Oral-B Pro 3000 Electric Toothbrush Review: Should You Buy it in 2024? (2024)

The Oral-B Pro 3000 is a step up from the Pro 1000, one of the most popular of Oral-B brushes.

While the Pro 3000 sits at a slightly higher price point, it comes with a whole load of features to make up for it.

Join us as we explore everything you could possibly want to know about the Oral-B Pro 3000. Our detailed review will help you make the right decision when purchasing your new electric toothbrush.

But First …

Okay, let’s start off right and tell you that this brush is available in two different flavors. Specifically, WITH Bluetooth and without Bluetooth! At first, we were a little put off by the whole “Bluetooth everything” idea. What’s next? Bluetooth hairbrushes? (I should move on that one actually!). We really warmed up to the idea after testing it out, and now we like it (just like the Bluetooth conspiracy is supposed to unfold!) 🙂

Okay, so why Bluetooth? If you’d like to finesse your tooth-cleaning with a personal assistant who tells you where to brush and when (just like your Mom), keep track of your progress over time, and even tell you if you’re pressing too hard, it’s not a bad idea!

Oral-B Pro 3000

Oral-B Pro 3000 Unboxing

Following items:

Lets break it down:

• Oral-B Pro 3000 Handle
• Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush head
• Protective compartment for toothbrush heads
• Battery Charger
• Instruction manual

You will also find a coupon offering a discount on replacement toothbrush heads. Hang on to this because just like a regular toothbrush you will replace the heads roughly once every three months.

Oral-B Pro 3000 Handle

At first glance the handle of the Oral-B Pro 3000 looks very similar to that of the Oral-B Pro 1000 that we also reviewed.

Don’t let the looks fool you. The Oral-B Pro 3000 is a very different electric toothbrush.

The Oral-B Pro 3000 is so easy to operate that a child could do it.

On the face of the handle is a single white power button. Pressing the button turns your electric toothbrush on or off. And that really is all there is to it.

A strip of dark blue rubber runs down the body of the toothbrush like a racing stripe. Regardless of whether your fingers are wet or dry, the grip will help keep your electric toothbrush from tumbling to the floor of your bathroom.

The remaining white area is a hard (but smooth) easy to clean plastic.

On the side of the handle you will see the words “Professional care”. Previously this electric toothbrush was known as the Oral-B Professional Care 3000. While the name has been shortened to the Pro 3000, the old name is still clearly visible on the side on the handle.

Further down the face of the handle you will come across two small indicators.

One of the indicators is shaped like a battery, the other like an electric plug. As you might have guessed, these indicators refer to the charge level of the battery.

I will show you just how these indicators work when I cover charging the Oral-B Pro 3000 further down this review.

Speaking of charging…

On the underside of the handle you will notice a small socket. This is the part of the handle that sits on the charger base.

Printed around the charging hole are the words “Made in Germany” as well as Braun branding. Braun; a German company, originally developed the Oral-B range of toothbrushes (Now they are a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble).

Flipping the handle over reveals…

…Not a whole lot at all. Just a plain plastic rear. Nothing noteworthy at all.

But if you move your eyes towards the neck of the handle you will be greeted by the first major difference between the Oral-B Pro 1000 and the Pro 3000:

The Pressure sensor indicator light. When you are brushing, the light will flash angrily if you press down too hard on your teeth.

It is well documented that brushing with too much pressure can wear down the enamel of your tooth or cause your gums to recede. These are Two things that can lead to expensive dentist visits. And no one likes going to the dentist.

The pressure sensor may be just the thing to help improve your brushing technique.

Oral-B Pro 3000 Toothbrush Heads

At the very top of the Oral-B Pro 3000 you will find a metal shaft:

This shaft can take any one of 8 different toothbrush heads (sold separately)For more information check out our review on the different types of Oral-B replacement brush heads.

Oral-B offers the most choice out of all-electric brush heads. Whether you want a gentler brush head for sensitive gums or one designed just for braces, there is a toothbrush head for you.

You will find a single toothbrush head included in the Oral-B Pro 3000 box. The Crossaction:

True to its name, the CrossAction is made up of clusters of bristles that crisscross at 16 degrees to help remove plaque from along your gum line and between your teeth.

If I had to describe how coarse the bristles were I would say medium. If you are currently using a soft-bristled toothbrush then you may find that this head is too abrasive.

Fortunately, this is not really a problem since you can swap the head out for a more sensitive option but you will have to buy the brush head separately.

Now you may have noticed a blue plastic ring in the picture above. This tiny little ring slides on the bottom of your toothbrush head like so:

Now you may be wondering:

What’s the point of that?

Let me explain:

The great thing about electric toothbrushes is that they can be shared. Well, the handle at least. All you need to do is swap out the head when the next person uses it.

Because brushing your teeth with someone else’s toothbrush is disgusting, Oral-B uses different colored identification rings so that you can tell them apart. The identification rings come with every replacement toothbrush head.

The toothbrush head simply slides onto the shaft of the Oral-B Pro 3000 and a light tug is all that takes to remove it. Swapping out the head takes no longer than three seconds which definitely makes sharing the toothbrush less frustrating.

Over time your toothbrush head will begin to wear out. Oral-B uses blue “indicator bristles” to let you know the time has come to replace your toothbrush head. When the bristles have faded, it’s time to replace your brush head.

During testing I found this to be a fairly reliable method of determining when to change the heads. Brushing twice a day saw the blue indicator bristles fade almost right on the 3-month mark. Impressive.

With the brush head attached to the handle, the Oral-B Pro 3000 stands at 9.25 inches tall. Unfortunately, that was just a little tall for it to stand upright on the shelf of my medicine cabinet. Instead, I had to lay the electric toothbrush on its side which isn’t my preference.

When laying down the toothbrush head does not come into contact with the shelf. But the Oral-B Pro 3000 goes one step further than the Pro 1000. It includes a brush head holder:

The brush head holder is especially handy if you are planning on sharing your electric toothbrush with your partner or kids. It gives you a dedicated place to store your brush heads when they are not in use.

The holder can carry up to 4 different brush heads and well placed ventilation holes in the lid help dry the bristles after each brushing session.

I was pleased to note that even with all 4 toothbrush spots filled up I was easily able to pick up the middle brush heads.

Every now and then you are going to want to give the toothbrush holder a clean down to keep it hygienic. Cleaning is as simple as tossing the holder through a dishwasher cycle. Yep, the toothbrush case is actually dishwasher safe.

Now you may be wondering what that circular hole on the holder is for. That is where the Oral-B Pro 3000 Toothbrush charger rests. If you have the space you set this up on your bathroom counter as an all-in one brushing station.

Charging the Oral-B 3000

You will not be able to use your new Oral-B Pro 3000 straight out of the box. First you are going to have to charge it.

The charging stand of the Oral-B Pro 3000 is the same as that of the Pro 1000:

Little more than an oval shaped piece of plastic with a knob sticking out of the top.

Remember that hole in the base of the handle? It slides over the knob which results in the battery being charged.

Here is the cool thing:

Like most of the Oral-B electric toothbrush range, the Pro 3000 charges wirelessly. The knob does not lock or click into the toothbrush handle. Instead your handle will just sit loose on top. I loved this, plugging and unplugging charging cables gets old real quick.

The charging cord is just over 4 feet in length. More than long enough to stretch from the nearest power outlet to your bathroom counter.

If you flip the charger over you can see the specifications printed on the bottom:

Again we see a repeat of the problem that I found on the Pro 1000. The charger only works between 110-130V. This does not leave you with a whole lot of places that the charger will work outside of the United States.

Note: This review is of the American model. If you buy the Oral-B Pro 3000 locally then it will be compatible with the voltage of that country.

For shorter trips this won’t be a problem. Simply charge the toothbrush before you leave. But for longer vacations the battery will likely die before the trip is over.

The Oral-B Pro 3000 will immediately begin to charge the moment you place it on the stand:

To let you know that the battery is charging, a green light will flash green. Once your toothbrush is fully charged, the indicator will switch off. It can take up to 22 hours to fully charge a battery that has completely died.

Unfortunately there is no way to determine how much battery is remaining in your toothbrush until you see this dreaded sight:

The low battery indicator. This indicator will blink an angry shade of read when your battery has almost drained.

Unfortunately, until you see the dead battery indicator you simply have to guess how much charge is remaining.

The instruction manual claims up to 7 days of use on a single charge. Surprisingly I was able to get an average of 20 teeth brushing sessions (10 days, morning and night) before the battery died on my.

It is likely that over time the battery will begin to wear and the 7 days of use will become the reality. However, this was not the case for the period in which we tested the brush.

Inside the Oral-B Pro 3000 Handle hides an NiCad battery. It is recommended that you completely discharge the battery (run it dead) once every six months to make sure that the battery keeps charging efficiently.

Until the time comes to discharge the battery you can simply store your Oral-B Pro 3000 on the charger when not in use. It is impossible to overcharge the battery and this will make sure the battery is full the next time you need to brush your teeth.

Testing the Oral-B Pro 3000 Electric Toothbrush

Brushing with the Oral-B Pro 3000 is a very pleasant experience and is a huge step up from the entry level Pro 1000.

The first thing that you will notice when you pick up the electric toothbrush is just how comfortable it is to hold. Despite the long narrow shape, the Oral-B Pro 3000 sits comfortably in the grasp of your hand.

The Pro 3000 has a couple of features to ensure that you have the most efficient brushing experience. The first feature we will look at is the built in timer.

Many dentists agree that proper brushing takes at least two minutes.

While you are brushing your teeth the Pro 3000 Will briefly pause every 30 seconds, alerting you that 30 seconds has passed.

The instruction manual suggests that you split your mouth into quadrants (quarters) when brushing.

1. Brush left half of top teeth for 30 seconds
2. Brush right half of top teeth for 30 seconds
3. Brush left half of bottom teeth for 30 seconds
4. Brush right half of bottom teeth for 30 seconds

Each time the timer of the Oral-B Pro 3000 alerts you that 30 seconds is up, you move onto the next quarter of your mouth.

Once you have finished brushing all quarters, two minutes will have passed. Brushing your teeth for the recommended two minutes has never been easier and it really takes the guess work out of brushing.

The Oral-B Pro 3000 will pulse three times to signal when the full two minutes is up. At this stage it will continue running (for those of you who wish to brush longer). You will need to manually turn the button off when you have finished brushing.

Here is a video of the 2 minute timer in action:

Now you may have noticed that in order to turn the Oral-B Pro 3000 off the power button had to be pushed a total of three times. This is because of the different brushing modes.

There are three different brushing modes and these are all cycled through by pressing the power button.

1. Standard Clean: Regular, full powered brushing
2. Sensitive: Gentler, less jarring brushing
3. Gum Care:Alternates between low and high powered brushing producing a massage like sensation

I’ll be honest, I only used the standard clean and it’s likely the majority of you will only use this mode too.

But there was a reason the sensitive mode was included….

Matthew Messina, DDS says:

People with sensitive teeth may find that their teeth are less sensitive when the brush head moves slower or less pressure is applied.

One our testers who had sensitive teeth said that he preferred the sensitive option so this may well be worth checking out if fast brushing causes your teeth pain.

The gum care brushing mode is just plain annoying and seems like more of a gimmick than an actual useful feature.

Lastly you will come across the pressure sensor.

As I touched on earlier in the review, applying too much pressure when brushing can lead to numerous dental problems. To assist with this problem the Oral-B Pro 3000 has an included pressure sensor.

When you press to hard, the light on the back of the handle will light up:

While this seems like a great idea in theory, in practice it just didn’t work that well. You have to press down really hard on your teeth to set off the pressure warning light. So hard that teeth brushing was a very uncomfortable experience.

If you can apply too much pressure before the warning system kicks in then what’s the point of it? The majority of you who use this toothbrush will never see this light in action.

The included head is unique in that not only does it rapidly oscillate (move back and forth) but also pulsates (vibrates) as well.

Confused? This diagram will make it easier to understand:

The Oral-B Pro 3000 steps it up a notch. The motor is capable of performing 40,000 pulses and 8,800 oscillations per minute. That’s double frequency of the Oral-B Pro 1000.

The Oral-B Pro 3000 offered a far superior clean to that of the Pro 1000. It seems that the higher frequency of pulses really does help.

When you have finished brushing your teeth make sure you rinse the handle and brush head after each use. If you don’t you will find that dried toothbrush will build up and discolor the handle or worse; cement the toothbrush head to the shaft.

Fortunately if this does happen you simply hold the toothbrush under hot running water. The Oral-B Pro 3000 is waterproof which makes cleaning as simple as dunking the brush under water.

Should I Get the Bluetooth Version?

If you’re still wondering which model to buy (Bluetooth or Non-Bluetooth), I’d keep it current and grab a Bluetooth model. Use it or not, it’s actually less expensive, and brings you into the 21st Century quite nicely!

Satisfaction Guarantee

Oral-B offers a love it or your money back guarantee. If you are unhappy with the Oral-B Pro 1000 for any reason you can return it for a full refund within 60 days.

Oral B has more information about this guarantee on their website

For those of you unsure whether or not an electric toothbrush is right for you, this guarantee provides a nice safety net.

Final thoughts

The Oral-B Pro 3000 is a big step up from the Pro 1000 (which we also loved). Despite a few features that you will not use (like the pressure sensor and gum brushing mode) this is probably our favorite toothbrush in the Oral-B range of electric toothbrushes.

Great performance combined with the wide range of interchangeable brush heads allows you to customize your perfect brushing experience.

Highly recommended.

Looking to read more reviews of Oral-B electric toothbrushes? Here are three that we particularly recommend: Oral-B Genius Pro 8000, Oral-B White 7000 Electric SmartSeries, and Oral-B Pro 5000.