Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige Rechargeable Electric Power Toothbrush with SenseIQ, Midnight, HX9990/12

By Far My Favorite Toothbrush!
I’m just going to start off by saying this is my favorite toothbrush that I have owned so far, even if it is very pricey! Prior to this toothbrush, I have been alternating between an Oral-B electric toothbrush with a round head and a traditional toothbrush.
The toothbrush arrives well packaged and is very easy to setup. I do use the app (iOS) while brushing my teeth. The build quality is top notch, it doesn’t feel cheap. This should be expected being how expensive this toothbrush can go for. One of the reasons I chose this toothbrush over the lower models is due to its design and not having a physical button where grime can build up. The fewer crevices there are, the easier it is to keep the toothbrush clean and functioning properly.
The charging puck is nice and works well. If I had any suggestions of improvement, it would be that the plastic piece that sits on top of the charger snap in place instead of just resting on top. It’s so lightweight that and doesn’t secure itself, that any attempt to move the charger or a bump to it can knock the plastic mount off of the charging puck. Other than that, the toothbrush sits securely and I haven’t had an incident yet that could knock the toothbrush off.
When brushing my teeth, I use the app and set the tooth brush to it’s deep clean mode for a longer brush time. I can honestly say I don’t recall my teeth ever feeling this clean from brushing at home. The closest experience I can compare it to is after having my teeth cleaned at the dentist. My whole mouth feels cleaner, my teeth feel smooth and polished, morning breath has been greatly reduced, and I have even noticed my teeth looking noticeably whiter as this toothbrush does an excellent job at removing stains (I don’t smoke, but I do drink coffee and sodas). I was starting to notice this within the first 2 weeks of using the toothbrush and after about 1.5 months of use I still have the extra clean feeling after every brush and more stains have been removed from my teeth.
The toothbrush is very easy to keep clean, especially with fewer crevices for grime to get caught up in. I also find that this toothbrush is less messy when being used, less drippage and such. My previous toothbrush, an Oral-B was horrendous for this. It had lots of crevices for grime to get into and the design of the brush heads allows toothpaste and saliva to drip down the handle. No such problem with this toothbrush.
When I first got the toothbrush, one of my initial complaints was that it didn’t allow me to capture my brushing data into Apple Health. But a few weeks ago Philips released an update to their app that does allow some data to be recorded into Apple Health, so that is a good start. Another complaint that I have which is related to the app (and how the toothbrush interprets input) is I sometimes run into problems with the toothbrush and app properly capturing the position and placement of my toothbrush. Even though I may be brushing in the area it wants me to, sometimes it has a hard time recognizing if I am brushing on the outside or the inside. When this happens, it may not flag enough time being brushed in that area and want me to brush for an additional amount of time to touch up those areas. And it isn’t always the same area. This may be due to a calibration problem and it would nice if there was an easy way to quickly recalibrate the toothbrush so that it can better identify its position.
On a side note, if you plan to use the app to track your brushing habits, I recommend getting something to mount your phone to your mirror. It will make using the app while brushing a lot easier.
I do like how the app and toothbrush track the life of your brush head and recommends when it is time to replace it. Typical recommendation to replace a brush head is ever 3 months. I am currently two weeks away from 2 months of use and based on my current usage, it looks like I will be prompted to replace my brush head in about 2 weeks. So why am I getting about 2 months use out of my brush head instead of three? If I had to guess, it may be due to me doing the Deep Clean option which runs for 50% longer than a typical brushing session, 3 minutes vs 2 minutes. As such, the app and toothbrush may not be calculating my brush head use by number of sessions (like it displays it as) but really by how much time the brush head is used for.
TL;DR
The toothbrush is phenomenal but pricey. If you don’t mind spending the money, or find it on sale, you won’t be disappointed in the performance of the toothbrush. It does an excellent job at cleaning your teeth and removing stains. The app is decent, but there is always room for improvement. But seeing that improvements have already been made in the short time I have been using the toothbrush, I am hopeful that the app will continue to get better in the coming months. Adding an easy to use recalibrate option for its positioning awareness, I think, will be extremely helpful. I would also like to see more data being captured in Apple Health instead of just brush duration. The app captures a lot more data points that I would like be viewed in Apple Health as well. Not sure if this is a limitation with Apple Health or the app.

Garbage
TLDR; Its a bog standard electric toothbrush with nothing special about it at all. Save your money and get something more reliable.
The long version; It’s unreliable charging on the base it comes with. It has been since I got it. Maybe there’s a secret dance you’re supposed to do to get the charger to work reliably as you place the toothbrush on it’s charger? If there is, I don’t know it and I find charging this toothbrush one of the most frustrating, unsatisfactory usages of my time. I’m literally to the point where I have to stand in front of the charger that I’ve placed the toothbrush on, and just wait. Is it going to start beeping at me eventually? How long do I have to stand here before I’m confident there’ll be no issue with the brush charging? Who knows?? I haven’t figured that out 100% yet and I’ve hovered over this toothbrush for a full minute before it finally indicated it wasn’t charging right. How do I know? I recorded it! I feel like a lunatic having to say this stuff so I needed the data to prove to myself – I’m not imagining it. I’m not exaggerating. I will happily share the footage with anyone who asks.
I’ve been fussing with this toothbrush since April when I got it and it’s now November. I told myself, “it’s too expensive to just give up on! Surely it’s just a matter of user error right??” Nah. This is a known issue by Philips. I searched for a solution thinking I must just be missing something. Their FAQ first frames it as user error, telling users not to charge with the wrong base. Philips charging bases aren’t interchangeable. Really Philips? How is that cost effective or smart design in any fashion? Do better. But let’s not get hung up on that. This base came with the brush at the time of purchase. Moving on.
They tell you things like “make sure your charger is not on a metal surface.”
-_-
Is there a lot of metal in the average persons bathroom? I ask because I feel like I’m being gaslit by Philips into thinking I’m just incompetent as a toothbrush or tech user somehow. I know a lot of metal exists in some bathrooms. But I haven’t seen a lot of people using those metal filled bathrooms to charge their toothbrush in. Those bathrooms are usually in gyms, military ships, convenience stores, or public restrooms that get high traffic. It starts to feel insulting when I’m working so diligently to get this very expensive item to work, to do a necessary task, twice a day, to have the maker say things like this when it’s obviously a known issue if you do a 5 second internet search.
Heaven forbid you place it on the charger and you think it’s charging so you walk away. Unbeknownst to you, there’s a small faint beep that’s started since you left. You go to pick it up to use it the next time you want to brush your teeth and you might notice it doesn’t work. Guess what! Your toothbrush is dead as a doornail. It’s not charged. I’ve taken to trying to brush my teeth additional times throughout my day, to try and avoid being caught out by a dead toothbrush, right before I go to bed or when I need to get out the door for work/life. How is that an efficient use of my time? But if I don’t – I run the risk of not being able to properly care for my teeth and brush thoroughly twice a day. Does Philips know how stupid they make customers feel with their crappy product and apparent disinterest in making sure their tech has any sort of reliable quality standard. “I spent a lot of money on a well reviewed toothbrush that’s supposed to be one of the best so I don’t have to spend loads of extra money, time, pain or suffering over dental issues. Does it have charge yet? Can I use it yet? No? Dang.” Sure, I can use it manually – but doesn’t that defeat the point here???
I’m sick of companies not valuing customers time, money or shopping efforts to find and acquire products they need in their lives. I’m sick of companies producing the most minimal pieces of junk they can possibly spew out, slapping some proverbial lipstick on their frankenstein pig creation by making it pretty colors or shiny (seriously? a shiny charger? for a toothbrush? you’ve brushed your teeth before right Product Designers of Philips? I know you know toothbrushes drain. The stand you include has drainage. Why doesn’t the charger? Why is the charger gold? Is that a good look to someone, with the way a toothbrush drains a sort of toothpaste tinted water?) Toothbrushes drain downwards onto chargers. Duh, right? I get that working chargers aren’t really Philip’s thing but it feels necessary to point this out because it seems like if you use your toothbrush and it indicates it needs charged, and you place it on the charger – Philips would understand, there’s gonna be some water drainage. I find that if my toothbrush has any water in, on or around it – it freaks out and can’t charge. I have to literally ~dry~ my toothbrush to try and charge it. I don’t mean just wipe the base and sides of it with a microfiber cloth. I mean, make sure you flick every speck of water out of the head, then wipe down the sides and base, wipe down the charger, and take off the head. Wipe any water you might find that got under the head at the point where it connects, and then place it on the charger. Even then it’s not guaranteed to work. Don’t walk away, you’re not done. You need to start a timer for yourself. At least 1 minute. You’re gonna wanna wait to see if you missed even the tiniest bit of water that makes its way down to the charger so you can dry that too. You’ll know because the charger will start making your toothbrush beep and flash like it’s about to self-destruct. I don’t remember any of this being included in it’s advertising. I’m pretty sure if someone had told me the toothbrush I’m considering purchasing needs dried to the point of OCD – I’d have had 2nd thoughts about such a purchase. Especially for the price I paid. So no. I would not recommend this toothbrush. If someone knows of one that’s better, hit me up. And if anyone from Philips actually takes the time to read this, you’re welcome. Product ideas make bank. I’ve given you a lot here. A charger that drains. A charger that’s not gold. A toothbrush that can handle being wet and still charge. A quality toothbrush that does what it’s supposed to would ensure customer loyalty and lock them in to buying replacement heads for life. Get it together.

Provides brushing feedback while you brush
My old sonicare bit the dust after around 5 years of use. I replaced it with this one. This newer model provides feedback when you brush if you press too hard. Works great. You will love it and your dentist will hate it.

I don’t really know whether the Prestige is worth the high price (in Canada) compared to the lower models of Sonicare, especially the mid-range ones that are not cheap but much less expensive. So far, the only real differences I noticed (practical differences, not advertized differences) seem to be the buzzing function when I press too hard on my teeth (other models only show a blue light on the app…no big deal), the setting “sensitive (don’t really know what that does but it feels a little better on my gums … no big deal), and the internal memory for the app so you do not always need to be connected via bluetooth to the app in order to get the stats on my brushing (important for me). If you want to get a Sonicare 1/2 or 1/3 the price, then you won’t have these extra options, but, honestly, you do not need these options later on. They are only useful in the beginning to get a feel of how the app wants you to brush your teeth. Then, you do not need the app anymore. These extra functions do not add to the quality of the cleaning. Get a cheaper Sonicare and buy the A3 head, and you got a Prestige for 1/2 or 1/3 the price. I will keep the Prestige because I don’t want to go through the hassle of returning it, want to encourage Sonicare to continue to make good products for dental care, and like having a fancy shmancy electric tooth brush.

I use for brushing teeth, used to have the diamond clean but it crapped out.
Toothpaste does not get stuck in the buttons like on the cheaper models,
Tooth paste also foams less and doesn’t make as much of a mess.
The brush it’s self feels like a luxury massage, and your teeth feel incredibly clean after.
Well worth the money for anyone looking into it as an investment for your health