Electric Toothbrushes-Are they better?

Your dentist may have suggested that you start using an electric toothbrush after years of using hand brushing. Why? Are they better and more effective? What’s wrong with my normal brushing? They are how much?

These are typical responses I have witnessed in my dental practice. I think electric toothbrushes are great and that everybody should invest in one of the good products you find on the store shelves. Sonicare, Oral-B electric, and Roto-Dent are three that provide the finest in electric toothbrushes.

Now let’s investigate whether they are better than hand brushing. For many people with normal sized mouths and straight teeth manual brushing will maintain a good clean environment for optimal health. When mouth sizes are small and teeth are crowded and tight electric brushes will easily attack difficult to reach areas.

Your dentist may have noticed that you brush too hard and are wearing away the teeth and causing gum recession. Using electric toothbrushes with less force will be less erosive on your teeth and still clean very effectively. The very back molars are sometimes forgotten or impossible to clean with hand brushing. The electric brushes will clean even if you just “hold” it against the tooth.

Most dentists will advise to spend at least two minutes when brushing. This is also very true with electric brushes. Electric brushes are no shortcut for hand brushing and are not meant to be “faster”. However, they will provide more brush strokes per tooth per second of use and ultimately get your teeth cleaner.Which electric brush is better? I like all of them. In fact I have three different brushes I use daily. Sonicare by Phillips and Oral-B Professional by Braun are the big over-the-counter brushes. They have robust motors and a long battery life.

Sonicare has an ultrasonic wave action and pulses the toothpaste between the teeth. Oral-B has an oscillating round brush that scrubs the tooth surface. Roto-Dent is sold through dental offices and has the finest brush fibers available and is preferred for people with tooth erosion and fragile gums. It is a simple rotary round brush.

My advice for brushing is to be gentle but thorough. Giving yourself at least two minutes in the morning and before bedtime for brushing is best. Don’t try to rush through and press harder on the brush. Pressing harder will not achieve better results and could lead to early tooth wear.

For answers to your dental questions, contact
Douglas Urban, D.D.S.
Cerritos, CA 90703
562 924-1523
DrDouglasUrban.com