Care would be my second choice, but only if I couldn't get an Interplak. I have to take off one star because it is more cheaply made, not as well designed (stubbier, shorter neck etc) and maybe not as long lasting, I've yet to find out. My one wish is that Conair would create a mains powered model. There was an old mains powered model called the Interplak Voyager. I had one, but the wires kept breaking on it, until I couldn't repair it anymore, but it was fantastic while it lasted. No drop in power, always operated at full strength (because it was mains powered). C'mon Conair, bring out a mains powered model!

I had an Interplak in the late 90's and it was a terrific machine. It not only was an EXCELLENT method of cleaning your teeth and gums it was a well made device that lasted the whole family 3 years. In 2016 the principle upon how it works / cleans is still very good but it is NOT a well made piece of equipment. It's cheap and does NOT inspire confidence. I ended up with an Oral B and it's definitely a better quality device.

The battery runs out too fast, its WAY OVERPRICED TO GET A REPLACEMENT, but it works like no other toothbrush. I hate those vibrating ones they dont work at all. The biggest problem is they dont have replacements sometimes and when they do they are clearly trying to gouge us...too much$$$.

So happy to see that this toothbrush is still available! I have nursed my old NT7 along for a many years, and rebuilt the heads with brushes from older models, but finally it was time to get a new one. Saw the NT11 here on Amazon and bought TWO!! Why two? Well, I don't know if Conair will discontinue this brush anytime soon, and I don't want to be stuck settling for less. I will buy several more, as funds permit, to make sure I'm covered well into the future. Forget about the Sonic brushes... I tried one when they first came out, and was very disappointed. The Braun brush with the one round head does an OK job, but not as good as the NT11. This brush has 8 counter-rotating small brushes that do a great job of cleaning your teeth, and since they are small, they get between your teeth very well, too! I use Pepsondent tootpaste and load the brush with it. Yes, if you apply too much pressure, this brush will stop. That's OK with me, as it just reminds me I'm pressing too hard. Going lightly, nightly brushing takes about 3-4 minutes, leaving my teeth feeling dentist-visit-clean, and that doesn't bother me a bit since it saves me from those long and expensinve visits to the dentist. After use, you should rinse it thoroughly while it is running, and shake it dry, to keep it in good shape. Bottom Line - You can spend a lot more, but I don't think you'll find a better brush. Go ahead and buy one... You won't be disappointed, if you use it correctly. Then buy one or two more to let Conair know that they should not abandon this product. Actually, if I had the money, I would purchase the rights to this brush from Conair and establish the NT11 as a serious competitor to the Sonic brushes that have so much more corporate money behind them.

I’ve had one of the old Braun Interplak versions of this toothbrush for many years and always thought it the very best kind of toothbrush, really getting in where it matters. And like other reviewers, I’ve been afraid recently that it might be no longer available. So I was disappointed when it re-appeared, but with some users complaining of too weak a motor. I’m posting this review to say that, having bought one of these Conair models now, I find nothing at all wrong with the motor. There’s a slight slowing if you press, but the brushes continue to do their job perfectly nicely. To get them to stop altogether, you have to press absurdly hard, and I would think Conair would have health and safety issues if they were making a product that allowed people to scrub into their gums at such pressure. I use a Waterpik to get food debris out from between my teeth, then this fellow to deal with plaque, and lastly a regular round-headed electric toothbrush to give the gums a light massage. I’m delighted with this routine and with my purchase of this item. (Later note: Well, as the battery charge lowers, there does begin to be a problem. But it's OK...)