Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige

Launched at the 2021 CES, the Philips 9000 Prestige electric toothbrush is finally available in France. This new model is supposed to learn from the user's habits and adapt to each need.

 

Presentation

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige electric toothbrush is the most advanced model of the manufacturer. You only have to look at its price (300 €) to understand that it is a very high-end EBR. It offers three levels of intensity, but above all a personalized brushing follow-up thanks to the dedicated application. Connected via Bluetooth, it is linked to the Sonicare app, which provides advice and recommendations as you brush.

At first glance, there is nothing to suggest that the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige is a technology powerhouse. Aesthetically, this electric toothbrush is very sober: the brush and the handle are covered with a black matte plastic. Its one and only button allows to turn it on and off.

Underneath this single button, there are three light signals that only light up when the BDE is touched. These lights indicate the intensity of the brushing action (weak, medium or strong). To change the brushing power, simply press these lights with your finger. A practical function, although not very intuitive - it took us a few minutes to understand that it was a sensitive button.

Philips has stayed true to its sonic technology. This system is characterized by hairs that vibrate at a very fast rate, from 15,000 to 62,000 movements per minute, depending on the model. The Philips Sonicare 9900 is able to reach this frequency to remove all traces of stains and plaque.

Moreover, the unique brush that comes with this toothbrush is also a concentrate of technology. First of all, the tip of the bristles is shaped like a triangle to improve cleaning. In addition, the side bristles are slightly longer than those in the center to protect the gums.

However, we would have appreciated to find a second head in the box. Especially since it will cost about thirty euros to get a set of two brushes.

The Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige comes with a rather elegant black imitation leather case, but also with an induction charger and a base that helps balance the vertical position of the toothbrush.

The real plus of this toothbrush is its connectivity, which allows the user to follow the evolution of his brushings and to personalize them. To connect it, you need to download the Sonicare app and activate Bluetooth in the settings. After these two steps, simply bring the BDE closer to the smartphone to proceed with the pairing request - the operation takes only a few seconds.

Once the toothbrush is connected, the user can then set the brushing intensity (among three levels), but also choose one of the available modes: Clean (for daily brushing), White + (to remove stains on teeth), Gum Health (long brushing to massage the gums), Deep Clean (long brushing for problem areas) and finally Sensitive (very gentle brushing).

In addition, the app also allows you to activate the motion sensor, which detects and alerts the BDE owner to excessive pressure on the teeth - which could interfere with brushing efficiency. It is also possible to choose an "adaptive intensity": too much pressure on the teeth automatically reduces the brushing intensity.

It is also possible to access the weekly or monthly brushing dashboard which reveals, among other things, the average brushing coverage, but also the frequency of brushing during the week, the average brushing time or the pressure applied.

On the personalization side, the choice is multiple and the owner of the 9000 Prestige can indicate fragile areas (cavities, bleeding area or plaque accumulation) on a jaw illustration. They can also change the starting point of brushing so that the application can really analyze the brushed areas.

Although this application is very complete, it is overflowing with too much information that may drown some less experienced users.

 

 

Use

There is something for everyone... Or rather for all mouths! The more sensitive gums will tend to choose the weak brushing intensity. The toughest ones will choose the strong mode. For our part, we found that the highest intensity was a little too aggressive.

Otherwise, in the mouth, the toothbrush is very soft and we have no fear of a half-brush, as we felt with the Fairywill D7, for example.

As with most mid/high end models, the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige has a 2 minute timer (or more depending on the mode chosen) and emits light vibrations every 30 seconds to indicate that it's time to change the brushing zone.

The noise level of the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige varies depending on the intensity used. If you place the BDE 10 cm away from the sound level meter (about the distance between your mouth and ear), it reaches 62 dB(A) on maximum power, enough to cover a conversation. At medium intensity, it emits a sound level of 60 dB(A), and 57 dB(A) at low intensity, which is still very high.

In comparison, the Oclean Air 2, the quietest of our comparison, emits only 32 dB(A).

 

 

Autonomy

Philips promises an autonomy of 15 days on this model. To calculate the endurance of a BDE, we turn it on until it is completely discharged. The Sonicare 9900 Prestige lasted 86 minutes before stopping. With two two-minute brushings per day, that's about 22 days of battery life, which is very good compared to other BDEs we tested.

A warning light indicates that the BDE needs to be recharged when it has 20% of its battery remaining. The application indicates a more precise level, in percentage, and thus makes it possible to better organize the recharges.

To proceed with the recharging, you just have to put the Sonicare 9900 Prestige on the induction base, itself connected to a power cable.

 

Conclusion

There's no reason to be picky about the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige. This (very) high-end model offers a multitude of tips for an ultra-personalized brushing. There is almost nothing to complain about, except for its very high noise level for an electric toothbrush.