Oral-B Pro 3000 Review

Design, usability, clean & general use

The Pro 3000 comes packaged in a fairly typical looking Oral-B box.

Blue in colour it shows a picture of the toothbrush you will be getting inside. Listed on the box are some of the main features you get.

It is nice to see that Oral-B have opted for cardboard inside the box rather than polystyrene that they have used in the past.  It is better for the environment and recyclable at least.  

It is nice to have a travel case included in the box too. This is an appreciated extra.  An additional brush head would have been nice too, but sadly you get just the 1.

The 3000 is designed like most other electric toothbrushes, a tall cylindrical handle. Actually, it is not perfectly round, it is actually slightly thicker, than it is wide, but near enough.

On top of the handle is where the brush head sits.  Everything is fairly standard. It still feels sold and well built.

Compared to other models, the design is actually a little different.  It has a styling that has not been used before on models available within Australia.

What stands out is the lack of large visible grips on the handle.  Many other Oral-B models have a large rubber grip to help keep a secure hold in hand. Cheaper handles tend to have this on the front, and premium models like the Genius series, on the back.

This is not so with the 3000.

The back of the handle does have a series of small dimples, which do provide a bit of additional grip to the fingertip.  They are quite subtle and run the length of the handle.  They help, but are not quite as tactile and effective as the raised plastic ridges you get on the Pro 2 2000 or Smart 4 4000.

But, there is an oval shaped panel in the upper third of the brush handle that is of a rubber/silicon construction and helps provide some security in hand, it is just a lot less than what I am used to on an Oral-B brush.

This oval shaped panel is in the case of the Pro 3000 ‘Jet White’ in colour. It is actually almost a dusty grey colour.

At the time of writing it is available only in white, but similar brushes in other markets have had this colour with a navy blue or light rose or even black.  It would be nice to have some additional choices.

Within this panel is to the power come function button.

There is a concave shape to the button which means it is easy to detect with the fingertip and in hand the thumb naturally falls to this position.

Printed on the button is a power icon, it is white in colour and stands out nicely from the panel in which it is placed.

There is a real minimal look to this handle overall. But, there is a battery status LED in the lower third of the handle. The battery LED will flash red when the battery inside the handle is low and it flashes green when being recharged.

The rechargeable lithium battery sealed inside the handle, offers 2 weeks of battery life on a full charge.

Underneath this is an Oral-B and Braun logo that are grey in color.

On the base of the handle is a recess into which the proterbunce on the charging stand fits.  Some regulatory information is printed here too.

The handle does stand upright on a flat surface.

Another small thing to note is on the back of the handle towards the bottom are 2 raised dots.  They look a bit odd or out of place.  But these are quite clever in what they do.  If the brush is laid on a worktop, they reduce the change of the brush rolling around, keeping it face up.

At the top of the brush handle, just below where the brush head attaches is a clear plastic ring.  It runs around the whole handle.  This is the 360 degree visible pressure sensor.  

If you are not familiar with a pressure sensor, what happens is that when brushing, should the handle detect too much force is being used, it will turn on a light, so the ring is lit red.

As we know, red is often used as a warning color.

The size and position of it should catch your attention.  That said, the light is strongest on the backside of the ring, where the LED is located. It is not a consistently strong ring of red light as you might expect.  I think Oral-B should and could easily fix this.  If it is lit red, you need to reduce the pressure.

Brushing too hard can damage the teeth and gums, so it is best avoided.  This sensor helps reduce the chances of long term damage happening.

It is more useful than you might think, particularly if you are new to electric toothbrushes.  

Most of the time you want to make sure you are not activating this sensor.  

When it is activated, in addition to the red light, you should hear the sound of the motor change.  This is an audible alert, in case you miss the light.

Until such time as the pressure is reduced, the motor will also reduce the number of movements and pulsations delivered to the brush head, in an effort to limit any potential damage.  

As a consequence this changes the brushing sensation, which acts as a third alert mechanism.

Once the pressure is relieved, the light will go out, the motor will return to full power for the cleaning mode selected and the sound the brush makes will have changed too.

Extending from the top of the handle is a metal shaft.  

This is connected to the powerful motor inside the handle and is what causes the brush head to oscillate, rotate and pulsate when connected.

Supplied in the box is a single CrossAction brush head.

In fact on the box it is labelled as a CrossAction Rainbow brush head.  I am not sure why the word rainbow is used, but it is related to the CleanMaximizer bristles this particular CrossAction head benefits from.

Basically, this is a new name for fading indicator bristles.  They alert you when you need to replace the brush head.

If you are not already aware, it is important to replace a brush head every 3 months on average, sooner if the bristles are showing obvious signs of wear.

Whilst some heads will look well used after this time, they can almost look as good as new.  But, the tips of the bristles will have become worn during this time as they pass over the teeth and gums.

Using for longer than 3 months can potentially lead to them doing more damage than good and not cleaning the teeth as well.

It is easy to forget when you last replaced the head, so what happens is that over a period of approximately 3 months, the green bristles on the head are dyed yellow to indicate the brush head requires changing.  If you see lots of yellow bristles, replace the head.

The supplied CrossAction head pushes onto that metal shaft and pulls off when you want to remove them.  No twisting or locking into place required.

The small round head does an excellent job of cleaning the teeth.  It is able to reach the back of the mouth and very effectively remove plaque, bacteria and debris off the teeth and from the gumline.

The oscillating and rotating head really does a great job.  After every use my teeth felt lovely and clean.

It moves at up to 8,800 oscillations per minute and delivers up to 40,000 pulsations per minute too (subject to brushing mode selected).

To make sure you get the maximum benefit when brushing though you should make sure you are using the correct tooth brushing technique and brushing twice a day for 2 minutes each time.  

The CrossAction head has bristles angled at 16 degrees, which gives it quite a unique look, but also helps make it very effective.

It is one of a range of small round interchangeable brush heads that Oral-B offer for their electric toothbrushes.

Other styles of brush heads, which are compatible with the 3000 include:

• CrossAction
• FlossAction
• 3D White
• Gum Care
• Precision Clean
• Sensitive

CrossAction along with the Gum Care/Sensitive are my top recommendations.  To find out why and learn more about the differences between each, do take a look at our best Oral-B brush head guide.

To actually use the Pro 3000 all you need do is press the power button on the brush handle once and it will launch into the ‘Daily Clean’ cleaning mode.

This is one of 3 modes available on the 3000.

The second mode is called ‘Sensitive’ and the third, ‘Whitening’.

In Oral-B’s words (taken from the manual) this is what each mode is designed for:

• Daily Clean – Standard mode for daily cleaning
• Sensitive – Gentle, yet thorough cleaning for sensitive areas
• Whitening – Exceptional polishing for occasional or everyday use

It is up to you which mode you use.  

Any can be used on a daily basis, if you wish. All will provide a good clean to the teeth and gums, if the brush is used correctly. 

My personal preference is Daily Clean or Sensitive.  

Whitening has limited additional benefit in my opinion.  Yes, the speed and cleaning pattern is different.  But, it is perfectly possible to whiten the teeth with the other cleaning modes

Don’t worry too much about which mode to use, you are best to just pick one and stick with it.  Selecting a different mode is not going to fundamentally change the cleaning results you get.

Our Oral-B cleaning modes article explains each mode and how they differ in a little more detail, should you be keen to learn more.

There is only 1 physical button on the Smart 3000.  This turns the brush on and off and allows you to change between the cleaning modes.

A single press of the power button will turn the brush on.

When the brush is powered on it will default to the daily clean mode.

To select the sensitive or whitening mode you have to press the button a further one time for sensitive and two times for whitening.

So, one press to turn the brush on and launch daily clean, a second press to change it to sensitive and a third press for whitening.

A fourth press will turn the brush off.  Or alternatively press and holding the power button for about 2 seconds will also turn it off.

The brush will always default to the daily clean mode, even if the last mode you used was whitening.  You can’t change the cleaning mode before turning the brush on.

Therefore if sensitive mode is your preference, you have to press the power button twice, every time you use it.  

I have to admit this is a bit frustrating, but something that is common amongst the mid-range brushes from Oral-B.

This does not tend to be the case with Sonicare brushes.

When either bruising mode is in use, the built-in timer and pacer are activated too.

The timer and pacer are included to help encourage you and I to brush for the dentist recommended 2 minutes.

This has been found to be the optimum amount of time for achieving clean teeth and gums

During a 2 minute clean the idea is that you spend 30 seconds cleaning each section (quadrant) of the mouth.

Those 4 sections are, upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left.

At the 30 second intervals, the brush will provide an audible warning via a slight pause in the brush motor.  You will also notice a change in the brushing sensation too. This is your cue to change quadrant. 

Once the 2 minutes are up, 3 brief pauses in the brush motor will be heard and felt.  The brush will continue to run at the end of the 2 minutes, you then need to turn it off, it will not do this automatically.

This timer and pacer are what I consider essential to a good electric toothbrush and can make a significant difference to the way we brush and ultimately our long term oral health.

As you might expect, the Pro 3000 toothbrush handle is waterproof. 

Whilst Oral-B does not specifically state in the manual not to use it when bathing, it should be fine to use in the shower, but do avoid submerging it in the bath for example.  A rinse under the tap etc is fine too.  

Do be sure to keep the charging stand away from water.

I mentioned the 3000 comes with a travel case.  White in colour it if fairly basic, but perfectly functional. 

Hinged on the left side it opens like a book and clips shut.  It holds the handle and up to 2 brush heads.  It gives adequate protection from damage when in a bag or suitcase and also protects accidental activation.

The 3000 is a really lovely electric toothbrush and it is a great option for both new and experienced electric toothbrush owners.  However, it might not be for everyone.  And for this reason Oral-B offers a 180 day money back guarantee that you can take advantage of if you are not happy for any reason.  

If you keep the brush, which I suspect you will, it is then supported by a 2 year warranty, should something, unfortunately, go wrong.