Oral-B Pro 2 2000 Review

Design, usability, clean & general use

From the moment you pull it out of the box, this is a smart looking toothbrush, slim and stylish.

Just before I go into more detail on the brush itself, I just want to mention the packaging.

The outer box looks really nice, but there is very little information on it.

What I mean by this is that it shows a couple of the features being the battery life and the fact it has a timer and a round brush head, but it makes no mention of the brushes cleaning modes.

The back of the box is very sparse with just an image.  Could Oral-B have not explained here what’s included!?

Maybe I just had different packaging on my brush and in time it will change; the brush is very new at the time of review.  As a consumer, you are buying a bit blind unless you read reviews like this.

So, back to the brush handle itself then.

There are 2 parts to the brush, the handle that has all the clever bits of technology in and the detachable brush head.

Focusing on the handle, this is a sealed unit, which houses the battery inside, with the motor and the electronics to make the brush head move.

The handle is water resistant and can be rinsed under a tap and used in a shower.  I would always advise on avoiding submerging the brush below water, for example in a bath.

The front of the brush is dominated by a rubber grip that runs the length of the handle.  Subject to the version you look at buying, this will either be a dark blue, pink or black colour.

Providing an element of style as well as practical grip, this contrasts the rest of the high gloss white plastic body.

Positioned almost at the top of the handle is a power button that is white in colour with a blue power icon on in.  It stands out against the blue rubber grip and has a nice resistance when pressed.  Not too soft that it can be accidentally activated, but not too firm it is difficult to press.

Above and below this power button are contours in the rubber that drive the eye and the finger/thumb to it.

Press the button once to turn the brush on.

A single press of the power button launches you into Daily Clean, the first of 2 brushing modes on the 2000.

Press the power button again and it will change to the second mode, known as Sensitive.

A third press will turn the brush off.  Alternatively, you can press and hold the button for 2 seconds to turn it off whilst in any mode.

A point to note here is that you have to turn the brush on then press the power button again to change the cleaning modes.  You cannot change the cleaning mode prior to switching the brush head on.

There is no identification on the brush handle as to which mode is selected, so you need to remember if you want the sensitive mode to press the power button again.

The handle will also not remember the last cleaning mode used. So, if you prefer the Sensitive cleaning mode, every time you use the brush you will need to press the power button twice. Once to turn it on and a second time to change the mode.

If you would like to know more about how these cleaning modes differ you can find out more here.

The Pro 2000 is the first brush in the Oral-B range to offer an extra cleaning mode over the default daily clean. If you have particularly sensitive gums, you might that investing in a sensitive or gum care brush head could be worth investing in, as these are a little softer on the teeth and gums. Unfortunately, such a brush head does not come included in the box.

The lower third of the brush handle has the Oral-B and Braun logo in white and then a battery and charging icon below them.

These icons are transparent and have an LED light behind them that illuminate at certain times.

Red will be the colour of the charging icon when power is low on the brush, whilst the battery icon will flash green when the brush is on charge.

Sadly neither icon gives any more feedback than this.  It would be nice if you had a green light to suggest a good amount of remaining charge or yellow for less than 50% for example, but no such luck.

Even better would be a little LED display that showed the exact battery percentage (%).

With this said, the battery does last an impressive 16 days, so for most of us, it is not essential.

As I mentioned the sides of the Oral-B Pro 2000 rechargeable electric toothbrush are a gloss white plastic but not too slippery to the touch.  The rear of the handle has a series of ridges that run from the top to about halfway down the handle.  These act as gripping points for the hand and fingers when in use, these are particularly good if your hands are wet.

On the very bottom of the brush handle is a recess, into which the prong on the charging stand connects to.  You can read more about this under the ‘Battery life’ section of this review.

Right at the top of the brush handle is a metal shaft. This is what the brush head connects to and feeds the power from the brush motor.

The provided head, and refills simply push on and pull off of this shaft. They only fit one way. No twisting or excessive force is needed to attach or remove them. You will hear them clip into place.

One key feature I have not mentioned that is apparent on the handle is the pressure sensor.

Right at the top of the rear of the brush handle is a plastic panel that is a red/orange colour and sweeps down into the handle.

Behind this is an LED that lights up to produce a bright red light when too much pressure is detected during the brushing.

Applying too much pressure when brushing is a big issue and it causes more damage than you might think.  A brush need only skim the surface of the tooth and gums.

The pressure sensor is designed to try and avoid this.

When activated, you may well notice the sound of the brush motor straining and slowing down in addition to the light.  This is another mechanism the brush has to automatically reduce the power to save damaging your teeth and gums.

These things should signal to you to reduce that pressure.

Don’t worry if you activate it often, over time you will learn and avoid doing lasting damage to your teeth.

In the box of the unit on test here comes the most popular brush head, the CrossAction head.  It is one of a range of heads, suitable for the Pro 2 2000.

Alternative head styles sold separately include FlossAction, 3D White, Sensitive, Gum Care and Precision Clean.

You can find out how the brush heads differ by reading our Oral-B brush head comparison article.

The brush heads should be replaced every 3 months to avoid doing damage to the teeth and for hygiene reasons.  It can be difficult to remember when you last changed or replaced the heads.

Thankfully the blue bristles you see on the head will fade over time.  When they are a very pale blue or white, you need to replace the head.

All official Oral-B heads have these fading bristles.  Other brands may not, so be aware of this.

All of the brush heads provide a good clean, in my opinion, the CrossAction is the best all-rounder.  I really like the clean offered by Oral-B brushes.

The noise they make is louder than most of the competition, but the clean feels punchy and a little harsher than Sonicare or Colgate.  It does not hurt or anything, but I tend to feel, even if it is only psychological, that my mouth is really clean after using the Pro 2000.

Oral-B claims 100% more plaque removal than a manual brush.  Whilst this is hard to confirm or deny, you do definitely get a more consistent clean and studies have shown the benefits are present.

Both cleaning modes on this brush last for 2 minutes.

Hopefully, you know that the recommended brushing time is 2 minutes, 2 times a day.

If you didn’t or are guilty of not brushing for as long as you should, the Pro 2 2000 can help.

Built-in as standard is a 2 minute timer and quadpacer.

Imagine your mouth broken up into 4 sections. Upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left.

You should spend 30 seconds cleaning each section.  The pacer helps you keep an even brushing time on these 4 sections.

At 30 second intervals, the brush will provide an audible warning via a slight pause in the brush motor at to tell you to change quadrant. Once the 2 minutes are up 3 brief pauses in the brush motor will be heard and felt.

Brushing for the full 2 minutes is very important, but just as important if not more so is the right technique. Make sure you learn how to clean your teeth properly.  

There are no other additions in the box, unless you opt for the black coloured 2000.

In this variant, you get included as a ‘bonus’ a basic travel case.

It is simple in its design and function, but I do believe it is a valuable addition.

It holds the 2000 brush handle and up to 2 brush heads. It keeps them protected from dirt and damage when in a bag. It is well worth having if you travel frequently.

Just be aware, the travel case is not included as standard with the blue and pink Pro 2 2000 variants.

Even if you opt not to get the travel case, the Pro 2000 has all the essentials you need of an electric toothbrush. There is a lot to like about it.

Oral-B offer an impressive 180 day money back guarantee.

Whether you are a new electric toothbrush user or not, this is a great way to test out a product and decide whether it is right for you. Should you not like it you can return it for a refund.  Just be sure to familiarise yourself with the conditions of this guarantee before purchase.

In the unlikely event something goes wrong, there is as standard a 24 month warranty is provided with the Pro 2 2000.