AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids toothbrush review

The AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids is an innovative 360° toothbrush that comes in a range of colorful and quirky designs, aiming to put the fun back into toothbrushing and encourage reluctant brushers to enjoy this essential part of their daily oral hygiene routine.  

AutoBrush says its U-shaped toothbrush can clean your kid's teeth in 30 seconds, cutting down on brushing time and allowing even the most easily distracted kids to get a thorough brush in a quarter of the recommended two minutes. It does this by brushing all your child's teeth simultaneously instead of quadrant by quadrant, as most other electric toothbrushes do. 

The AutoBrush Kids offers three LED light modes: An hygienic blue light to kill bacteria, a therapeutic red light to improve gum health, or a combination of the two together, although we were unable to test their effectiveness in our testing. It also offers three cleaning modes to suit different needs: Care mode for sensitive teeth, Deep Clean for tackling plaque buildup, and Massage mode for gum stimulation. Its patented BASS technology has received the ADA Seal of Acceptance and uses high-frequency vibrations of up to 30,000 per minute to remove plaque effectively.

Our 10-year-old son tried out the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids at home to see if it could provide the same superior cleaning as his usual electric toothbrush. We also tested how well it performed using a disclosing tablet to show up plaque. We dive deeper into its features, functions, design, user reviews, and care and maintenance. Read on to learn more.

If you're unsure whether the AutoBrush for Kids is right for your child, check out our guide to the best electric toothbrushes for kids for alternative models.

AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids: Design

Funkily packaged, the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids comes out of the box to music. When you open the box, a little automatic sensor plays jungle music from a tiny speaker. That nice touch aside, the brush is well-packaged in recyclable cardboard and plastic.

You have everything you need, including a USB charger, socket and a green charging base. It also comes with a little calendar and fun stickers to encourage younger children to gain rewards for brushing. Opening this box will delight any young child, although it might feel too young for older users. 

The handsets come in four designs: Lenni the Lion, Harley the Hippo, Daniel Tiger and Unity the Unicorn.

Each one is cute and colorful. We were sent Lenni the Lion to try out. The U-shaped brush head comes separately, and you can choose from a range of sizes to suit different age ranges — 3-5 years old, 6-8 years old and 9-12 years old. 

The AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids handset is encased in soft, waterproof rubber, featuring Lenni the Lion facial features and two cute ears popping out either side. On the top part of the device, you'll find a set of 12 LED lights that can illuminate in either red, blue or a combination of both, depending on your selected light mode. Positioned in the center of the 'U' shape is a small steel peg where you can securely attach the brush head to the device.

At the front of the handset are four buttons to power the toothbrush on or off, and toggle between settings on the cleaning mode, light mode and timer. We'd point out that the busy design tends to obscure the visibility of some of these buttons, particularly the power and light mode buttons. Parents of younger children may have to help young users to turn the toothbrush on and select the correct modes.

The U-shaped toothbrush head is specifically crafted to fit comfortably inside your child's mouth, encompassing all their teeth simultaneously. It boasts an impressive 58,000 ultra-soft bristles strategically angled at 45 degrees to clean the teeth's surfaces effectively. Simply press the brush head firmly onto the base to assemble the toothbrush.

The charging base is cute, too, featuring a green jungle print. The whole set-up is a lovely addition to any bathroom shelf or children's bedroom. 

AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids: Functionality

First, let's talk about the cleaning modes. There are three of them: Care, Cleaning and Massage. The manual doesn't explain what each mode is best for, so perhaps it's best to choose the mode your child likes best.. To select your mode, simply press the button that looks like a volume setting. Care mode is green, Clean mode is blue and Massage mode is red.

Now, onto the light modes. Press the lightbulb button to select your light mode. You can go with the blue LED light to help kill bacteria, red LED light for gum health, or a combination of both. Unfortunately we were unable to test how effective these features were.

Lastly, set your timer. While the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids claims to clean all your teeth in 30 seconds, you can go to 60 seconds if you like. Your child can also choose whether to have songs play along while they brush.

Now, they're all set to brush! Along with the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids, we received some foaming toothpaste flavors, but you can use your child's regular toothpaste too. Run toothpaste along both sides of the brush head before encouraging your child to pop it in their mouth, ensuring all their teeth are covered (you might have to help with this at first). Ask your child to bite down gently on the bristles, get them to grip and move the brush from left to right, and then tilt it from top to bottom.  

Your child may take a few tries to get used to this brushing style. It's a new way to brush your teeth, so it's no surprise it takes some practice, especially if your child uses a standard electric toothbrush.

Cleaning the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids is a breeze. All you have to do is rinse the brush head under warm water to remove any toothpaste residue, remove it from the handset and let it air dry in a clean, cool place before your child's next brushing session. Remember to replace your child's brush head every three months, just like their regular electric toothbrush head or manual toothbrush.

• Related: How to use an electric toothbrush

AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids: Performance

To understand whether the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids was living up to its claims to remove plaque as efficiently as a regular electric toothbrush, we decided to test how well it performed by using a disclosing tablet on our son's teeth before and after brushing. 

A disclosing tablet is a small tablet used to help identify plaque buildup on teeth. It temporarily dyes areas of plaque buildup, making them visible so your child can see where they may have missed brushing thoroughly.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids removed almost all the plaque on the front and back of the teeth using a 30-second clean, which was further improved by another 30-second clean. However, we could see some plaque remained on the back molars, which our son struggled to reach with the AutoBrush.

Although our son is a little old for the songs accompanying the brushing sessions, he thought it was a great idea for younger kids to encourage them to brush for longer than the usual 30 seconds. He also loved getting all his brushing done in 30 seconds flat.

AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids: What's good about it?

We loved the design of the AutoBrush for Kids. It's such a fun and quirky toothbrush that it would encourage any reluctant brusher in the family to give it a go. 

We also liked the colorful charging base and that you can set the brushing session to be longer. For parents who prefer a calming bedtime routine, you can turn the music off, which is a massive bonus. That can take the decibel level from around 60 dB to 28 dB — the difference between normal conversation and a whisper.

AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids: What's not so good about it?

The AutoBrush for Kids wasn't reaching our son's very back teeth. This could partly be down to his own brushing technique, but once that brush is in your child's mouth, there's no way to check how far it goes back or whether all their teeth are covered. Parents who want to ensure that their children are thoroughly brushing their teeth may not be keen on the AutoBrush for this reason. 

Although the AutoBrush is designed for kids aged up to 12, the cute characters and music feel way too childish for kids aged 9 and up. That's what our 10-year-old thinks, anyway!

AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids: User reviews

The AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids has a solid 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon, with over half of the reviewers giving it the highest rating. Parents are thrilled with the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids. One parent shares how their dentist recommended it, and their child now loves brushing, thanks to the lights, music and characters. For parents dealing with kids who used to hate brushing, the AutoBrush Sonic Pro is a game-changer, with one sharing, "My kids are OBSESSED with these things. They brush their teeth as many times a day as I'll let them!"

Some negative reviews from parents mention that they have seen no visible improvement in their children's teeth, while others say the handsets don't hold charge like they should. One parent expressed concern about the lights' intensity and noted that the base got very hot while charging, while another user faced issues with bristles falling out into their child's mouth. 

It's worth mentioning that these negative reviews tend to be individual device-specific rather than a problem across the board, though.

Should you buy the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids?

If you have a child who hates brushing or who flat-out refuses to brush for the recommended two minutes, it might be worth giving the AutoBrush Sonic Pro for Kids a try. It's pretty good at turning reluctant brushes into happy brushers, especially among younger kids. 

If this product isn't for you

If you'd prefer to go for a more familiar household name brand, the Philips Sonicare for Kids has an interactive app that adds an element of fun to brushing. Sync it with the Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush for your child to receive customized brushing tips, coaching, and entertaining rewards through animated features, all of which motivate them to brush those tricky, hard-to-reach areas.

If you're looking for a fun and quirky gift but you're unsure about the AutoBrush for Kids, a BritBrush Kids toothbrush might be a good option. Suitable for children as young as 3, the BriteBrush comes in a choice of three distinctive designs: Baby Shark, Sesame Elmo and Game Brush. Each design comes loaded with fun, interactive games and music to encourage your child to brush more effectively. 

The Foreo ISSA Kids toothbrush is another innovative design for children's oral hygiene. It comes in four vibrant colors and has a cute expression that changes based on brushing time. This sonic toothbrush can provide up to an impressive 265 brushing sessions with just one charge.