Keeping your pearly whites both pearly and white is far easier than it used to be – but it remains a messy and time-consuming affair. Between the build-up of toothpaste and the need to deep clean your dental tools to ensure they remain hygienic, dental care can be a time-consuming affair.
While I don’t use dentures, retainers or the like, I do use an electric toothbrush, and maintaining my toothbrush head alone is a real pain. As such, I was excited to hear about the Sonic Spa Pro with Steribrite, an ultrasonic and UV-C dental appliance cleaner. And, having tried it for a few weeks, I can definitely say it didn’t disappoint.
Using UV-C light in tandem with 43,000Hz ultrasonic cleaning, the Sonic Spa Pro can destroy 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and pathogens in just three minutes, according to the manufacturer, Sonic Dental; but there’s also a five-minute cycle for deep cleaning.
It’s priced at $99.95 / £89.95 / AU$179, which covers the device itself and six cleaning tablets, but you can opt for a bundle with 36 cleaning tablets for $119.95 / £99.95 / AU$199; and there’s also an Onyx Black color option. That does make it a pretty pricey purchase, with similar devices listed on Amazon for roughly $50 / £ 45 / AU$90. However, the Sonic Spa Pro is made using premium materials and genuinely feels solid enough to last a long time – although note that a few customers across Reddit and Trustpilot seemed to have issues with units when the device first launched, as well as customer service delays for both delivery and replacement.
Neat and compact at 4.8 x 4.8 x 3.94 inches / 122mm × 122mm × 100mm (L x D x H), the simple pod-shaped Sonic Spa Pro device teeters on clinical with its basic design and matte coating; but it feels premium.
On top of the hinged lid you’ll find an “S” logo, serving as the primary touch control for the Sonic Spa Pro, with the lid opening to reveal the 3.1 x 1.77in / 80mm x 45mm basin. You fill this with cold water (up to 165ml) before submerging your dental appliance of choice. The basin is perfectly sized for dentures, but fits a variety of dental tools – plus, it’s also suitable to clean items such as nail clippers, tweezers, and even jewellery.
I’ve been using the Sonic Spa Pro for a couple of weeks now, and I must say I’ve been impressed. Having watched countless TikToks of dubious-looking “purifying” cleaners, I was excited to try something that came with clinical backing and sported a more premium feel – and the Sonic Spa Pro delivered.
Simply fill the tank to the Max water line, with your dental appliance inside, close the lid and hold down the touch-sensitive button to start the cleaning cycle; press again to begin the five-minute cycle. When it’s done, open the lid, drain and remove the contents and rinse off the item you’ve just cleaned – voilà!
The first time I cleaned my toothbrush head in the basin, I was surprised by just how much muck came off my fairly new toothbrush head, turning the water into a milky, chalky soup in just one three-minute cycle. To see how effective it had been, I repeated the cleaning cycle again straight away, and the water in the basin at the end of that cycle was almost clear – that’s using simply the power of water, UV-C light and ultrasonic cleaning. When you’re tackling retainers or other dental items that require more maintenance, you can pop in one of the included cleaning tabs.
I didn’t often find the need to stretch to the 5-minute cycle, although I did attempt it for cleaning some older jewellery, which Sonic Dental claims the Sonic Spa Pro can also handle. I didn't notice much of a difference, barring a few flecks of black grub that were disturbed from the medallion, so I wouldn't reach to buy the Sonic Spa Pro exclusively for its jewellery cleaning chops.
The Sonic Spa Pro isn’t perfect; the power supply situation, in particular, leaves room for improvement. In the UK at least, it comes with a UK 13-amp socket, which most bathroom’s don’t include for safety reasons. You can, of course, opt for a two-pin shaver adapter to three-pin UK 13-amp arrangement, but do so at your own risk.
However, this plug issue isn’t just problematic when it comes to placing and using your Sonic Spa Pro; it’s annoying because the basin in the device isn’t removable, meaning every time you need to refill or empty the water, you have to take the entire unit to the sink. The scratchy, high-pitched sound it emits is also a bit irritating – although it isn’t too loud, meaning you can survive the few minutes it needs to run its cleaning cycle.
There’s bad news, too, for those who are unsure about the Sonic Spa Pro’s UV-C technology – you can’t opt to use the device exclusively as a supersonic bath.
Nevertheless, even taking all of the negatives into account, overall I was impressed with the Sonic Spa Pro – and my teeth have never felt cleaner. Not only this, but it’s also helping to make my toothbrush heads last longer, removing as much of the residual toothpaste and calcification as possible before it can build up to damage the toothbrush.
Should I buy the Sonic Spa Pro?
Buy it if...
You and/or your household have a number of dental appliances
For households with multiple electric toothbrushes, retainers and the like, the Sonic Spa Pro is a great investment.
You're sick and tired of cleaning retainers and mouthguards
The Sonic Spa Pro does a great job at quickly cleaning your dental appliances, and seems to be effective at doing so - though it's hard to measure
Don't buy it if...
You're on a budget
If you aren't in dire need, the Sonic Spa Pro is likely to be a little too much of an investment.
You want to clean jewellery
I tried cleaning a medallion and a few necklaces in the Sonic Spa Pro, and they came out looking basically the same
You're nervous about UV technology
The Sonic Spa Pro's UV lighting is non-negotiable, so not something well-suited to those avoiding it.
