Here are the best electric toothbrushes to try right now, according to reviews

For as long as we've been going to dentists, they've been telling us to brush our teeth — and do it well. Experts at the American Dental Association suggest brushing teeth at least twice a day to prevent tooth decay. While this may seem like common knowledge, we were surprised to learn that neglecting your teeth can lead to even more serious problems.

One study published in the Journal of Cancer Prevention Research found that poor oral health can increase your chances of getting an oral human papilloma virus infection, which can lead to developing certain oral cancers.

If you've been thinking about switching to an electric toothbrush that will do the scrubbing for you, we suggest a top-of-the-line brush from Philips Sonicare (pictured below). The Essence Sonic electric toothbrush ($28.60, originally $49.95; amazon.com) is a No. 1 best-selling model on Amazon. And with over 5,000 positive reviews giving this model a 4.4-star average rating, you can feel confident that this toothbrush has been tried and tested to ensure it's a high-quality product.

What makes this toothbrush special? For starters, Philips Sonicare markets this model as being able to remove twice as much plaque as a manual toothbrush. With patented sonic technology that's designed to clean between teeth and along the gum line, this brush delivers a fresh, clean feeling you'll undoubtedly notice. And, to help you gauge whether you've brushed for long enough, there's a two-minute timer.

As an alternative to the Philips Sonicare, we've also had our eye on the Oral-B White Pro 1000 ($39.97; amazon.com), which is comparable in price. Also a best-seller on Amazon, with a 4.4 out of 5-star rating, the White Pro 1000 is another good option for those looking to up their oral hygiene game. According to Oral-B, this toothbrush can "remove 300% more plaque along the gumline than a regular manual toothbrush."

Another great thing about this model is the wide range of replaceable toothbrush heads that can be used by those who want more flossing action, have sensitive teeth and otherwise. For instance, these Oral-B Cross Action toothbrush head replacements ($21.49; amazon.com) have angled bristles designed to get in between teeth and have hundreds of reviews on Amazon and a 4.7 out of 5-star ranking.

Note: the prices above reflect the retailer's listed prices at the time of publication.