Oral-B Pro 3 3000 / 3500 / 3900 Review

Design, usability, clean & general use

Considering the relatively limited box contents, the Pro 3’s box is a bit larger than you might anticipate but typical of other Oral-B brushes.

A blue coloured outer cardboard box shows a picture of the toothbrush you will be getting inside. Listed on the box are some of the main features of this brush.  Interestingly, there is no mention of the cleaning modes available.

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.  

What you get in the box depends on the variant chosen.  The Pro 3 3000 comes with no extras over the toothbrush and charging stand itself. This is both a positive and a negative.  I like it because it means you and I are not left with items we won’t actually use.  

The Pro 3 – 3500 shown in the images within this review, comes with a travel case.  A handy extra for many people.

It would be nice if the Pro 3 3000 rather than the 3500 variant came with the case as standard.  By no means a deal breaker, I think the travel case would have been a particular bonus and clinched this as a must buy for many people.  Many of us do spend nights away where we need to take our toothbrush. Without it, we have to buy or find some other solution to protect the head and handle from damage when in our travel bags.

It would have also been nice to have had an additional brush head in the box, but the variants available at the time of the review come with just 1.

The Pro 3 is designed like most other electric toothbrushes, with a tall cylindrical handle. Actually, it is not perfectly round, it’s slightly thicker than it is wide, but we are talking millimetres of difference.

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

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

What stands out is the lack of 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 Pro 3.

There are no large rubber grips.  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 5 5000.

This lack of grips makes the handle look slightly more stylish, minimal and cleaner.  It is also easier to wipe clean.  Toothpaste residue can build up on the rubber grips of other handles and be harder to remove. 

There is an oval shaped panel in the upper third of the brush handle that is of a rubber/silicone 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 generally matched to the colour of the brush handle.  The exception being the white variant, which has a dusty grey coloured button.

Within this panel is 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. 

In the lower third of the handle is a battery status LED. The 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 colour.

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

The handle does stand upright on a flat surface.

It is worth knowing that the Pro 3 – 3000 series is available with different coloured handles.  The options are alabaster white, pink, electric blue or black onyx.

The availability of the colour does depend on the variant.

But where the white and black handles are all white and all black, the pink and blue models have a white base to them.  This white base creates a ring that is about 8mm deep at the bottom of the handle.  It is quite a bold contrast.  I think it would have been nicer if this part was colour matched to the rest of the handle.

It may have something to do with styling, that I don’t understand or appreciate.  It should also be noted that irrespective of the colour of the brush handle, the charging stand on which it sits is white.

And in most instances, the brush head is white too.  Even with the black model, only a couple of variants come with a black coloured brush head.

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 chance 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.  

The Pro 3 3000 is the most cost effective model in the Oral-B range to offer a full 360 degree visible pressure sensor.  The Pro 2 2000 and 2 2500 have visible pressure sensors, but theirs is about half the size and doesn’t wrap around the whole handle.

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 colour.

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. The light is weaker on the front side of the light ring.  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.

It would also be nice if the handle vibrated differently like Sonicare models do.  But, alas it does not.

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 brush head.  The exact style of the head depends on the variant selected. It is the CrossAction that is most common and the default option.  But, models like the Pro 3 3500 you see in the hands-on images show the 3D White brush head.

The CrossAction or the Sensi UltraThin are our preferred styles of brush head to use, as we explain in our brush head guide.

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

The small round CrossAction head has bristles angled at 16 degrees, which gives it quite a unique look.  It 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.

After every use, my teeth felt lovely and clean.

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:

• FlossAction
• 3D White
• Sensi UltraThin
• Precision Clean

A very small point to note is that the CrossAction and 3D White brush head supplied with the Pro 3 have what are known as CleanMaximiser bristles.

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

These are the green coloured bristle tufts. On most CrossAction heads, without CleanMaximizer bristles, these are blue in colour.

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.

And if possible recycle your used brush head. In fact, recycle all your oral care items.  

To actually use the Pro 3 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 Pro 3.

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 mode.  

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.

For those that are interested, the Pro 3 3000 series motor/brush head moves at up to 9,900 oscillations per minute and delivers up to 45,000 pulsations per minute too. The exact number of movements depends on the brushing mode selected.

There is only 1 physical button on the 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 hold the power button for about 2 seconds will also turn it off.

Therefore if the 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.

It would also be nice if there were some form of indicator or icon on the handle to reconfirm to you that you have selected the right mode.  With practice, you learn and can tell the difference.  But, a simple LED next to the name of the mode on the handle would be good.  It saves you from having to think quite so hard and just makes everyday usability better.

When any of the brushing modes are in use, the built-in timer and pacer are activated too.

The timer and pacer are included to help encourage you and me 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.

When it comes to dental advice and information on how to take care of your teeth, the Oral Health Foundation are one of the leading bodies.

It is then pretty reassuring to know that the Pro 3 has achieved their ‘Approved’ status which means the brush has met and surpassed certain standards and tests that the independent board put together.

As you might expect, the Pro 3 3000 toothbrush handle is water resistant. 

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.

As I have already intimated, the Pro 3 – 3500 variant comes with a travel case.  This is a fairly basic but functional plastic case.  It will protect it from damage and accidental activation.

Hold it in a vertical orientation and it is hinged on the left side. There is a secure plastic clip on the right side.

The Bruan and Oral-B logo are debossed onto the front of the case. The logo is too on the clip on the right side.  It holds the Pro 3 brush handle and up to 2 brush heads.  The heads clip into one half of the case, whilst the handle clips into the other.

The larger surfaces of the case are flat, but the edges are rounded, for a softer look and do also make it more comfortable when held in the hand.

There are holes in the case for ventilation which is great.

The colour of the case depends on the variant, but typically they are a solid black or white.

The Pro 3 – 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 30 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, which can be extended to 3 years at no extra cost, by registering online.

Pro 3 3000 vs Pro 3 3500 vs 3900

There are several different variations of this ‘Pro 3’ toothbrush.

Technically, the Pro 3 3000, the 3 3500 and the 3 3900 are the same.

What differs between these 3 models is the handle colour and box contents.

In a nutshell, the 3500 is the same as the 3000 but comes with a travel case. The 3900 contains 2 x 3000 handles in its box contents, but no travel cases.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the differences.

• Travel case
  • The 3 3500 comes with a travel case included in the box. It holds the handle and 2 brush heads
    • This is not supplied with the Pro 3 3000 or 3 3900.
• Handle, brush head and charger quantity
  • The Pro 3 3000 comes with 1 handle, 1 brush head and 1 charger included.
  • The Pro 3 3500 comes with 1 handle, 1 brush head and 1 charger included.
  • The Pro 3 3900 comes with 2 handles, 2 brush heads and 1 charger included.
• Handle colours
  • The Pro 3 3000 is available in 4 colour options (black, pink, blue & white).
  • The Pro 3 3500 is available in 2 colour options (black or pink).
  • The Pro 3 3900 is available in 2 colour options (black and pink).
• Retail price
  • The Pro 3 3000 has a retail price of £90 – sells for around £40.
  • The Pro 3 3500 has a retail price of £90 – sells for around £40.
  • The Pro 3 3900 has a retail price of £140 – sells for around £55.

My recommendation is to buy the Pro 3 3500, providing it is the same price as the 3000 or within about £5. Unless you specifically need an additional brush handle.