A common advice which you are likely to hear from any dentist is that you should use the right toothbrush. Yet when it comes to choosing the right toothbrush, you are still presented with a vast array of choices to pick from. Most people will simply pick a manual toothbrush based on a sample that provided by their dentist.
The traditional manual tooth brushes have given way to electric toothbrushes that are widely recommended by dentists for their efficacy. But how much do these electric toothbrushes live up to the billing? They are already cost considerably more than their manual ones but is there an efficiency and health dividend of using these over the manual brushes? Let us look at some of the pros and cons of using an electric toothbrush.
Many dentists contend that people who use electric toothbrushes have considerably better looking gums, fewer tooth decay and cavity problems. Manufacturers and dentists insist that patients will notice an instant change in their oral health when they make the switch from manual to electric toothbrushes and the extra investment that you make in buying the electric version may just be worth it.
Should you go Electric?
If you struggle to brush your teeth well using a manual toothbrush, then buying an electric one can be a huge boost to your dental health. Electric toothbrushes will generally remove the plaque more effectively than manual toothbrushes. With these, you don’t have to master a particular technique to clean your teeth or gums correctly.
They can be especially great for kids who are just learning to brush their teeth. Because they are not dependent on a technique, kids can use them to clean their teeth more easily than manual toothbrushes.
Electric toothbrushes can also be great for people with arthritis and various other dexterity issues and disabilities. They have a bigger handle and easily clean teeth without too much delicate hand coordination. They simply have to hold it inside their mouths and let the electric motion carry out the cleaning action. They can also be great for the elderly who are unable to move their hands as they should as they brush their teeth. These toothbrushes will help them maintain excellent oral hygiene.
The electric toothbrushes offer an excellent cleaning action. As you move the toothbrush around your mouth, it rotates constantly and this extra motion helps get rid of the many food particles and debris in the mouth. In this respect, it is more effective than manual tooth brushes. They deploy a combination of motion techniques such as oscillations, pulsating movements as well as quick rotations which are far more effective than the back and forth motion of the manual toothbrushes.
When most of us use the manual toothbrushes, we tend to press too hard which can damage the gums as you will be applying excessive pressure around the sensitive gum areas and tooth surface. However, electric toothbrushes apply just the right amount of pressure that clean your gum without brushing away at the delicate gum areas.
Some are even designed with intelligent sensors that will give a red flash or stop working if you press them too hard against the gums. This ensures that you apply just the right amount of pressure when brushing your teeth. They can also be designed with extra features such as timers enabling you to brush your teeth for the right duration.